A volatile housing market, the rising cost of living and concern for the environment are some of the factors that drive people off the grid.
For Fred Jeffree, it was the neighbour's dog barking that proved the last straw before his decision to ditch outback suburbia and start afresh on a peaceful patch of dirt 2,000 kilometres north-west of Brisbane.
"We wanted to get away from the noise of the town," he said.
"It's nice and quiet here, we've got no neighbours, no one to argue with and you don't hear the neighbour's dog barking."
He is part of the 2 per cent of Australians who are living off-grid, according to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
Mr Jeffree began building his dream off-grid home in a tranquil stretch of bush near his former hometown of Cloncurry in 2020.
But it wasn't as easy as he'd hoped.
A rise in the cost of materials, the remote location and unrelenting outback weather proved major challenges.
"It hasn't been an easy job and it's definitely not for everyone," he said.
Intended for use as a staging area for the nearby Mary Kathleen uranium mine before it closed in 1982, the land Mr Jeffree built on was always considered unique among residents.
Former Cloncurry resident and builder Blair McArdle, who travelled from Townsville to be part of the off-grid build, said it was an iconic block.
"Everyone that has driven past that block of land on the highway over the last 40 odd years has thought, 'I'd love to put something there'," he said.
Building on 'Mars'
Mr McArdle, Mr Jeffree and their crew battled a relentless sun while jutting mountain ranges and uninterrupted stretches of bushland made for a rewarding view.
"I'd say the environment was the biggest challenge," Mr McArdle said.
"Imagine what it would be like working on Mars.
"That's what it's like building out here."
Mr Jeffree said he was caught off-guard by how much the project ended up costing.
The build took about a year to complete.
"The price of everything has gone through the roof," he said.
He said it wasn't a cheap or easy exercise.
"I was lucky I was able to do quite a bit myself," he said.
"If I hadn't got involved it probably would have cost us another $100,000."
Something unique
Mr Jeffree has been living in his new home for about a year.
The house features 36, 330-watt panels on the roof with a 46 kilowatt battery system that runs the entire home.
Water is sourced from tanks and the nearby Clem Walton dam.
"It hasn't been easy and it's not for everyone, but I think, if you know what you want and you've got an idea about how to do things, you'd be OK," he said.
"It's been a good experience and I think, at the end of the day, we have something that's pretty unique."
Mr McArdle said helping out on the project was a career highlight.
"It's a wonderful home and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to help build it," he said.
"Everyone always drove past this spot and saw its potential and now there's this wonderful house that will be there for many, many years to come."
