By Peter Veeken, President – Permaculture Yarra Valley
As I write this, we are nearing the end of Permaculture Week 2024 and have had a busy schedule of events to promote permaculture to the wider community. This is the fifth year Permaculture Yarra Valley has run Permaculture Week and the first year is has gone beyond the Yarra Ranges. Events kicked off on Friday 15th and concluded on Sunday 24th March (which is actually more than a week!) In the Yarra Valley we held 18 events starting with the Ecotopia Festival at Ecoss followed by site visits, workshops, a film screening, a seminar on Growing our community and a visit to a commercial Biochar facility. Feedback from attendees has been very positive and gives me a buzz making the months of planning worthwhile.
Permaculture Week events in the Yarra Valley included:
Edible Forest Tour hosted by Edible Forest Yarra Valley
Small Suburban Permaculture Property Tour – Millgrove
Large Rural Permaculture Property Tour ‘Tenderbreak’ – Dixons Creek
Biochar Facility Tour – Lysterfield hosted by Earth Systems Pty Ltd
Large Suburban Permaculture Property Tour – Lilydale
‘Ecosophia’ Film screening – Warburton
Gardens for Harvest Permaculture Talk – Eastern Regional Libraries
Visit to Edible Warburton Community Garden
‘Growing our Community: One backyard at a time’ Seminar with Nick Rose and Kat Lavers
Large Suburban Permaculture Property Tour – Healesville
PEACE Farm Tour – Yarra Junction
Harvest Festival/Soul Dance – Permaculture Finale – PEACE Farm
Suburban Permaculture Property Tour – Kilsyth
‘Wild Ridge Farm’ Property Tour – Healesville
Some of our event hosts have pledged ticket sales to support Permaculture Australia/Permafund.
Beyond the Yarra Valley in Victoria, the Mornington Peninsula Permaculture Group, Permaculture Out West, Cardinia Shire Council, CERES, and Latrobe City Council hosted several events to celebrate permaculture.
Outside Victora, a couple of events were held in Tasmania and internationally events were held in the USA and the UK making Permaculture Week almost a global phenomenon. Planning and organising Permaculture Week takes a lot of effort and it’s important to acknowledge the voluntary work of several people:
Leanne Hall (Ecoss) and Chelsea McNab (Ecoss & Yarra Ranges Council) and Kat McKay (PEACE Farm) for coming up with the idea all those years ago. Fiona Campbell (www.permacultureday.org website administrator) for enabling the site to list Permaculture Week events and marketing. Meg Mulcahy (Permaculture Australia) for designing the Permaculture Week logo. Gabrielle Francis (Latrobe Community Health Service) and Nikkie Hale (Mornington Peninsula Permaculture Group) for the enthusiasm and dedication to spreading the word.
I’d like to thank Yarra Ranges Council and VicHealth for their sponsorship of events.
Finally, I thank our indigenous peoples for allowing us to hold events on their land.
Well over 400 people attended events in the Yarra Valley.
Event Name
Total Attendance
Ecotopia Festival – ECOSS
Several Hundred (est 700+)
Edible Forest Tour 2024 – Dixons Creek
12
Small Suburban Property Tour – Millgrove
10
Permaculture Tour – Tenderbreak – Dixons Creek
20
Mt Evelyn Community Garden Opportunity
30
Yarra Ranges Council Biochar Facility Tour – Lysterfield
15
Large Suburban Property Tour – 1 Acre in Lilydale
10
Visit Edible Warburton Garden
5
Lilydale Library Talk
20
Growing our community – Seminar
68
Movie Night – Ecosophia
Approx 50
Large Suburban Property Tour – Healesville
18
PEACE Farm Tour
25
PEACE Farm Harvest Festival
Approx 100
Urban Property Tour – Kilsyth
10
Permaculture Tour – Wild Ridge Farm – Healesville
30
Total for all except Ecotopia
Approx 423
My initial guess is we raised just under $350 for Permaculture Australia/Permafund thanks to the generosity of a number of hosts.
I hope Permaculture Week grows into a global movement in 2025 and beyond.
As a current financial member, you are invited to the Permaculture Australia Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held on Saturday 27th April 2024, 1pm EST (Melbourne / Sydney Time) online via Zoom.
