Sobriété Heureuse aux Jardins du Salvet
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We did it! A mini-lap(*), but still a lap, all around Australia; 25,000kms in 6 months. This blog isn’t really about traveling, but we could not finish the lap and not write a little something about it. TRAVELERS Firstly, it isn’t as unusual to do the lap as I had previously imagined. We met many fellow travellers and they can largely be classified into 3 main types
There is a great facebook group FAMILIES ON THE ROAD – TRAVELING AUSTRALIA with discussion tips on what to do, where to go and meet-ups along the way. (https://www.facebook.com/groups/FOTR.Australia/?fref=nf). THE EQUIPMENT We did our lap in a Mitsubishi Pajero and a Jayco Swan Outback. CAR - There are really only 3 options if you are planning to do the lap; The Toyota Landcruiser (which was our preference but was too expensive), The Nissan Patrol and the Mitsubishi Pajero. Our Pajero consumed a little more than we liked, but it did the job and we had absolutely no problems with it. We had many debates about the need for a bull-bar, snorkel, raised suspension etc.... Conclusion : we did not get any of it because it was too expensive, and we did not need it! CARAVAN / CAMPER - Our dearly loved Jayco was amazing. It was the best choice. We would not have been able to go to many of the places in a caravan so the outback camper trailer was indispensable. We were a little overloaded at the beginning of the trip and took hours setting-up and tearing down. By the end of the trip, we could do it in under 10mins flat! (without unhooking from the car, and without the annex.) Note : Bring the minimum and go to Op shops if there is a change in weather or you find that you need something. For kids toys, our box of lego was a life-saver and other toys and books were "exchanged" at op shops along the way. WHERE TO STAY As we were wwoofing, we were mainly staying on the farms where we worked. Whilst we were traveling, our preference would be to wild camp. (Cost : FREE) It took us a while before we got the hang of just pulling over in the middle of nowhere and just setting-up. The trick is to get off the main road, off-road if possible and pick a flat spot, sheltered from the wind (very important if you are by the coast). We would have done nothing but Wild Camped if not for
Second choice would be to bushcamp in a National Park. (Cost $5 to $8 per person per night) There is often nothing more than a drop toilet in the form of facilities but you are in a protected national park on an amazing stretch of beach, by a pretty lake or mountain. There are also some really nice private properties that offer camping facilities. Facilities and prices vary. Here are some of our amazing finds : Bush Camp Sites WA - Dampier Peninsular – Embalgun Community in Middle Lagoon NT – Mt Isa – West Lichetfield Cattle Ranch Queensland – Byfield Camp Stay SA – Connawara – Bellwether Wines (Check wikicamp app for details) Byfield Campstay, North Queensland - A magnificent garden, friendly hosts, eco-toilets & showers, communal kitchen that doubled as yoga space Bellewether Wines, Coonawara SA - Beautiful campgrounds, lovely host, winetasting, campfire, a gorgeous bath and free laundry!! Caravan Parks. These we HATE. (Cost $50 to >$100 per night for family of 4). It’s akin to sleeping in a car park. That being said, we stayed in a couple because they were easy. Most had pools, tennis courts, laundry facilities, wifi and other children to entertain our kids! We joined Top Parks and got 10% discount off the rack rates. (Big Four also offers membership discounts.)
(*) Our lap was a mini because we did not make it to Uluru, to Sydney, to Tasmania.... We were recently at Symara Farm in Stanthorpe Queensland. Ray & Samantha will be taking a 6 month sabbatical from their farm to WWOOF in Europe with their children, Eva (9) and Charlie (7) and we were eagerly exchanging notes. In short, WWOOFING with Children has been an amazing experience for us and we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Traveling as tourists from beach to playground to museum can be fun, but will never be as rich and rewarding as working and being part of a community. WWOOFING with children however takes a little organisation :
NOTE 1: We have used WWOOFING (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) http://wwoofinternational.org rather loosely as we did not officially join the WWOOF organisation. We identified interesting farms through internet research, the Permaculture Community https://permacultureglobal.org, Organic Farms listings http://enviro.org.au/organics-directory-australia.asp and word-of-mouth. It is a small world and social media such as Instagram and Facebook are great tools to learn about and make contact with potential farms.
NOTE 2: We have heard that HELPX https://www.helpx.net and WORKAWAY https://www.workaway.info are also interesting platforms that work in a similar manner as WWOOF. Our family have long heated discussions about how to do things "right". Benoit was Mr Business Improvement in his previous life and is applying his know-how in our new life. Needless to say, there has been numerous debates about which SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) work best.
