Garden, Travel

DAYLIGHT FADING

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Shadows on legs in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Dylan setting up the tent in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Sitting on the river bank at dusk in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Nest in a tree in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Sunlight fading as Dylan walks the river in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Silly shapes in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Wandering the river bank in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Tree trunks and river stones in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Curving branches covered in moss in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Reading in the rocks by the river at Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Fisherman Dylan in the river in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Preparing wood for the fire in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Setting up a support for the bush buddy stove in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Boiling water in the bush buddy in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Hanging up clothes to dry in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

Carving wooden spoons with an axe and knife in Lerderderg State Park, Victoria

 

The tent glowed cruelly at 6am and a crow barked a laugh, a most inconsiderate neighbour. More slug than butterfly I wriggled out of my cocoon, with koala eyes and a bed head to match, my appearance proudly declared me not a morning person.  The field had been deserted the night before, a goat, rope and picket gaily dragging behind, starred, chewing, just daring me to tell the interns she was free. Tilda Swinton in animal form, I find goats beautiful and alien, their rectangular pupiled eyes are a little bit intimidating.

Brought up on a delicious diet of Beatrix Potter and Brambly Hedge, picking raspberries for breakfast was almost too charming to bear and at that moment I could have shut up shop and left the city for good. The rest of the group gone, breakfast at Melliodora was delightful domestic, David pulling apart Su’s mothers electric hand mixer that had finally given up, WOOFERs and interns buzzing about, making herb teas…it all just seemed so lovely and so do-able. If my future family could live like this it would be perfection.

After that how could we go back to the city so soon? Clinging to the weekend by our nails, half way home, we camped our last night in the Lerderderg State Park. Gorgeous bushland, gurgling river, shadows, crackling fire and complete isolation. As the night settled in we quietly pined for the human company we had left behind and were ready to return home.

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Garden

FEATHERS IN YOUR HAIR

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Grass seeds on the hilltop, Hepburn, Australia

Camel toe gumboots on Matteo the Melliodora WOOFER

Angela's multicoloured hat, Hepburn, Australia

Blackberry and grass on the Hepburn tour, Australia

David Holmgren teaching us to read the landscape, Hepburn, Australia

The Hepburn tour, Australia

The Hepburn poet on the hilltop

Relaxing after the big hill climb, Hepburn, Australia

The native cherry and hemlock flowers, Hepburn, Australia

Single file procession, Hepburn, Australia

If you ever wondered what the true indicators of a cool man are it is simple 1. wearing camel toed gumboots and owning it, 2. being able to carry off high heeled thongs. That describes Matteo the Melliodora WWOOFER (or MIAOWER as they prefer, not being certified organic and all) and Rick Tanaka who did the Japanese translation of the Design Principles (also being involved in the management of Nick Cave probably helps too).

Glamourous permaculture footwear aside (don’t get me started on the hats now), we anted our way along the hills of Hepburn one by one and two by two. Weeds that are not weeds (poor old man willow, will they ever give you the credit you deserve?) and weeds that definitely are and how to control them (that’s you blackberry) past us by. We scrabbled our way to the hilltop and the whole patchwork was shaken out in front of us. Wild apples and native cherry ballarts creating rich humus beneath, giving way to plantations topped with the tips of e wind turbines waving too far for my poor eyes to see, then native forest blushing with blossoms beyond.

 

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Garden, Permaculture design

OLD CHAIN SAWS & FLATTENED GRASS

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Tree trunks, Hepburn, Australia

Finding evidence of a Kangaroo, Hepburn, Australia

Samples collected during reading the landscape, Hepburn, Australia

Examinging trees, Hepburn, Australia

Steve wearing fashionable head wear, Hepburn, Australia

Blue flower, Hepburn, Australia

Discovering fungus, Hepburn, Australia

Looking through the grass, Hepburn, Australia

 

A motley little herd we straggled through the bush fumbling for the story it was trying to tell. Pete the Permie was told to keep his knowledge to himself and let us stumble along, his eyes bulging at our blank faces. We were perhaps the greenest (as in clueless) of the whole course when it came to knowledge of what weeds mean and although we were quite good at observing (that tree is dead! that one too!) we had no idea why it was so. Animal and human activity was easier to unravel and we were quite pleased with our discovery of old chainsaw marks that we concluded was people pinching fire wood and flattened grass and kangaroo droppings never incited so much enthusiasm before. Steve our benevolent guide perhaps wasn’t blown away by our bush skills, but with his gentle prodding we were perhaps able to get more out of our wander than those who just traipsed through showing off what they already knew, well that’s what we like to believe anyway.

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Garden, Permaculture design

LESSONS AMONGST THE POPPIES

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David Holmgren showing the group around his zone 1 vegetable garden at Melliodora, Hepburn, Victoria, Australia

Mark from Purple Pear Organics at Melliodora, Hepburn, Victoria, Australia

David Holmgren amongst the poppies in his vegetable garden at Melliodora, Hepburn, Victoria, Australia

Mathias listening to David Holmgren at Melliodora, Hepburn, Victoria, Australia

David Holmgren explaining the water plan in the vegetable garden at Melliodora, Hepburn, Victoria, Australia

The tricycle chook tractor at Melliodora, Hepburn, Victoria, Australia

The huge orchard trees at Melliodora, Hepburn, Victoria, Australia

Tour around Melliodora, Hepburn, Victoria, Australia

Geese at Melliodora, Hepburn, Victoria, Australia

David Holmgren pointing out the different animal fodder trees at Melliodora, Hepburn, Victoria, Australia

Thr group listening to David Holgren explaining his site design for Melliodora, Hepburn, Victoria, Australia

The treehouse in the ild pear tree at Melliodora, Hepburn, Victoria, Australia

 

We packed our car full of Germans (as is the custom when heading to Hepburn for some Advanced Principles David Holmgren style) and set off, but not before taking a little detour to the airport to pick up a stranded Permaculture Pilgrimager (I told you it’s not a religion!!). Fashionably late as always we filled up on soup and set up tent in a dark paddock, my head nodded as I tried to cram in the last 10 pages of David’s book, 4 to go I succumbed to sleep.

The Advanced Principles course is well worth the trip, but as always my head was fairly bursting with knowledge at the end of the first day and I am still digesting it and working out how to apply it to life as I know it. Some people have all the luck, oh to have David Holmgren brains!

Whilst fascinating, the photographic opportunities at the primary school hall were not so scenic so I’ll leave you with some snaps from around David’s place at Melliodora. I won’t recommend the chook tractor tricycle as its inhabitants came to a sticky end at the paw of a Hepburn fox, but I promise if you visit Melliodora you will be dreaming of a tree house in ancient pear tree for years to come.

 

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