More dates

Permaculture Fundamentals

This event has passed Get tickets

Event description


Learn the fundamentals of the permaculture design model for free over two weekends with highly qualified and experienced teachers on an established permaculture property in exchange for your practical support.

DATES
The next dates for our popular course are:
Saturday 11/2/2023
Sunday 12/2/2023
Saturday 18/2/2023
Sunday 19/2/2023

Is this course for you? Here is a quick check list:

I live in the Central Coast region
I am available for all of the course dates
I am physically fit and able to work in a garden (please see below regarding a payment alternative)
I am interested in learning about permaculture design
I like cats (we have two mostly-inside rescue cats)

Our highly interactive and practical course is a fun way to learn more about the permaculture design model.

We're passionate about spreading permaculture as part of the solution to many of humanity's problems. We noticed that an introduction to permaculture course will cost people somewhere between $300 and $500. While we think that's money well spent (because permaculture is awesome) we also know that many people can't afford it, so we offer an alternative.

Would you like to spend four days learning permaculture in exchange for  helping us around our garden? You'll develop practical skills on a property that has been under permaculture for over 27 years, and we'll get help with the mulching, weeding, tidying and pruning. Past students tell us that the time in the garden is as educational as the face to face teaching and your help is valuable to us.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Our course includes an overview of the entire permaculture model. We'll give you the big picture, from the goals, ethics and principles through to the design process, and all the way up to the strategies, tools and techniques that we use in permaculture to work with nature rather than against it. 

You'll get to see practical examples of how this knowledge is applied on our three and a half acre property in Matcham and reinforce that knowledge by working in our permaculture system. 

We like to think of this course as a scaffold that helps you to understand the whole of the permaculture design model, and how you can start to use it to improve every aspect of your life. We also strive to provide you with a lived experience of social permaculture; the course itself was designed to ensure earth care, people care and fair share are embedded into every aspect of it.

  • Learn to build top soil, grow healthy food, cycle nutrients, design out the need for irrigation, draw down carbon and create habitat for wildlife. Reconnect to the natural world and cooperate with nature, all without using synthetic chemicals or lots of expensive trips to the hardware store.
  • Learn why permaculture is so much more than just organic gardening and how you can apply it to redesigning everything from your wardrobe to your suburb. 
  • Connect with a small group of like-minded people that live locally and become part of the wonderful local permaculture community.

FORMAT

All days start at 8.00am and finish at 4.00pm. As a courtesy to those that arrive on time, we always start on time.

Your mornings are spent learning permaculture and your afternoons are spent helping in the garden.

There are two half hour breaks for morning and afternoon tea and a one hour break for lunch. We hope this time provides you with the opportunity to share and connect with each other. You'll bring your own vegetarian meal (because it's better for the planet) and avoid bringing any single use plastic (because it's no good for the planet), or anything that requires heating or complex preparation.

We will provide fruit, tea, herbal tea and coffee for breaks. 

If you would prefer to pay for your course and leave at lunch time, please contact us. We cost the course at $25 per teaching hour with three hours teaching on each day (so $75 a day or $300 for the whole course). We have had students pay for all or part of the course in the past rather than working in the garden. We strive to be accessible and equitable, and to offer you alternatives to our courses when they don't work for you. We can also offer coaching at your home.

This course is stand alone, and can also be used as the foundation for progressing to our part time permaculture design course (PDC). Our PDC is only offered to those that have completed our introductory course or an equivalent. 

We look forward to welcoming you to our home in the beautiful Matcham valley. We'll forward our address to everyone once the course is full. 

YOUR TEACHER

Graham King is a permaculture designer, facilitator and practitioner. He is one half of the Permacoach team (with his wife Meg McGowan). Graham seeks to create an adult learning environment that is cooperative, kind, interactive and fun. 

DONATION OPTION

At checkout you will be offered to opportunity to make a donation to Bush Heritage Australia. They use funds to purchase and manage sections of endangered Australian bushland, preserving our biodiversity and providing habitat for threatened species. They also train and employ Indigenous Australians to manage those lands. We love what they do and support them whenever we can. Donations are optional, but please consider supporting their work if you are fortunate enough to be in a position to do so. 

AND FINALLY

We don't want to get all finger-wagging about this, but please double check that you are available for all four days before enrolling. It's disappointing when people enrol and then don't turn up (and unfair to those that missed out). We've noticed that since COVID people are much more inclined to enrol in something and then decide at the last minute whether or not they'll attend. We appreciate you staying home if you're unwell but sadly, we've seen people just not bother to turn up, or even take the time to tell us that they are not coming. Let's break that pattern. 


Powered by

Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix donates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity




Refund policy

If you decide not to come, please cancel your ticket so someone else can use it. Automatic cancellations are available up to seven days before the course.