At our first Wwoofing job at Birdwood Downs, I was responsible for cleaning the 9 toilets and bathrooms in the ablutions block. It took me 2 hours to do it in the first day and by the end of the week, I could do it in under 45mins. I have no aspirations about becoming a professional cleaner, but it is interesting how having a process brings about efficiency. The real question is however not How to be more effecient, but Why do we Want to be more effecient! What is wrong with taking our time to pick beautiful bouquets of kale? Why can't we enjoy the time spent cleaning so it is a meditation to be enjoyed and not a tedious chore? Ultimately, I agree that a certain level of standardisation is necessary, especially when there is a large group of people working on a commercial business; But not at the expense of ingenuity and creativity. And in the spirit of continuous improvement, there needs to be a parhway to challenge existing SOPs so that they are evolving and not carved in stone. SOP for washing dishes - Most water efficient methodDIshwashing methodology has been a longstanding family debate. I think I have finally found the most water efficient and clean way. We discovered the method whilst volunteering at Wild Mountains, an educational center that holds earthcarer courses. Often, there are large groups of about 40-50 people so green and clean is important. It requires a 3 basin sink though so that will be in our plans for our new house.
SOP for cutting orangesThis is a strange but interesting debate. Benoit likes his oranges cut along the segments (picture on the left) because the orange peels off cleanly. I like my oranges cut across the segments (picture on the right) so they can be opened up easily to expose the cross segments. We have asked many people which they prefer and the jury is divided....
We are wwoofing at Natural Bridge Organics Farm in the beautiful Numinbah Valley Hinterlands. Everything is green and luscious, the weather is cool and they have soil that can grow just about anything. The Hinterlands is theoretically in the Sub-tropical zone but there is a micro-climate that allows us to grow Temperate zone veggies too.
Some members of the international team from France (Remi, Benoit), Belgium (Leila), Brazil (Enrique), India (Sid), UK (Chris), Canada (Eland- DuckCreek Farms, BC, Trevor), Singapore (Elaine, Stephan) & Australia (Luke, Dan, Joey, Paul). Luke, the farm manager has an amazing crew working for him; Dedicated, passionate and with a wealth of experience and knowledge. The garden applies Permaculture and Intensive Market Gardening principles drawing from the know-how of the team, many of whom have run their own market garden farms in other parts of the world. One thing that struck me was the number of yoga teachers and yogis who work here. There must be something about farming and yoga! Market Gardening 101Technique 1 : Preparing Garden Beds for direct sowing1. Clean up old bed. Cut weeds with a hoe.
Tools of the trade Technique 2 : Preparing seedlings for the nursery1. Prepare potting mix (2 tubs of compost, 1 tub of vermiculite, 10 50gm scoops of fertiliser. The compost should be sifted to remove large pieces and mixed well. 2. Pour potting mix into the trays and brush off the few mms. 3. Sow using a hand vibrator. Pest Control1. White flowers are grown inter-bed to prevent White Cabbage Moths. 2. Neem Tree oil and Dipel (Organic Bacteria) Spray. Life at the FarmOne of the more important pillars of this trip was to learn how to lead a simpler life; more sustainable and less materialistic. I have come a long way from the days of designer handbags, expensive jewellery and grand cru classes . But I am far from being cured! It is easy to live austerely when one lives on a farm 3 hours away from the nearest shop; we make do with what we have and it is mind-blowing how the simplest things take on dimensions of awesome and amazing. We have however been on the road these past few weeks travelling from the Northern Territories to the exotic beaches of Queensland and our resolve has been but to the test with the temptations of delicious Japanese restaurants, deserted private islands, luxury yachts and expensive boutiques. I am glad to announce that even though there were lapses, all-in-all, we did relatively well. We enjoy eating, drinking and beautiful things. How does one reconcile this with leading a simpler life? Well, the two aren't completely incongruent... Bearing in mind that "Less is More" and each experience or thing should be enjoyed to it's fullest potential, we can still enjoy the pleasures in life without over-jeopardising the principles. We have put together a procedure regarding future family purchases.
The idea came to seed whilst sitting around the dining table listening to our Shell friend, Thor, debate with the anti-fracking community at Speargrass and hearing about his uncle's adventures driving from Scotland to New Zealand after the Second World War.. We are currently traveling around Australia living with sustainable communities, learning about regenerative ecosocial models in a Mitsubishi Pajero + camper trailer that has consumed 2,400 liters of non renewable fossil fuel and emitted 2,880 kg of CO2 across 12,000 kms. Needless to say, there is something wrong with this picture. So, we are putting together a corrective plan to dump the Pajero for a greener solution. The idea would be to finish our lap around Australia then drive to France in a Solar or Electric vehicle, stopping in farms and communities as we have been doing, and adding the dimension of renewable energy mobility.. Solar would be our solution of choice; free, clean and available (when there is sun)! But electric seems to be a more accessible solution.
