In Australian

Australian English

Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....

 and New Zealand English

New Zealand English

New Zealand English is the dialect of the English language used in New Zealand.The English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century. It is one of "the newest native-speaker variet[ies] of the English language in existence, a variety which has developed and...

, a quarter acre is a term for a suburban plot of land. Traditionally, Australians and New Zealanders

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 aspire to own a 3- or 4-bedroom house or bungalow

Bungalow

A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...

 on a section of around a quarter of an acre

Acre

The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...

 (about 1,000 square metres), also known locally as the Australian Dream

Australian Dream

The Australian Dream or Great Australian Dream is a belief that in Australia, home ownership can lead to a better life and is an expression of success and security...

 or the New Zealand dream

New Zealand dream

The New Zealand dream is centered around the acquisition of a family house on a quarter acre section, with at least one motor vehicle. The New Zealand dream is similar to the Australian Dream...

. The land was frequently put to use with vegetable gardens, fruit trees, or lawns for family recreation.

The quarter-acre aspiration has changed in recent decades, with sub-divisions, infill housing, apartments, and townhouses becoming more common in large cities, and nearby lifestyle farming

Hobby farm

A hobby farm is a smallholding or small farm that is maintained without expectation of being a primary source of income. Some are merely to provide some recreational land, and perhaps a few horses for the family's children...

 blocks becoming popular. Most "quarter-acre" sections are not exactly a quarter of an acre. With urban growth, properties tend be smaller.

See also

• Rood, an Old English unit of area, equal to quarter of an acre
• New Zealand dream
  New Zealand dream
  The New Zealand dream is centered around the acquisition of a family house on a quarter acre section, with at least one motor vehicle. The New Zealand dream is similar to the Australian Dream...
  
  
• Australian Dream
  Australian Dream
  The Australian Dream or Great Australian Dream is a belief that in Australia, home ownership can lead to a better life and is an expression of success and security...
  
  

• The Half Gallon Quarter Acre Pavlova Paradise
  The Half Gallon Quarter Acre Pavlova Paradise
  The Half Gallon Quarter Acre Pavlova Paradise was a popular book by Austin Mitchell, published by Whitcombe and Tombs , with illustrations by Les Gibbard. It provided a witty, satirical description of life in 1960s New Zealand, and Kiwi culture.Described as "a celebrated vision of New Zealand as...
  
  , a popular book by Austin Mitchell