Who are we?
We are sustainable lifestyle educators with fifty years first hand experience of living the good life. We learned of climate change in 1969. And immediately planned and created a self-sufficient lifestyle. We have now walked the talk for half of a century.
During our lifetime we have occupied and revitalised five urban and rural properties. Converting each into a comfortable, environmentally friendly home with an edible landscape. We employ a number of proven systems. Climatic passive living, solar energy, self-reliance, self-provision, seed saving, companion planning, intercropping, permaculture and biodynamics.
OUR HOME is a fourteen acre bush block of sand, rock and clay. It is partially flanked by a steep, rocky ravine. We respect native land. Using only a portion on which to grow our food and animals. To support native wildlife we created a corridor for them to journey undisturbed through bushland.
We have rain water tanks and solar power.
GARDEN TO THE TABLE: Throughout the year we grow and harvest food plants for daily meals and for long term storage. The Veggie patch never rests. It operates on a twelve month harvest principle. Seasonable vegetables, berries, herbs, spices and dwarf fruit trees.
THE FOOD FOREST: Ducks live within the banana circle. Chickens free-range beneath the stone fruit trees. The citrus grove is an alternative yard for the ducks. To create bio-diversity the three food forest zones are companion planted with a variety of African, edible scented geraniums, herbs and flowering shrubs.
Our consumer footprint is small. Yearly overhead costs are low.
Through lectures, courses, personal consultations and our open garden tours we have touched the lives of thousands of people. Equipping them to grow their own food and to environmentally retrofit their home. People in Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Argentine, Chile, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Israel, America, Canada , Peru, Uruguay and Africa.
Our life-long journey has witnessed the rise in environmental interests. Such as self-sufficiency, biodynamic farming, permaculture, solar energy, sustainable building, natural health and climate change. In the 1970’s Grass Roots magazine grew out of public demand for hands-on information. Soon after Earth Garden magazine followed. Re-nu Energy magazine gave a voice to the solar and sustainable architecture movement. Eden Seeds supplied gardeners and farmers with organic seed. Clive and Penny Blazey created The Diggers Club. The Seed Savers network encouraged us all to save seeds.
It was an exciting era.
We are happy to share our skills and knowledge.