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We’re a group of gardeners, homesteaders and permaculture practitioners who gather seasonally at Shepparton Brewery.
We learn from each other and guest speakers, and swap produce, plants and seeds.
We welcome newbies who want to grow their own food — no prior experience required.
Over the last two-and-a-half years of events, it has grown into a wonderful group of people connecting and sharing.
Members have built their confidence ask questions and offer advice to each other, and there’s always lovely discussion on tips and techniques to solve problems.
It’s a great opportunity to collectively learn and develop our practices, and support each other to be resilient within our community.
Members are very inspiring with their ideas to live comfortably at a low cost.
What we have been up to:
Fruit fly coordinator Ross Abberfield spoke to us about identification and what households can do to assist management of this pest.
We had a sauce-off, won by Marg Oldfield for her red capsicum relish.
Derek Poulton from Mooroopna shared his journey in hydroponics. It’s a very simple concept with significant savings in water use and a high yield of produce. A raft system was the most successful option that he has tried.
Our Facebook group continues to grow at 171 members and we have developed a relationship with Benalla Permaculture which runs over 60 events annually.
We’re hoping to organise garden visits with Benalla Permaculture across the region to inspire each other.
What can you do at home to live comfortably, connect locally and reduce your costs?
I highly recommend permaculture co-founder David Holmgren's Retrosuburbia book which you can buy online or borrow from the library.
Grow your own food. Even small spaces can produce kilograms of winter fruits and vegetables.
Support farmers, local producers, markets and small grocers.
Preserve and store excess produce to enjoy it all-year-round, or share with friends.
Save and store energy — to help, Shepparton library has a Home Energy Efficiency Toolkit which will show you where heat is escaping from your home.
Check your insulation and fill any gaps.
Manage your home’s temperature through air flow and passive heating using the sun’s free energy. Shepparton is the solar city.
Government websites have great tips on reducing your energy use.
You might remember the water saving measures from the millennium drought, like installing a water tank to use your roof’s run-off to water your veggie garden, and putting buckets in your shower and sink to catch wasted water while you’re waiting for it to heat up.
Bikes and e-bikes are affordable and low cost transport if possible for you.
Double glazing is a high cost, as is solar and battery storage, but all are effective ways to make your home more comfortable and resilient to disruptions in energy supply.
Come to our next Alternative Living Gathering on Saturday, June 27 at the Shepparton Brewery from 3pm to 5pm to connect with us.
Join our Facebook group to find the notes from each previous speaker: Goulburn Valley Permaculture.
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