Attendance via Zoom – Attendance via zoom is welcome, the zoom meeting will be activated right on 1pm. You will be required to pre register, for attendance purposes. Please register HERE You will need to pre register to be sent the live link.
Nominations to the Board – Members can nominate themselves or another member they think is suitable and willing to serve on the Board*. People nominated must hold a Permaculture Design Course (PDC) certificate or VET Permaculture Cert III or higher, and confirm they are willing to stand and are familiar with or will become familiar with the responsibilities/time commitment outlined in the document ‘What Does Board Membership Involve’.
If you are unable to attend the AGM, and are a current memeber, you can still vote (All proxies are to be returned by email to the Secretary by 1pm Friday 26th April 2024).The instructions on how to vote via proxy and the form for you to complete to nominate your proxy voter are here: LINK
Under the Permaculture Australia Constitution, members who wish to stand for election to the Board must be nominated by at least 2 other current financial members of Permaculture Australia. If you wish to self-nominate and don’t know any PA members, then include a couple of references from people who know what relevant skills you have to offer PA in your nomination information. You are able to NOMINATE HERE or PA members attending the AGM can nominate during the AGM if they feel they have enough information about you (you are also entitled to speak to the meeting in support of your self-nomination).
We look forward to receiving your responses/nominations and are happy to answer any questions you may have. In fact, we encourage anyone who’s considering nominating to chat with a current Director/s.
Summary of talk at a forum held at Lawson by BMET in October 2023
By Rosemary Morrow
As we take on more and more technology, everything from our phones, cars, sports, meetings online, and work at home, we also are teaching our children to be a new people: a people who cannot listen to the land, nor see it in trouble. We don’t know where and how to intervene to mend, support and work with the land to restore it. And yet, we are the species who could do this special, and I call. It is sacred work.
A life spent mainly inside with ‘screens’ creates a glass wall between us and the land we live on, the waters we drink and the skies that bring sunshine and rain. We lose our ability to ‘read the land’ and to work with it. When we spend our lives indoors and our ‘outside’ life is walking the dog, running or on a sports field, we lose our ecological literacy.
There was a time when most of the human population spent most of their time outside and they discussed and learned from what they saw – the clouds, the wind, the new plants, pollinators, and animals. They recognised their functions and they valued them. They sought to protect them.
We don’t value and discuss what we don’t know. We are losing our knowledge. We can’t see damage to our environment. And we certainly don’t know where and how to intervene to support and reverse the damage we are doing. We see tidy lawns we don’t see the loss of butterflies, moths, worms, or pollinators. If we are to have a habitable planet and leave it in good order for future generations – and that is surely a moral duty – we need to become ecologically literate. How do we become ecologically literate?
Go outside. Stand and stare. Ask yourself what was this place like before I was here, and who was here before I was here, and before that? What did it look like, was it forest or desert or sea? Know your evolutionary history. Then think about the recent past, the last 10,000 years or so, what was it like for most of that time? If it was a forest, what were the trees, the shrubs, the ground cover and who lived in all the ecosystems? How did they stabilise life and the climate? Learn a little about Orders of magnitude that will lead you to sustainability and what the elements of that were that kept the waters clean and running in dry times, the soils in place, and managed climate variability. What do you see now? If you don’t know join a Bushcare group, or National Parks, make it your business to know, and become literate about what was the good health of your bioregion. And take care, because as you do and its miracles and marvels are revealed to you, you will grow to love it, and also to be hurt when it is damaged. You will see it as a wonderland.
If you wish to be a partner in restoration Ask yourself what is the best place to intervene? What is the best time? What is the best technology? What will be the consequences? Will it multiply life? It’s important that your work counts.It may be that you just have to watch and pull out competitive weeds. Perhaps you need to plant pioneers or nurse plants, to protect the final vegetation. There are things to learn – how to restore rivers and creeks, and certainly how put water back into the water table. And this becomes wonderful knowledge and your conversations with others much richer and more meaningful. You will need to know about succession in restoration which occurs when land is badly degraded from fire, machines, over grazing, deforestation or just lawns. You will be elated when your work, in partnership with Nature, becomes a spiritual duty. Life, as a ‘Nature Restorer’ takes on meaning when you realise that air will be cleaner, water shaded and run longer, wind cleaned, life multiplied because of your work. It is good to stay small and work with wind, water, animals and soil. There’s so much we don’t know but so much to delight us. And there is no end to our learning as we become ecologically literate.
