General

Residencies available at the Wurruk’an Ecovillage and Permaculture Farm (Victoria)

Wurruk’an is a small community of people living in West Gippsland, Victoria. For the last few years we have been trying to push the boundaries of environmental practice by exploring what it means to live in a deeply sustainable way. So far the community has built many demonstration “tiny houses” using a combination of reclaimed materials, cob, “Earthship style” rammed earth and super-adobe.

As well as constructing these small buildings, the group has retrofitted an old farm shed into a cosy living space, developed an ever-growing organic vegetable garden, hosted many working bees and workshops, experimented with low-energy alternatives and taken part in a documentary film entitled A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity. We are continually trying to create a space which challenges the layers of oppression and unsustainability built into our current society, and trying to demonstrate what a post-capitalist world might look like.

After the documentary process was complete, a few of our residents moved on to new projects in new places, so now we have two or three available residencies. More details on the application process below. We encourage applications from all demographics.

Life on the property involves taking part in community life, growing food, caring for our small flock of ducks and geese, sharing in the chores and gradually developing the property as a functional demonstration site. While we hope that you will join us in working collaboratively and doing things together, there will be ample time to spend on your own pursuits, be it paid work, bushwalking, using our humble woodworking space, crafting things, etc.

Residencies available at the Wurruk’an Ecovillage and Permaculture Farm (Victoria) 02

The property is 8 hectares, 5 of which are bushland. It is bordered by the regional train line and the nearest station is only 4 kilometres away, which takes you straight into Melbourne in just under 2 hours. For more information and photos, see our website here.

We are looking for a commitment of six months as a minimum, however shorter stays will also be considered. There is no rent to be paid. Food and utility bills are shared. We are seeking applications from kind, creative, passionate, and dedicated people who have the social skills to live in a community.

If this sounds like it’s for you, please email Liam (email below) with a short bio about yourself and why you are interested in applying (no more than 500 words please). After the applications are received, we will arrange for a visit so that short-listed applicants can meet all of the community members and get a glimpse of the land. Please share with your networks.

Applications close July 22nd.

Contact Liam: [email protected]

The building of Liam and Rachel’s tiny house at Wurruk’an

About Wurruk’an

Wurruk’an is a humble but beautiful body of land, water, and forest in the Gunai district of Gippsland, Victoria. In recent years it has become an inclusive gathering space for people seeking to pioneer and demonstrate a ‘simpler way’ of living based on permaculture principles.

Among other things, we have been running mud-building workshops and growing organic food, capturing water from the skies, learning the skills of self-sufficiency, experimenting with alternative technologies, reconnecting with nature, and moving toward systems of renewable energy. Although these are still early days, the emerging vision is aglow with promise and potential. As a strategy for social change, our small and evolving community is trying to build a new world from within the shell of the old.

Residencies available at the Wurruk’an Ecovillage and Permaculture Farm (Victoria) 03

The overlapping cultural, economic, and environmental crises humanity is facing can seem overwhelming – can seem like challenges so great and urgent that they have no solutions. But rather than sticking our heads in the clay or responding with despair, Wurruk’an signifies an act of defiant positivity.

‘To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.’ – Buckminster Fuller

A growing network of individuals and communities are forming bonds as they pass through our woods and waters. People come to Wurruk’an to share, learn, teach, and be inspired. Others come to regenerate, heal, or tell new stories of prosperity. More than anything else, perhaps, Wurruk’an is an evolving demonstration project that is seeking to envision and prefigure a world that respects people, place, and planet, while connecting others who are pioneering the same journey. We are also making a documentary which is intended to share what we are learning in the hope of reaching out to the broader community. Our aim is not to escape the system but to see if we can contribute to its positive transformation.

As stewards of this beautiful land we feel it is our responsibility to explore the question of what ‘one planet’ living might look like. We ask the question: ‘how can we flourish as human beings without degrading the ecosystems upon which the entire community of life depends?’ Through this enquiry we hope to provoke a broader social conversation about the need to transcend consumer culture and advance toward a simpler way of life based on notions of sufficiency, frugality, mindfulness, local economy, non-violence, and appropriate technology. Our existing civilisation is in the process of destroying itself. Consumerism is a gross failure of imagination. Our efforts are an attempt to turn these crises into an opportunity for creative renewal.

‘When we are asked how we are going to build a new world, our answer is, “We don’t know, but let’s build it together.”’– John Jordan

Wurruk’an is a journey not a destination; an experiment not a blueprint. But more important than any answers we may or may not discover are the questions we are asking. So do not ask what we intend to become or where we intend to end up. Only ask us why we are moving in the direction we do – and join us on the journey.

Wurruk is the local indigenous term meaning both ‘Earth’ and ‘story’. K’an is the Mayan term for ‘seed’. We created the term Wurruk’an to express our endeavour to ‘seed a new Earth story’.

Samuel Alexander

Dr Samuel Alexander is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Melbourne, Australia, teaching a course called ‘Consumerism and the Growth Economy: Critical Interdisciplinary Perspectives’ as part of the Master of Environment.

3 Comments

  1. Hello
    I am wanting to explore some different permiculture communities and show my partner this way of life.
    Ifeel the values of this way of living resonate strongly with me.
    Do you have open days which visitors are welcome at all?
    Thank you
    Tomara

  2. Hello.
    I live in Geelong with my daughter. We are both interested in permaculture and communal living and are planning to find a community now that my husband has passed away and we are “free” agents. I am not young but extremely fit compared to most people I would say so am able to participate fully in any undertaking I pursue, and I have know for many years that a smaller community would be a more amenable lifestyle for me than city living. (I grew up in Warrandyte.). We would like to come and visit you people for a few days if that is possible. My daughter sleeps in a van but if you don’t have guest accommodation I am happy to hire a van for the purpose. I am a retired music teacher but continue to write music and have been a practising artist for many years. My daughter is an amazing soul who is not only an effective healer but has excellent entrepreneurial skills and IT skills. She has a website called In-spiral and can be seen in podcasts called In-spiral Out Loud. Hope to hear from you soon

  3. Hello

    I would like to visit the place and learn more about permaculture. I am interested in staying longer to grow connections and expand my consciousness. I want to learn practical skills and habits that I can use in other circumstances including more urban settings.

    I also have an inquiry for a friend of mine who is seeking assistance building a tiny house. Is there a good person to speak to about this?

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