Seeds of Sunshine

This past week I've been wwoofing and exploring the sunshine coast hinterland, happy to be moving slowly in this very hilly country. On my way I revisited the Glasshouse Mountains (pictured above), greeting the mother mountain Beerwah, having previously climbed Tibrogargan, the father. After climbing the range up to Maleny I went to an Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, a good day for talking and thinking big picture. I got rained on when camping again, of course.

I rode, pushed and staggered up my steepest hills yet (30% slope!) to reach my first wwoof hosts of the journey- the Desjardin family at a beautiful property called Whispering Trees with a lush permacultural family garden. With them I enjoyed sweeping vies (all the more sweeter for that 30% slope struggle), spent some quality time with weeds (remembering that a climate where you can grow anything all year round is equally hospitable to a whole host of vigorous opportunists) and reconnected with my penchant for cake decorating, for Juju's 12th birthday.

On Saturday I learnt the basics and philosophy of seed saving at Yandina Community Garden. Elizabeth Fekonia was our vibrant and engaging teacher, inspiring us all to play our little role in preserving diversity of food species and boycotting international agribusinesses and their hybrid seeds. Hopefully I will be able to hook into some of Elizabeth's other workshops, as she teaches all sorts of food fermentation, preserving and permacultural wisdom in the area. Afterwards there was a community pizza lunch- $1 for a beautiful sourdough base which you piled with your own topping (or toppings kindly donated to an unprepared traveller) and slid into the frog-shaped cob oven. With a belly full of pizza I enjoyed wandering around the impressive gardens, in particular their lush aquaponics system (pictured below).

Now I'm staying with the lovely Gemma, who I met at the Dreaming Festival, in Peregian, where I am happily exploring all this community has to offer- markets and free music in the sun on Sunday, seed collecting with the Coolum community nursery this morning, and right now the Coolum library- I do love a good library.

I'm going to explore this area for another week or so and then head off with a bit more momentum- exciting plans are afoot, keep tuned in for their announcement!