Here are ten ways people can reconnect with nature:
Nature Walks: Take regular walks in natural settings such as parks, forests, or along riversides to immerse yourself in the beauty of nature and to experience its calming and rejuvenating effects. Take your shoes off, walk in the grass, on the sand and over rocks.
Outdoor Activities: Engage in outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, birdwatching, or kayaking to experience the wonders of the natural world firsthand and to connect with the rhythms of nature.
Gardening: Start a garden, whether it’s a small container garden on your balcony or a larger plot in your backyard, to cultivate a deeper connection with the earth and to experience the satisfaction of growing your own food or flowers. Create a garden that mimics natural ecosystems by using permaculture design principles such as diversity, polyculture, and companion planting. This fosters biodiversity and resilience.
Mindfulness Practices: Practice mindfulness or meditation outdoors, focusing on your breath and senses while immersing yourself in the sights, sounds, and sensations of nature.
Nature Journaling: Keep a nature journal where you can record your observations, thoughts, and feelings about the natural world around you. Sketch plants, animals, and landscapes, and write about your experiences and reflections.
Nature Photography: Take up nature photography as a hobby, using your camera or smartphone to capture the beauty and diversity of the natural world. Share your photos with others to inspire appreciation for nature.
Volunteer for Conservation: Get involved in conservation efforts by volunteering for local environmental organizations or participating in community clean-up events, tree planting initiatives, or habitat restoration projects.
Outdoor Yoga or Tai Chi: Practice yoga or Tai Chi outdoors, connecting your movements with the elements and rhythms of nature. Allow the natural surroundings to enhance your practice and deepen your sense of connection with the earth.
Stargazing: Spend time stargazing on clear nights, away from city lights, to marvel at the vastness of the universe and to feel a sense of awe and wonder at the natural beauty of the cosmos.
Unplug and Disconnect: Take regular breaks from technology and screens to disconnect from the digital world and reconnect with the natural world. Spend time outdoors without distractions, allowing yourself to be fully present in nature.
By incorporating these activities into your routine, you can cultivate a deeper connection with nature, promote personal well-being, and foster a greater appreciation for the natural world.
Planet schooling is dedicated to supporting parents, educators and teachers with skills, resources and materials to co-create a greener future, with children and families — fast- tracking local resilience.
Planet Schooling – How to create a permaculture living laboratory in your backyard offers more than 150 activities aimed at children aged K-12. This practical guide is packed with fun and creative ways to construct a living laboratory in the backyard. This book has travelled to 65 countries and sold over 10,000 copies in Australia and Brazil!
Seed to Plate Card Deck Each 70-card deck comes with a 24-page booklet – The Little Book of Seeds. The booklet has many tips and hints on how to successfully save seeds. The cards and booklet are enclosed into a box.
Permaculture Garden Series eBooks Get your organic garden questions answered in our Permaculture Garden Series. More than 300 combined pages, jammed packed with information, tips & tricks and DIY recipes.
Permaculture Journal Package Make your permaculture design become a reality! The complete series offers you permaculture ethics, principles, and a call to action. In addition, the printable download journals and workbooks stimulate critical and creative thinking to aid you in planning and organising your permaculture gardening activities and experiences.
Product discounts offered to Permaculture Australia members: 20% – Link for discount code • Planet Schooling – How to create a permaculture living laboratory in your backyard • Seed to Plate Card Deck • Permaculture Garden Series eBooks • Permaculture Journal Package • Stickers and posters package
Calling all families who want to bring up healthy, wholesome nature kids…this is for you! A permaculture program to connect, nourish and grow together. Now you can get skilled in sustainable, DIY edible gardens and zero-waste living…with down-to-earth nature play activities. With our online curriculum, you’ll get all the resources you need to design and grow food at home and create abundance in all aspects of your life. Why play? Because its is the best way to learn, stay motivated and inspire people of all ages to participate. Permaculture is about working with nature, design, solutions to better living and lavish home-grown feasts.
