Permaculture: Start Where You Are
From Cape Weed to Cottage
This is Part 1 of a series of episodes on different aspects of permaculture, and it’s where it all began for me: Start Where You Are – From Cape Weed to Cottage.
A sloping, triangular block on the edge of Albury that nobody else wanted. No trees, an old farm fence, and nothing growing but cape weed. I’d driven past it for a year, but the moment my feet touched the ground, I knew.
In this episode I share the real, up-and-down story of turning that block into my little cottage and garden. There’s the dome house dream I had to let go of, the container home the council said no to, and the builder’s quote that came back $100,000 over budget. Then I found a tiny kit home called the Weekender, flipped it to face north, and spent a winter in a caravan with my dog Toby, before finally moving in.
I also talk about the year I spent studying permaculture on an organic farm, and how it taught me to slow down and live with the rhythm of the seasons. I share my vision for this place as a sanctuary for rest, ritual, yoga, Tarot gatherings, healing, and how I honour the spirit of this land.
The message is simple: you don’t need to have it all at once. Start with what you’ve got, and keep refining as you go.
Coming up in this series: designing with the land, the permaculture zones, the seasons and cycles, and Zone 6, the inner landscape, where permaculture becomes a spiritual pathway.
Want to see the block, the house design and the whole process? Head to the Resources page and click on Videos to watch my full permaculture design presentation. This is the link that will take you there
Go Deep, Stay Wild 🌱
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Episode Transcript
Welcome to the twenty-sixth episode of the Soulful and Wild Show!
Today I'd like to share with you on the topic of permaculture – in fact, I'd like to do a series on permaculture, where we can focus on different aspects in each episode.
For now, let’s focus is on starting where you are.
Now, when I first started this little journey, I bought a small suburban block, a block that nobody else seemed to want. It was on a steep slant, it was a weird shape, no one would be able to build a normal house on it.
I had a certain budget, and I had a big dream, and a big burn in my belly to make that dream happen by hook or by crook. So, with only a few pennies in the kitty, I had to be creative.
I actually spent a year travelling up to an hour in every direction out from Aubrey Wodonga.
I actually saw this block of land listed for sale online – but I mentally dismissed it. I never even came to have a look at it, but twelve months later, it was still sitting here waiting for me.
I was at my chiropractors one day, which is not very far from here, and it just dropped into my head. ‘Go take a look at that block of land. Now, seriously, I can get lost in a brown paper bag. I did not have the address, and I'd never been here, yet I drove straight here. I just drove straight here. Amazing!
It's positioned in an older area of Albury, the block had never been built on, and there's a big house next to it. My understanding is that the gentleman who owned it had his sheep on it and built the house next door on two blocks. On this one, there was only cape weed – so that tells you the quality of the soil right there – not that great.
I pulled up, climbed over the farm gate, and the moment my feet touched the ground, the thought ran through my mind, “Oh my God, this is it.” Tune in for the rest of it..
Much love.
Karen xxx