What is Permaculture?

As a WWOOFer you will be introduced to an exciting practical living theory called Permaculture. I was first introduced to it in Spain where it blew my mind as everything I had already been thinking but never had an explanation for.

I was incredibly excited to take my Permaculture beliefs to the next level and found a great little Permaculture Design Course in Leongatha, outside Melbourne in Australia.

The course was a run by two amazing teachers, Rick and Naomi Coleman, on an idylic patch of land in the sweet Victorian state countryside. This being my first time in anywhere else apart from New South Wales I noted how immidiately I took to the natural surroundings, much more than I did then when I was up in Nimbin.

There were about 15 of us on the course including a couple of trainee teachers. All were locals to the Melbourne area apart from one guy who had come all the way from Tasmania and an Irish dude. We got going the first evening with a brilliant meal by dedicated WWOOFer and his musically talented German girlfriend. And then an introduction by Naomi whilst noting that most of the teaching througout the week would be done by Rick and his trainees.

She asked us to think to ourselves what we wnated from the course. And then the next thing I remember is waking up in my caravan on my last day! It had been two weeks of intense on site seminars which usually had strong practical elements to them, field trips which was inspiring and amazing to see what other people had done to their land and a final presentation of what we had learn't. The week ended with Naomi asking us what we had wanted and to see if we had achieved that. I forget what I wanted - it was probably something to do with a career.

However, I write this, dissapointingly just over a year later from a terraced house on the other side of the world, looking out through the rain onto a small backyard. And there are still the P/C teachings going through my mind as I look to transform that barron space into a productive, efficient growing patch. I'm thinking about zoning, most used pathways, edge effects and there's a herb spiral in there somewhere too.

I have much to explore in my Permaculture journey as I am still yet to find the words to answer the question "So what is Permaculture then?" For more info check out the sites below:

http://www.southerncrosspermaculture.com.au/welcome/

http://www.permaculture.org.uk/

OzBus11 - The End of the Road

90 days, 26 passengers, 17 countries, 13 busses, 12 currencies, 10 time zones, 3 ferries, 3 (politically necarssary) flights, 1 horse ride, 1 scooter and 1 lost earing later; 8 nationalities including one Kiwi leader had made it to being 3 days away from Sydney. We left Coober Pedy heading for Adelaide where we began the begginning of the end for OzBus11.

Our loveable crazy French Canadian was leaving us here to conitnue his adventures alone in Australia. Also our resident 'bogan' Aussie was returning to his hometown of Melbourne which was geographically nearer to Adelaide than Sydney so it made sense for him to say bye to us here also. The crew arrived at our second to last hostel. We settled in and then made our way to a special leaving dinner. It was a flat time for me as I hate anything having to end. The phrase 'all good things must come to an end' has no meaning for me but it could be a fitting description for that night.

Adelaide was a pleasant city to trundle through. Open, green with various parks, pretty, old buildings still in situ thanks to the 80's financial boom not hitting the city. But all too soon we were on the road again with only 24 passengers on board heading for the tiny NSW town of Narrandera. This is where we'd lay our heads, one last night on the road, before our final, 92nd, day.

Is this a good time to reflect? People ask me, as I know they ask my fellow OzBusketeers – “how did you cope for 3 months with the same group of people and a different place each night?” I find it a difficult question to answer. For us, OzBus was a way of life. It had been since we boarded the bus on the 6th of September at Embankment, London. We all did so with different aims but we had one thing in common. We held within us an accute need for adventure. We wanted something different, not the norm, one in a million.

For some of us it was a spur of the moment decision made with a friend because life was so inain at the time. For others it was a 'crazy' idea that suited their 'crazy' personality. For others being on board a bus through strange countries for 3 months was a test of survival that had to be done to prove something either to oneself or other people. For me? - It was a minute part of a bigger plan of action that I still hadn't figured out at the time. Maybe I still don't. I knew I needed that bus, I needed those people around me, I needed to get to Australia. And by the time I had arived in the vast extreme country, I wasn't necarssarily a completely different person. But I had definitely been added to. OzBus is extension of my life and the experiences I have had because of it benefit me as a person. It's another bus story I can tell future friends and ones that are waiting for me to return home.

Day 92. OzBusketeers wake up in Nerrandera. We arrive in Australia's capital of Canberra for lunch. A tour of Parliament house was impressive. The capital city isn't supposed to be much of a looker. It being purpose built and to stop the rival cities of Melbourne and Sydney from squabling over who's the best. But it didn't look that bad to me. I'd live there for a while to get a better feel for the place before completely writing it off. It was post-war pretty and clean.

After lunch it was a final haul to Sydney. I remember going through beautiful rolling hills of countryside. This was in stark contrast to the deathly orange of the outback. And then......... and then......... “Harry Truman, Dorris Day....” our song came on the radio. We were pulling in to Mrs Macquaries Point in the Royal Botanical Gardens which was the official disembarkation point of OzBus11. Those that couldn't contain their excitement/emotion were dancing in the bus aisle, others were frantically waving out of the window to friends and relatives.

The bus parked up, we all rushed off. Some were greeted by those they had not seen for 3 months, 3 years or more. Others rushed off to the viewing point to see the famous Opera House across the harbour. It was the first view of the iconic landmark and it was the symbol that WE HAD MADE IT! I was surprisingly teary just by sharing the moment of arriving with my fellow passengers who were now my firm friends. We all posed, most of us wearing official OzBus11 T-shirts we had made up for ourselves, as a group with the Opera House behind us. It was someone's poor relative who was roped in to taking 20 odd digital camera pictures of us. After a lot of smiles and teary hugs it was time for a fair few of our crew to be taken away to experiences new by their family and friends. There was just one last short trip tour 'Adventure Tours' OzBus had to make. The few of us that were left, mostly the youngens, were dropped off at a decent 'flashpacker' hostel to sleep our first night as non-OzBusketeers. Goodbye to bus was said, a meloncholy drag of bags into reception, payment made and up into our mixed dorms.

A few of us stayed up pretty late as Rob 'Geography Boy' had an early flight to N.Z. to make. I crashed out in my bunk in the evening though. All of a sudden I felt empty and disillusioned. I knew where I was but at the same time I had no idea. Tomorrow was completely uncertain. Everything felt too immidiate, pressing and though this was technically freedom, it was distressing.

When I awoke the next morning Rob was gone already and strange people were sleeping in a few of the beds amongst my friends' bunks. Day 1 of the rest of my life had begun and I decided to go and find somewhere in Sydney to eat breakfast.