We provide all the online resources you need to ‘print and play’ with ‘how to’ videos, monthly member prizes and an active online community. This is a transformational program for budding earth carers, to be the change-makers, from your garden to your plate and beyond, toward community resilience!
Permaculture Australia’s Permafund has opened its 2024 grant round and is inviting Australian and international organisations to submit an application
The Permafund grant program supports activities that demonstrate the principles and ethics of Permaculture, protect and improve the natural environment and help build sustainable communities. Examples include permaculture education courses, food forestry, water harvesting and regenerative agriculture.
The Permafund is the gift fund of the charity Permaculture Australia, an endorsed environmental organisation.
One of the principal purposes of Australian environmental organisations is:-
“the provision of information or education, or the carrying on of research, about the natural environment or a significant aspect of the natural environment.”
“Natural environment includes all aspects of the natural surroundings of humans, whether affecting them as individuals or in social groupings. The natural environment and concern for it can include:
significant natural areas such as rainforests
wildlife and their habitats
issues affecting the environment such as air and water quality, waste minimisation, soil conservation, and biodiversity
promotion of ecologically sustainable development principles.
The natural environment excludes:
constructions such as the retaining walls of dams
cultivated parks and gardens
zoos and wildlife parks (except those principally carried on for the purposes of species preservation)
cultural sites
heritage properties.”
Please download and read the Grant Guidelines carefully to check whether your organisation is eligible to submit an application.
If your organisation’s project meets the requirements in the Permafund Grant Guidelines, please complete the 2024 Grant Application form.
The Application form is available for download here in Word or PDF format.
Email your signed application form and supporting documents to
While I pawed through and pored over, the alternative ideas in my parents’ Earth Garden, Down To Earth, and similar magazines, in my teens, I have only recently put some of the permaculture principles into the creation of an abundant oasis.
A year ago, I moved to a very cheap cottage on an almost bare block in a little town in the NSW Riverina. I had a vision of a food forest based on some of the permaculture gardening concepts I had used in patches in other gardens, and on reading and observing.
A year on, and I am beginning to understand the reality of allowing plants to find their way after some initial trial and error.
The fecundity of this garden that now surrounds the little cottage and provides us with more, and more, than enough for ourselves and others, is incredible. At the moment we almost have to steel ourselves each early morning as we head out with buckets to pick zucchinis, cucumbers, beans, kale, carrots, beetroot, corn (including popping corn), lettuce, rocket, rhubarb, melons, pumpkins and cut flowers.
The fruit trees, vines and bushes are growing and we have had a few apricots, plums and passionfruit already. The seven avocadoes I grew from seed are taking off and the hazelnuts we grew from cuttings have got their roots well down into the red soil.
From what looked like a weedy, unhealthy ecosystem favouring a couple of insect species and nasty (think Cat Heads) weeds, has emerged a chaotic, crazy life-filled area, with very little mowing thank goodness, that we share with a huge variety of creatures, microbes and plants.
We are letting plants go to seed where they want to, which works for them and us, we also harvest seed and replant in other areas, we mulch paths to walk on then put that broken down mulch back on the beds, we cut back and use that as mulch, we create compost then put it back in the garden, we use fruit fly netting and garlic spray, plus get rid of any fallen fruit immediately to keep the fruitfly population at a minimal level, we are planting natives for more birdlife and garden structure plus protection for other plants from the severe heat in summer and frosts in winter, and working on better watering systems.
Water is probably our biggest issue, in that the garden takes a lot of water, despite mulching and composting. We are still learning after only a year.
To refine my energy in and energy out techniques, and to co-create with nature to have a sustainable and regenerative garden, I am now considering doing some structured permaculture study and joining Permaculture Australia to join the social ecosystem of like-minded people.
As I walk in the garden, amazed at the growth and life, I realise how humans are not the main feature of nature as we would like to believe, but a part of it, and if we don’t begin to understand that as a collective, soon, we may well be relegated to a much smaller part.
I am still a wanderer at heart, but the joy of an abundant edible, fragrant and beautiful garden to share with a myriad of life forms, is something else. Maybe with some permaculture training, I can work it so the garden can manage without me at times while I go exploring other gardens.
