Bill Mollison passes
With the passing of Bill Mollison, aged 88, in Tasmania on Saturday comes the end of an era for many thousands of people around the world whose lives were transformed by the teaching and writing of one of Australia’s most influential ecological pioneers. My two year student/mentor relationship with Bill from late 1974 was certainly the […]
Putting the cult in permaculture
We have been implementing some big changes around here. So tired are we of the dominant culture, we have decided to build a giant, beautiful stone wall to separate us from the outside world. Yup, we’ve decided to put the cult into permaculture once and for all. We have hired a gang of young thugs […]
Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize winner announced
Congratulations to all the entrants of the inaugural Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize. Thank you to all the poets who took the time to submit an entry. Venie would have loved to have sat with us here in the office and to have read the poems as they came in from all across the country, […]
Learning, listening, watching, touring
We have a stack of events planned over the next few months. Have a browse through our Events page to see if there’s anything that takes your fancy. We have listed all the tours for the coming season, which starts next month, so you can visit us here at Melliodora and experience what a 30+ […]
The Future of Local Food Conference
What does it take to create a local food system that is healthy, affordable and sustainable for Australia? Our local food industry is being neglected while Australia’s national food and agriculture debate focuses on boosting production and increasing exports. Other countries, such as the US and Canada, that have explicitly prioritised local food, are now […]
Jack Monaghan 1924 – 2016
Jack died not long after the winter solstice following a short illness and two bouts of hospitalisation. He was 92. Su Dennett and I and our son Oliver have been neighbours to Jack and Lois Monaghan for 30 years. During the early 1950’s housing shortage, Jack’s grandfather subdivided his 15-acre paddock on the edge of […]
Winter solstice update
Hello freezing cold weather. It’s 7˚C at the moment but the sun is shining and we’re happy to be busy outside. Today Mitch pruned the feijoas, while also contemplating pruning his bushman’s beard. Looks like he’s decided to keep it, to keep his face warm while he works outside. Good idea! He then chipped his […]
A History from the Future
We are thrilled to be sharing with you an excerpt from David Holmgren’s A History from the Future – a prelude to his upcoming book RetroSuburbia. A HISTORY FROM THE FUTURE: a prosperous way down Long time central Victorian resident and co-originator of the globally influential permaculture concept, David Holmgren draws on his Future Scenarios […]
Persimmons, pumpkins and permie dancing
With the corn we harvested and shucked in March, we cooked up a delicious feast of tortillas. We dug up potatoes to store for winter, and relocated naughty runaway artichokes. We exhaled deep sighs of relief with the coming of the rain, and we farewelled Lori, who returned to the US. Lori, pictured here with […]
Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize
We are thrilled to announce the launch of the inaugural Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize. The specifics are as follows: Major prize: AUD$1000 All entries must be received by 11.59 pm EST, Friday July 15 2016. The shortlist and winner will be announced during the Daylesford Words in Winter festival, August 5-7, 2016 2016. The judges […]