About Us

Narara Ecovillage is an intergenerational residential community on the Central Coast of Australia, surrounded by bushland, close to pristine beaches and an hour north of Sydney.

The Ecovillage will have 150+ homes and is to be phased in 3 stages. Stage 1, with houses being built now, includes 42 standard blocks (av 550sqm), as well as 18 townhouse-style homes situated in the heart of the Ecovillage.

Stage 2 will consist of approximately 45 lots ranging in size from 450 to 700 sqm (of which almost all are now subscribed). 

Approximately, 12 hectares are zoned for residential development with another 12 hectares available for agriculture and common gardens. The remaining hectares are native forest and bushland. We plan a small housing zone, so that we can maximise food production, recreation and conservation. We were lucky enough to inherit existing structures, including two residential dwellings, a large hall, offices (which now houses our members’ lounge, visitor accomodation and bulk food pantry), as well as greenhouses, sheds, garages and workshops perfect for growing food and cottage industries.

Memberships and Buying Land

Members purchase a minimum shareholding of $30,000. The shares represent the purchase of a share in the community land and buildings owned by the Co-operative. Members can then purchase one or more lots in the project for residence or investment.

Members are required to contribute towards the ongoing maintenance of the Co-operative either through 1 hour of work (eg admin/computer work, lawn mowing or washing up!) In circumstances where this volunteer service is a challenge for members, we do accept a donation in lieu of each volunteer hour. Members must also adhere to our Community Management Statement.

In the event that a member chooses to exit the Co-operative and sell their property, their shares will be repurchased by the Co-operative and their property can be sold to anyone, even parties that are not current members of the Co-operative. Buyers will however need to become members and buy shares in the Co-operative.

Building Standards

The Ecovillage has established building standards that are designed to create homes which meet the sustainable aspirations of the village. Owners may choose whatever style of building they prefer from the more conventional concrete slab/lightweight frame construction, through to more natural techniques such as hempcrete, strawbale and rammed earth. All designs must meet a minimum NatHERS 7 stars rating. In addition, the building standards score aspects such whether the building materials are sourced locally, their embodied carbon, water efficiencies and more.

We have a group of trained assessors and a Building Review Panel who support all members to achieve a design meeting the building standards.

Ecovillage homes will be connected to the external grid through our approved embedded network, NEV Power. Under the Building Standards, every house is required to have sufficient PV solar panels on the roof to meet their needs, which is connected to a SmartGrid to manage excess power and integration with the grid. The SmartGrid was funded through a million-dollar government grant from ARENA.

Want to learn more?
The best way to find out more about the Ecovillage is to visit one of our events or read our FAQs.