Well, this is just a little brain drizzle from our initial research. Can our more knowledgeable and well connected friends please help us make this happen!! If you know anyone in the industry or would be interested in working on this with us, please email : [email protected] / call +61 (0) 415938856. Headline credit to : Olivier Brauen, who called from the US with project planning advise.... (Which reminds me of one of his favorite phrases when we were in Michelin together "Ideas are easy; it's all about EXECUTION!!"
POSITION VACANT : Remote off-grid farm 250km South of Darwin seeks family to take over 3-room house with mature gardens, trees, solar power and water. If you are nice, a couple of goats and ducks may be thrown into the package too. Applicants should possess a gigantic sense of humor, love good healthy food and share a passion for deep philosophical existential debates. Terms of lease, duration and participation are fully negotiable. Interested applicants with the appropriate skills may apply by phone Tel : 897 54679 or in person at Speargrass Farm (directions below). Email applications will NOT be entertained.
There is great potential to set up a retreat or educational centre, grow and sell processed and fresh produce in Darwin etc…. All of which can easily be implemented. But, we aren't ready for it yet. We are only at the start of the journey and there is still so much to learn. Speargrass is sobriete heureuse in action and we are grateful to Luke & Laura for giving us a glimpse of what we may be able to accomplish in the future. Preparing Garden Beds : Benoit's favorite past-time is making compost (layers of Goat & cow poo + Decomposing Cane-toad + banana leaves + Hay + water & wait 6 weeks) + Mulch
We practice attachment parenting (sometimes also known as Kangaroo Care) with Bella. She is with us 24/7 and is fed every 3-4 hrs. We forget very quickly how tiring those night feeds can be, but she is adorable. She hisses very gently when she wants milk or attention, and sucks on her pouch for comfort. Joeys are extremely clean and will not dirty their pouches unless in distress. The mummy-roo will normally lick the anus of the joey whilst she is in the pouch and cleans the pee & poo this way. We will be leaving NT next week and will unfortunately have to leave her behind. She will be going to live with Luke's mum in Katherine. We consider Luke and the mob at Speargrass family, so I guess family of family means she is still staying in the family!
Update 4th Oct 2016 : Bella was dropped off at Petrena's and now has her own little pink hanging bag…..It is strange staying in an organic farm but not have anything to eat from it! We are wwoofing at Michael's Organic Mango Farm in Elizabeth Valley, Nanoomah, NT. Michael lives on this 20 acre property with Madame (Amelie's new best friend), and is happily sharing his produce with the termites and wildlife. Half of the farm is bush and the other half contains 380+ mango trees and several vegetable patches. Michael is a weekend gentleman farmer; working in Darwin during the day and tending to his farm in the evenings and on weekends. Organic mango farming apparently doesn't take much work outside the harvesting season. The fruits grow on their own, with a little help from chicken manure and some mulching. During harvest, all the fruits are picked over 3 days. The science of mango farming lies here; The sap burns so the fruits need to be picked in a special way. As the fruits are exported to the eastern states, Department of Ag / Quarantine requires that they have to be blanched in hot water (the centre of the fruit needs to be at 62degrees for 10 mins) for disease control. FYI, Non-organic fruit is dipped in chemicals such as dimethoate that cannot be washed off so think twice before buying non-local, non-organic fruits and vegetables! Michael’s mango orchard has been invaded by Mastotermes Termites that are hollowing out the trees and killing them. The harvest has dropped from 10tons to less than 5tons. As it is an organic farm, nothing much can be done about the termites and Mike is just waiting it out and looking for alternative crops. I suggested using Diatomaceous Earth, but was informed that applying DE over nearly 400 trees is just not practical! Any suggestions anyone? Our big question now is, HOW DO ORGANIC COMMERCIAL FARMS CONTROL THE TERMITES, PESTS & BIRDS? I learnt all about Integrated Pest Management (i.e. : leave the pests alone and bigger animals will take care of them, and overtime, they will all manage themselves….) but I can't see how this can really work in a big farm. We spent a lot of time planting Cassavas. These are being used as sacrificial plants in hope that they will divert the attention of the termites from the mangoes. We have been experimenting with recipes; Cassava chips are yummy, but Oumou takes a little getting used too. A big thank you to Mike for his hospitality and kindness!
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