I'm not putting together a market survey. I asked for help on one, and got one response (from johnrobert2, I think) about stepping backward. My time right now is really short. I have to get back to my shrug job, or I'll blow my cover.

We could do a Kickstarter, but I want to see more interest around here before going to that.

And away I go.

You're not much of an RE salesman, Freedomforall. :)

I thought it was more of a thought experiment. I'm really impressed by any execution. I think many people will get more involved if they see the first steps happening. Of example, if you bought a purchase option that ties up a bit of land for six months and set up a non-profit to search for money to exercise the option, people would get excited.

Suggestions from me are a dime a dozen. Executing anything at all is harder.

If you do it near Florida or near WI and it has a hotel component, I will devote real effort to it.

The reason for the qualified support is it's so easy to say, "Oh yeah, count me in. I wanna help." But serving on any board takes real time, and that time competes with clients. It's easy to leave volunteer board/committee work hanging when a crisis on a paid project occurs. I never say yes unless I put the time on my calendar. If I volunteered on this, it would come out of my goofing-off-on-the-Gulch-website time.

I'll bet Scott could help with a Kickstarter if we approached him calmly, respectfully and with a damn good plan. I live near Dallas and could probably meet with him to make a presentation. I could also bring my engineering connection to the meeting to bolster some of the more esoteric points. How's that sound?

Exactamundo!!

Well I'm over 50, not wealthy and unwilling to give up my guns. So, bye-bye Australia, for me.

So we build earthquake resistant structures, as the Polynesians do.

"I'm actually pretty bummed out that no one else is participating in this."
Do you mean a particular property or the entire notion? Is the notion a thought experiment, or might you execute.

I love the notion. I'm on the fence about getting involved. If I ever get a system working where I can handle projects without my personal involvement in all details, I might put time into a Gulch effort.

I want it to be close to the US, have a resort component, be encouraging of trade, and be focused on attracting businesses.

Sideliners. I do it a lot. Don't really participate unless deeply involved (as here) but do monitor other threads. Keep pressing. We'll get their attention the closer we get to the final product.

Kickstarter does make some sense once we get this organized.

Are you asking "Who Is Midas Mulligan" like some ask, "Who Is John Galt"? I am.

But the island we are considering had a lot of mini-earthquakes in the early 1980s, and Mt. St. Helens erupted in the 80's, too.

Could we find as many as 1000 on this site? Probably. But we have to add in the cost of developing the support structure. As jbrenner has pointed out, a lot us here are already retired, or close to it. I am retired but still active and could probably handle primitive conditions for awhile. Would probably do me some good. We could conceivably be able to support about 150- 250 in the first year under primitive conditions and more as the support structure builds out and more is available. That's why jbrenner is putting together the market survey to see what we, as group, could (would) feasibly support and act upon. Technocracy is helping with the basic parameters and I do research here and there. Patience is a virtue and I have not been known to be too virtuous. I'm ready to jump now. (Well, I can't really. My m-in-law is 104 and I am needed to help my wife with her care.)

Am I talking out of turn, jb?

I'm actually pretty bummed out that no one else is participating in this.

Googleearth view:
http://www.geodata.us/australia_names_ma...

imo, Central Queensland is probably the most civilized and friendly place you could find, but immigration is difficult for over 50 unless wealthy, or with significant pension, or with guaranteed salary. Also it's almost firearm free.

I know this is easy to write but very complicated to execute successfully, BUT could you do some sort of a Kickstarter campaign. If the plans were clear, people would pay for things like admission to conference for contributors with a few night's stay, having their name on a plaque outside the building, having the airstrip or first building named after them, a tee shirt or wrist band with the name of the new Gulch, access to a website for founders, etc.

If you had a 1000 middle-class people interested, the cost wouldn't be so bad. I think you should try to get many small investors rather than one large one. (I wouldn't turn away a large benefactor, of course, if one appeared.)

Who is Midas Mulligan?

Are you thinking of a reconnaissance visit? Sure be nice to get a first hand report.

Krakatoa was in 1883. I can understand your trepidation. Anywhere we locate will have its drawbacks. If we are to have them, let's pick a place that is pretty to look at, at least. I wonder if Tech is following our meanderings?

"That's ten thousand acres. (10,000) A LOT of land for the money. It is also a peninsula so has a land bridge"
That's the size of a city. I like the cost per acre but I still wish it were closer to US so I could visit more easily.

Calderas that have been active in our lifetime - I'm not all that comfortable with that.