Time on bike: 2hours 18minutes
This morning I woke up feeling great. I've felt great from the moment I entered the Wolery (name of community). I had a great feed with Bob and Marieke last night, I was very comfortable by my surroundings and the tram was incredibly comfortable to sleep in. Marieke put clean sheets on for me, making what appeared to be an already comfortable bed even more comfortable.
I woke up this morning around 6:30, only to realise it was pouring down outside. I was very relieved I wasn't in my tent. I went back in the tram and hopped in the warm bed listening to the rain outside. I have to emphasise on how good this was, to have the luxury of being indoors, warm and comfortable in a nice bed. I was especially happy that I didn't have to stress about having all my stuff wet and packing up a wet tent, sleeping bag etc.
I must also note the great wildlife diversity here. Last night as I walked outside to the tram a big tree frog jumped on my foot. I felt a big slimy thing on me and freaked out, only till I realised it was a native frog. This morning when I woke up a wallaby, or small kangaroo, was sitting maybe a metre or two away from the door. During this morning I have also seen a large black skink, something I have never seen before. In addition to this wildlife there has also been many birds flying around and chirping away. I credit this biodiversity to Bob, Marieke and the others in the community as they are doing a great job providing the conditions for the biodiversity to flourish. The presence of native frogs alone illustrate how healthy the system is here.
After a delicious porridge for breakfast, Bob had shown me around the village. As he showed me around my admiration for the community only grew bigger. Bob explained that the community is ran as a non-profit incorporated association. Once a month a community meeting is held in the community house in the middle of the block. In the community house their is a table tennis table, a projector for people who want to watch movies, a kitchen, bathroom and also a food co-op. The food co-op was really impressive. They buy large amounts of organic foods, such as spelt flour, almonds, grains etc and get it a cost price. The whole community will then go to the food co-op room grab any food they like and then write it down in the book, having an honour system type set up. At the end of the month the persons account is added up, and they then pay the community treasurer. The best aspect of this is that they can buy the freshest organic foods from their door step, and that they get it cost price as they buy it in bulk.
In the community room there is a big blackboard listing what foods each house have. They can then trade produce, buy or receive for free from other neighbours.
I met a few others in the community, all coming across as positive and friendly people. I thought in this community, being distant from mainstream pressures and having a tight bond, it would be hard for members, in particularly the youth, to go down the wrong path. In this community everyone knows each other, and it appears that there would be constant support from others if it were needed. It certainly isn't the same as your average neighbourhood in mainstream suburbia, when you don't trust your next door neighbour, that is, providing you even know them..
I must also mention how this community is reminiscent of those in non-western countries I've traveled to. It reminds me mostly of my time in Morocco and how people in tight residential streets would know each others names, sit down and enjoy lunch or mint tea together. It really makes me wander where we went wrong in structuring our society and how we've become so disconnected from this sense of community. Community can surely bring environmental benefits, but perhaps most importantly healthy lives and a reduction in many of the avoidable illnesses people in western countries now face.
After our walk around Bob and I went in for some lunch. We picked some fresh figs off his tree and also enjoyed some fruit that he had from his neighbours. I had a fresh yellow peach, possibly being one of the nicest I've ever had. I was really in heaven here. To top it off we also ate some Dutch cake that Marieke had baked her self.
I was outside looking at the surrounding landscape and it really felt surreal. The wind was blowing the tall Eucalypt trees (think they were karrie but not sure) and I had just stopped and inhaled the fresh air. No photo, and not even words can describe this feeling I had. I feel that this positive vibe was also aided by the great people surrounding the area. I have also been informed by Bob that Bill Mollison (one of the two founders of Permaculture) has spent time in the tram, which I slept in last night. This made my reverence for these surroundings even greater.
It was raining lightly but I was committed on leaving. Bob and Marieke had offered me to stay another night but I already felt indebted for last nights stay. The truth is I would have loved to stay for a few weeks- fresh produce, comfortable bed, good company and so on. I thought I'd get going and leave my self a few pleasures to look forward to when I return home.
I said my goodbyes and took off to the Valley of the Giants, a national park area containing giant varieties of Eucalypt trees. I took off with grey sky's and had light drizzle throughout the 40 odd km. The ride up to the trees was very beautiful, reminding me of home east of Melbourne around the Dandenong ranges. The climb was also similar to the Dandenongs, being around 13km consistently to the top.
I saw many beautiful farms and open areas that would have been good to set my tent up. I thought I'd check out the giant trees and then assess where I'll go. I walked around the trees for a few hours, reading all the descriptions from each tree and the role they play in the ecosystem. The day was getting dark and the weather looked ominous so I thought I'd go somewhere close by to camp for the night. The ladies in the information area informed me of a caravan park, at a crazy price of $30 a night. I managed to speak with a nice lady who said it would be alright for me to set my tent up in the bottom car park.
I've now got my tent set up under the valley of giant trees. I managed to find the luxury of a shelter under a patio for visitors. This is incredible, sleeping amongst so much biodiversity. The pure sight of the massive trees is certainly enough to make me in awe, but the added sound of all the wild life is really incredible. As I've sat down with my contained fire cooker going I have heard so many different animal sounds. It is pitch black and I am in the middle of a forest with ginormous trees, having the midnight moon glaring through them. Certainly an occasion I will remember for a long time.
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