[Sdpg] FOOD FOREST in Australia

[sdpg-admin at arashi.com]

hi everyone
          take a look at a food forest permaculture site in Australia
						wes

http://www.users.bigpond.com/brookman/

Contact us
                                 Annemarie and Graham Brookman
                                 PO Box 859,
                                 Gawler, South Australia 5118
                                 ph/fax 08 85 226450
                                 website 
http://www.users.bigpond.com/brookman
                                 email    brookman at bigpond.com

The Food Forest is a remarkable 15 hectare Permaculture Farm. From its buzzing
                             biodiversity come over 160 varieties of fruit 
and nuts, organically grown wheat and
                             vegetables, free range eggs, honey, carob 
beans, bush tucker, nursery plants and timber.
                             Fourteen years ago, the property was a bare 
barley paddock. Only a few towering River
                             Red Gums remained along the Gawler River from 
the time the Kaurna Aboriginal people
                             camped in their shade and gathered food from 
the land.
                             Today there are thousands of native plants and 
endangered wildlife species such as Brush
                             Tailed Bettong help the goose flock to manage 
the orchard floor. Together with thousands
                             of species of insects, birds and other 
creatures they form the complex and bountiful
                             ecosystem contained within a 1.5km predator 
proof fence.
                             The heritage-listed homestead was built within 
the first few years of white settlement of
                             South Australia and much of the fascinating 
history of the farm can be traced through the
                             stone tank and trough at which Clydesdale 
horses drank and implements that once made
                             life easier for the farmers of the day.
                             The farm is complemented by a Learning Centre 
located in an old stone barn, now
                             outfitted with modern teaching equipment, but 
the Centre's short courses take advantage
                             of being in the middle of a working property, 
featuring practicals and field walks.
                             The Centre is serviced by a state-of-the-art 
composting toilet and reedbed system and
                             other environmentally responsible structures 
include a coolroom, a studio and an
                             'eco-gazebo' for indoor-outdoor teaching, all 
built using straw-bale technology.