Today marks our third day at Crystal Waters, an Eco Village about an hour and a half away from Brisbane. After a drive, flight, and another drive we finally pulled into Crystal Waters. This magical place is a nature lover's oasis. We've spent the last few days learning about the construction of the buildings, the waste and water management, and lots of other really interesting topics. Our guide and "wise man" for the week is Max, who is a bit of a celebrity in the Permaculture world. He's known as the "Grandfather of Permaculture" and is one of the founders of the idea. For those of you unfamiliar with the idea, Permaculture is an approach to construction and agriculture that is based on relationships found in nature. This includes using the positioning of the house in relation to the sun in order to use the sun's light for natural heating and cooling, and planting crops/gardens in a cyclical fashion to best maximize the soil nutrients.
Crystal Waters was founded by Max and a group of his friends in the late 1980s on land that was formerly a cattle ground. It is home to around 250 residents of all socio-economic and religious backgrounds and age groups. The residents own plots of land that make up 20% of the total acreage, and the remaining 80%, which is the best land, is common land that is leased out for livestock, farms, bamboo forests, lotus ponds, and anything else you can imagine.
We've done walks around the whole property with Max as our guide, and though everything seems to be a random forestation of different flora, Max knows each foot of the village. Some trees were planted by him, some were planted by other residents, but each new plant has its own story and ecology, and Max knows all. He is a wonderful bearded man with great wisdom in his long eyebrows, and it will be sad to leave him on Monday.
We've seen amazing wildlife here. The most poisonous snakes in Australia/the World reside here and I've come across few (but no one at Crystal Waters has ever been bit, so don't worry Mom). There are spiders (my favorite) as big as your fist and frogs who love to live in toilets. The Kangaroos and Wallabies are very abundant and very calm around humans, which means our group never looks more like tourists than when we come across a family of the leaping marsupials. Stena and I have become professional chicken wranglers, including a few treacherous encounters with a wily fellow named Adventure Red. We've also helped herd some cattle that got loose, though I stayed clear of the steer whose shoulder was higher than my head. There is a morning walk awaiting me tomorrow that may promise a platypus and another path will take us to see koalas. All on my list of things to do before we leave.
Every meal has been local and fresh, and it's been such a treat to get food that is sustainable and healthy for every meal. Lunch features a salad with veggies picked from Max's garden and all of the meat (which I don't partake in) is usually from animals slaughtered on site. The community here really does work hard to make this place sustainable and healthy and I find myself considering dropping out of school to come live here forever. Just kidding....maybe.
It's hard to believe we only have one more week left on this adventure. We've had such amazing opportunities this month to contrast urban and rural sustainability as well as learn how Australia specifically is combating climate change. I'm excited to get up to Port Douglas and explore even more of the coast, especially scuba diving off the Great Barrier Reef. Hope life back in Parkland/wherever you're reading this is full of beautiful moments. Happy Friday the 13th, and enjoy this well deserved weekend!!
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