Farm Wanderings in New South Wales

As we do each year, I (Charlie) just recently drove up and down the east coast of Australia on a Walkabout Permaculture trip: a journey, wandering with intention, between people and projects along the north shores of Sydney. These explorations are essential to keeping in touch with friends, places and projects - some projects that we've designed and helped to create in the past. 

Wandering between places in the trusty Subaru fosters its own kind of relationship with the land and the important connections that adventures like these cultivate. First stop: Bellingen, the town that was (and partially still is) my home for decades. Some people from back in the day remain others while others have moved on. Whilst I tune into the sunny vibes for the morning, I head to Cemetery Creek, my first check in. I see the creekside looks good - really good! With more plantings added since I was last there. With water running clear, the canopy shading over the creek, the riparian plantings looking so strong... it makes all the decades of past effort absolutely worth it. Driving through town, I pass by places with other projects (principally public perennial food projects) that have generally fallen into disrepair. I am reminded as I pull onto the highway, just how much continuous care these projects need through frequent visiting, weeding, planting, skills, practice, attention and conversation in order to succeed. 

Continuing strong since 1994, Cemetery Creek and Bellingen Island are two projects foremost in my mind when it comes to Bellingen projects. My memory goes back through the decades to the highly committed groups of people that dedicated so much time, energy, belief and idealism into the reclaiming of these waterway environments, making them special places. Thanks to Chris who guided me around the creek and who still visits the sites weekly. And to Annie and Dale too.  

Then it's time for a catch up with Uncle Micklo, who we have worked with since the Living Land event in 2015! We respectfully check in. We ask about family. We ask share philosophies about living with land, community and country. As usual, we plan with him coming out to the US to join with spirit/sweat lodge communities there... one day!

So many people and farms to visit!
There's the community farming at Daisy’s Farm. And then our friends at The Patch Organics and Levenvale Farm - actual working biodynamic and regenerative farms offering the local community the very best beef, chicken and produce.  If only people knew how hard these farmers work to bring them fresh, locally-grown produce (in the context of standard farm and produce systems!)

A note here on standard farming systems: in our experience, mainstream agricultural farms are generally very reliant upon chemical and mechanical practices meaning the farmers are often more focused on the machinery and chemicals than the living qualities of the landscape, animals and crops themselves. Both wider research and personal experience indicate that these agricultural systems can be seen to be degrading, even failing, in terms of biological health, economic productivity and the social & psychological well-being of the farmers themselves. Sometimes we refer to this mainstream agriculture as 'degenerative'. The sentimental images often used in advertising farm produce for supermarkets bares almost none of the reality of how contemporary farms operate. 

My journey continues driving back down south to dear friends at Honeyeaters Farm Community in Gloucester. It's exciting to visit with even more like-minded people, working to make productive farmscapes, fruit trees, permaculture-style gardens, preserves, pickles, chickens, guinea fowl, even an outdoor bath!

Normally we would head further north to Mullum and Byron Bay to The Paddock and The Farm: both great examples of sustainable farm enterprises. We see the deep interest that people have in places that hold the regenerative vision and spirit. If only folks really knew what the average degenerative farm was like, they would switch to making different choices...

People who are making some of those different choices are the folk at Narara Ecovillage, an hour or so north of Sydney: a well planned suburban community built for community living. I briefly join in helping plan out the autumn veggie planting in a large caged veggie and fruit tree garden. All sorts of interesting characters are there, many camping in the village. This was my first visit here and I know I will return, as it’s close to Sydney.  If you look hard enough and network, there’s so much to enjoy, appreciate and join in together!

Back in Sydney, I visit New Leaf Nursery whilst seeing old gardening clients. This is one of the best permaculture nurseries you will see anywhere with chooks (chickens), fruit trees, perennial veggies, seedlings, mulch and so much more. A great vibe!

On returning to Sydney I prepared and presented at the monthly Permaculture Northern Beaches get-together in Narabeen - a place I lived way in back in the day. The presentation was on "Putting Permaculture Into Local and Global Action’. The evening was a nice success with a presentation that traced my journey from Narabeen, Sydney, to Bellingen and further overseas, currently focussed around Michigan, USA. 

All those decades ago, we had dropped out from university to grow veggies and herbs, while camping and raising chickens that had been liberated from battery farms close by. That was followed by almost 10 years of landscaping and gardening in the Northern Beaches and North Shore area. It felt like it was the least harmful, most ethically justifiable way of making a living in that time and place. 

I guess it also offered an ongoing and intimate relationship with the actual ground, with landscape and the active, growing craft of working with the land. 

Coming this November, we will be running a full Permaculture Design Certification with The Patch Organics and Levenvale Farm in Bellingen this November 8th- 15th. The course will be a hybrid experience with 8 days of face-to-face practical experience on the farm and 5 days online with additional resources for ongoing education. This PDC is designed to equip you with the essential knowledge and practical skills needed to design and implement regenerative climate-resilient farms, gardens, homesteads and communities.
You can learn more and sign up for the course here at our Registration Page.

These days, while we often say that times are 'crazy', 'challenging' or 'precarious' (acknowledging lately that those terms are really applicable) it's reassuring to know all these projects, places, people, Elders, farms & businesses continue to thrive despite the odds. During this last trip especially, I am so grateful to be able to meander among them: acknowledging, learning and spreading some good words, some good produce, some good seeds and good juju wherever we can...