Gloucester Tops – make the move.

Sustainability is a way of life that may be as simple as taking the time to make purchases that use less packaging. Or, it could be as deep as finding ways to live off the land and provide others with options to purchase sustainable products and services.

Several lots of income streams possible around the food production, eggs/chicken, permaculture training/experiential tourism; showcase sustainable living B&B.

If sustainability is important to you, it can seem overwhelming to know where to make changes or how to find a home that offers sustainable living and sustainable income streams.

Gloucester Tops in NSW is the property found by one couple to start their dream of sustainable living and production. Inspired and charmed by the ever-changing landscape adjacent to the World Heritage listed Barrington Tops wilderness and a climate that feels so close to the sky, they named the home and gardens they built Misty Ridge.

The couple and their family like to think of Misty Ridge as an edible landscape providing many diverse food sources. For example, free-range eggs laid by chickens in their expansive hen house!  With lots of produce sold.

A well-established market garden provides year-round produce for farmers’ markets, retail sales and produce boxes.

Established using permaculture design and low water use, a wicking system has created 95% efficiency of water, yet still produces high yields.

With careful planning and farming practices, the garlic and sweet potato cash crops and market garden as well as the whole property are organically certified by Australian Certified Organic. This is an achievement that many sustainable producers seek to obtain.

The gentle art of bee-keeping adds to their seasonal sales of honey; well known for its unique flavor of the surrounding native bush.

Thanks to the success of the established permaculture farm, Misty Ridge is a place where many people travel to attend workshops and other ticketed events to learn more about sustainable produce farming. For the owners, this has been so valuable and affirming to share their extensive practical knowledge. This experiential tourism on this property is untapped potential for anyone wanting to undertake education and ecotourism enterprises.

There is one major element that makes Misty Ridge so successful in offering sustainable living, income and life—and that is love. There is no doubt about it—this property has been lovingly created and well designed with fully-implemented integrated systems for health and well-being as well as food production.

Although not established yet, Misty Ridge could at some point offer accommodation such as B&B to people and families who wish to spend more time in this amazing place. It really is a place for people to connect with the environment and perhaps learn deeper skills and inspiration to take every-day sustainable practices back into their homes and community.

Visit our Gloucester Tops listing for more information.

Green Change to Beautiful Strawbale Executive Style Family Home on a few Acres

Straw bale homes really are the ultimate alternative for people wanting to consider the eco-footprint of their home on our fragile earth—yet still live in comfort and beauty all year round.

Described as having an “organic feel”, this straw bale home is unusually presented with a stunning executive finish that snubs any hippy hang-ups that alternative building materials may convey.

The minute you step into this straw bale home, you feel enclosed by the softness of the walls, yet the home is spacious with impressively high ceilings and breathtaking views.

It’s a home that is big on enjoying the good things in life with family and friends—like entertaining and hanging around inside and out. The lovely wide veranda is the absolute location for many merry gatherings, with a refreshing dipping pool.

Amongst the numerous benefits of living in a straw bale home is the non-toxic interior environment. The nature of how it is built and what it is built from (straw) means that the walls absorb moisture and are considerably healthier than a conventional interior of painted plasterboard wall.

The internal temperature is comfortably stable inside a passive solar straw bale home, often in the low 20s during winter, and in the heat of summer it remains beautifully cooler—up to 10 degrees cooler than the outside.

The benefits (apart from no electricity bills) of running completely off-grid,  means this straw bale home has great features including lighting and the appliances that all contemporary executive modern homes boast—yet without ongoing additional costs to the family budget or the environment.

What you will love the most about living in this straw bale home—even though it is modern and has the best of the best executive living aspects—are the unique features that are the undeniable nature of straw bale, such as the curved finish between the double-glazed windows and wall; unmistakably hand-crafted and one-of-a-kind.

Make the green change to Scone NSW and the gentle, lovely life in such an unusual and special WOW home.