HOW IT BEGAN
Our story starts with a vision to nurture our family and others with clean, chemical free, nutritious food. We also set out to restore balance in the environment and within ourselves by actively pursuing a healing, sustainable, and regenerative lifestyle.
THE REGION
In a region of Queensland more widely known for its intensive growing of sugar cane and mining coal in the hinterland, thirty years ago there wasn’t a lot of fresh local produce. Organic or ‘chemical free’ produce was limited predominantly by the traditional backyard gardens of knowledgeable South Seas Islanders and the Maltese population.
FIRST CERTIFIED ORGANIC MARKET GARDEN
We are proud to say that we started the region’s first certified organic market gardens, growing a mix of vegetables, while experimenting to acquire knowledge on what variety and cultivars best suited this region’s climate. Our produce was sold at the local market for six years before we moved to our current location to establish an organic store and permaculture gardens.
GEOGRAPHICAL SURROUNDS
We are located at the picturesque ‘The Leap’. Our organic farm and shop are nestled in the foothills of Mt Mandurana (known as ‘The Leap Mountain’). This area is part of a volcanic bioregion encompassing Cape Hillsborough through to the Whitsunday Islands to the north, and Mt Dalrymple to the northwest. These are the traditional lands of the Yuibera people.
OUR BACKGROUND
Our permaculture gardens and organic store are the culmination of the journey to three continents to work on organic biodynamic and permaculture farms. Many memorable experiences including growing fava beans on the southern coast of Spain, picking coffee beans in Nicaragua, and working on an organic herb farm in England.
We’ve consolidated our backgrounds in Applied Science and Education with studies in Ecological Horticulture Permaculture with Bill Mollison and Energy Clearing with Jean Haner.
OUR PERMACULTURE GARDENS & NATIVE VEGETATION
Our unique organic property has been land shaped and vegetated using permaculture design principles.
A system of interconnected dams capture and manage water in dry times and during cyclonic events.
A food forest has been established and a polyculture of food gardens planted. These provision our certified organic store (Organic & Natural Store) which stands at the front of our property.
The remnant bushland provides a wildlife corridor for native animals.
OUR LOW CARBON FOOTPRINT ‘ORGANIC & NATURAL STORE’
Our organic store has evolved over 25 years. What began as an old corrugated iron shed has been retro fitted and transformed into a unique and beautiful certified organic store. We sourced recycled timber, ironbark posts, bio paints and lime washes to create an environment in which even the most sensitive people can shop.
Our shop in the early days.
Every decision and action in the construction of our store and property has been carefully considered to ensure sustainability and regeneration.
The use of recycled timbers and the renovation of an old shed minimise the energy output that would have been required to build with newly manufactured materials. Natural materials and bio paints have created a clean environment where there is no ‘outgassing’ from petro-chemical based paints or toxic VOC’s from synthetic composite materials.
Refrigeration is offset by a 5KVA solar energy system
Inside our shop today