This extraordinary bushland setting is nestled in the Narara Valley, on the Central Coast of NSW, Australia. Just 1 hour drive north from Sydney.
Comprising 64 hectares, the property has an existing dam, a creek and an abundance of beautiful views. The land is bordered on three sides by the award-winning Strickland State Forest. Approximately 12 hectares of the land is zoned for residential development with another 12 hectares available for agriculture and community gardens. The remaining hectares of native forest and bushland are to be dedicated to conservation. The image on the right is an aerial view when we purchased the site, before any new building started.
The site is about 30 minutes from local beaches at Terrigal and Avoca, has good local bus access, is a short walk to Narara station on the main Sydney-Newcastle rail line, and within easy reach of local schools, shops, retail and commercial facilities.
Conservation
Two thirds of the Ecovillage property is zoned as conservation forest (E2) where a number of Endangered Ecological Communities (EEC) and rare and/or endangered plant species are present. Narara Ecovillage is committed to preserving this environmental heritage and natural ecosystems and to do as much as possible to minimise human impact to these high value conservation areas.
History – Rich in Heritage.
For a 100 years the site was the home of the Gosford Horticultural Institute and there are over 50 existing structures and buildings, including greenhouses, outbuilding and workshops that are prefect for food production and cottage industries. There are residential dwellings, offices and other buildings ideally suited for community facilities. Some of the buildings and trees are heritage listed providing further interest on the site, and of course before this the land had a rich indigenous history.
Agriculture
Many of our members currently live close to or on the Ecovillage site and are actively involved in maintaining and upgrading the agriculture infrastructure and undertaking small agricultural projects, including:
- Mixed fruit and nut orchards
- Community gardens
- Seedling propagation
- Chooks
- Beehives
Learn more about our efforts in bush regeneration ›
Read about our evolving farm garden ›