We live in an isolated off-grid township of about 100 people in the North West of Tasmania. With views to Cradle Mountain and surrounding valleys, it is home to a rich and diverse community (including about 20 free-range (home-schooled!!) children).
We aspire to build a small earth home for our family of four (2 girls – 8yo and 6yo) that embodies the principle of simplicity and low embedded energy-i.e. minimal use of fossil fuel and use of local and salvaged materials. We see the building of our home as an expression of deepening our connections with land and with people.
The property on which we will be building has been developed as a small-scale intentional community of five households. It is over 100 acres in size and has shared energy and water infrastructure and a Studio for artistic and social activities.
Other aspects of the wider community are:
– a community owned and run Hall;
– a food co-operative, with Saturday afternoon coffees;
– freshwater lake with kayaking and glorious afternoon summer swimming;
– a Buddhist Spiritual Centre;
– a local organic vegetable farmer supplying seasonal vegetables to the community;
– multiple existing natural buildings;
– rainforest walks with towering man-ferns
Our valley is also home to wallabies, wombats, echidnas, wedge-tailed eagles and platypuses that live in our dams.