Biodynamics Workshop

admin Community

By Rafaele Joudry Last weekend, five members and five visitors spent a wonderful two days learning about Biodynamic compost and other wonders of Biodynamic gardening methods. Teacher Diane Watkin attended despite having an infected leg, but she said the whole experience was so delightful, feeling the gentle welcome and peaceful atmosphere of our community that she felt restored by being …

House-sitting at the Ecovillage

admin Community

A big and sincere thank you to all the wonderful villagers who through their kindness made our summer holiday the most amazing stay ever. Through your thoughtfulness and generosity, we were able to enjoy the beautiful bird singing every day, having the scenic views over the surroundings, spend time amongst the nature every day learning catchy tunes of the butcher …

Circular Economy

Plotting our progress – Evaluating Narara Ecovillage’s social, environmental, and economic projects

admin Community

Rosemary Leonard Narara Ecovillage (NEV) is a living experiment in how people can work together at the local level to create a thriving community. NEV members know we need to explore new ways not only of regenerating the environment and our communities but also our economic systems – because they all work together. One of the most exciting aspects of …

Revising our Aim

Marg Community

Background notes Nurture: some people did not like the word “develop” because it sounds like a mainstream housing development.  “Create and Build” were in the last aim and are not suitable because we will have built it before the end of 10 years. “Grow” sounds a bit odd! So we landed on ‘nurture’, a word requested several times during the Picture …

The Bulk Food Store (aka ‘the Food Co-op’)

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by Annie McCluskey Early this year, I started volunteering at the Narara Ecovillage bulk food store for two hours each week. I really enjoy this role, as it allows me to meet more village members and learn about food, while contributing to our community. Six village volunteers run the store, which opens at least twice a week. The store was …

Best schools on the central coast

School Options (around the Central Coast)

John Huang Community, Video

A conversation between families in the Ecovillage who have chosen different schooling options for their children. Which schools are great in the Narara area? What are considered to be the best schools on the Central Coast? How do the local Steiner, Montessori, Home School and Public Schools differ in aspects of classroom sizes, homework and use of technology? Which dovetails …

intergenerational Community

CL@N: Collaborative Living at Narara – Sharing ownership to create an intergenerational ecovillage

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By Lyndall Parris The original and key aim of Narara Ecovillage is to, among other things: ‘research, design and build an intergenerational, demonstration ecovillage’. Currently of the 190 Nararians, 37% are under 50 years of age (20% of these are children); interestingly, no one in their 20s, perhaps for very explainable reasons. We recognise the importance of intergenerational living as …

Sociocracy - Sociocratic Circles

Sociocracy: How we get things done at Narara Ecovillage

Rafaele Joudry Community

People often ask us how we make decisions and handle our differences. We use a method called Sociocracy: an evolution beyond democracy and beyond consensus. Sociocracy includes many practical elements such as: 1  Decisions are made in smaller or larger groups meeting as circles In a circle, each person’s voice is valued equally; we take turns speaking and listening. The …

Ecovillage Living: Intangible Benefits for Kids

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By Deb Mohr I love that my two kids enjoy lots of free play, climb trees, help with the weeding and the community chooks and have access to so much more land than we could afford to maintain ourselves. This was definitely one of the draw cards for us, when choosing to move our family to Narara Ecovillage. But some …

Triplespan Growing Experiment

John Huang Community, Video

What happens when you get a bunch of permaculturalists, landscapers, growers, botanists, and people who like good food in the one place? The veggie patch version of a cosmic explosion! Join us to chat with Marg from the Triplespan Growing Group about the niche growing ideas used in the Triplespan Greenhouse here at Narara Ecovillage. There’s sure to be a …

After school at the Ecovillage

admin Community

-by Megan Wallace My son rushed in the door, so animated after sharing a ride home from school with our neighbours.  After a quick chat and snack he hears our home schooling buddies riding by and rushes out to play. I take the opportunity to walk over to our common area and am delighted to progress our idea of a …

Creative Financing

John Huang Community, Video

Alternatives to the Traditional Models of Home Ownership and Bank Finance at Narara Ecovillage. Our next Friday night zoom will see us chatting with Deb who does the finances for our Ecovillage. We have many interested followers who can’t afford to buy a lot and build a house, or who don’t want to be tied down to a mortgage for …

The Values Behind Sociocracy

Liz Bassett Community

What is sociocracy? Sociocracy is a set of powerful collaboration tools that allow large and small numbers of people to make decisions and work together effectively.  We use these tools at Narara Ecovillage, and I think it’s fair to say that sociocracy has been key to the strength, resilience and energy of our village. I recommend this article from Sociocracy for …

This Week @ Narara Ecovillage

John Huang Community

A lot has been happening over the last few months here at Narara Ecovillage. Join us for a quick look around. If you want to visit us, check out our website for information about the next Open Day.

Quails: From the Ground Up

John Huang Community

Want to increase the diversity in your garden but don’t have space to keep hens? Quails are a fantastic way to increase your food security and add another layer to the home garden. The village children were excited to visit Donna and her day-old quails! We will check in with Donna in the coming weeks and watch her transition them …

A Vision for Our Children

John Huang Community, Video

Megan is a co-host of our village Parents Circle. Here, she explains how living at Narara Ecovillage offers so much hope and promise for our children, and through them our environment, our people and our world. What dreams do you have for your children? Watch the video:

Kids Tour of the Ecovillage

John Huang Community, Video

Want to know what’s so great about growing up in an Ecovillage? Take a tour with some Ecovillage kids around their favourite places. Watch the video: More videos on our Youtube page.

Background on the Project

admin Community

Get some background on the project with one of our members Donna and then follow around the property with our founder, Lyndall Parris. With around a third of the homes in Stage 1 being built and Stage 2 about to be available, now is a great time to come and take a look if you think living in an ecovillage …