Beginnings

It all happened quite suddenly. We had been thinking for about a year that one day we would buy a block of bushland, put a covenant on it to protect it from future development (mining, agriculture, forestry), and then mostly just leave it be. We aren’t great campers, but thought we might go and camp on the land a few times a year and get to know it. We had also been saying for years that we didn’t want a holiday house. Too much upkeep; too much travelling; too expensive. Why not spend a fraction of that money and go and stay in some one else’s bed and breakfast place? Though we hardly ever did.

We started looking at blocks of land, but quickly realised we would have to go in to debt to buy something that was more than just rudimentary bush. Another way of saying this is that we found we could not really see ourselves spending much time just camping. So we started looking for places with houses on them, bracing ourselves to take out another mortgage (we had only just paid off our house), but also deciding on a few principles, too. We wanted to be in the Otways; we were more interested in bushland than the coast; and ideally we wanted a block with a creek on it.

And then, quite quickly, we found a place for sale that had all these qualities. Yes it was more expensive than we had planned. But it was so beautiful; and the house was surprisingly large and extremely well fitted out, with lovely wide floorboards and amazing views onto grasslands, fields and the bush, with grand manna gums lining the creek that winds through the land. We found we could not stop thinking about it. We made an offer, it was accepted and then we really had to scramble to organise funds.

In this blog, we’ll both write about the different things we do and experience on the land. It’s about 65% bushland, on a steep slope that was cleared for timber in the 1930s and 40s; about 25% pasture on either side of the creek, and the rest is the house, sheds, tanks and a cleared area around the house. There are also quite a few European trees on this part: a beautiful golden elm, some oaks, a sequoia, and others. The previous owner ran a few sheep, cows, alpacas and chickens. All the animals have gone now; and our plan is to treasure and slightly extend the bush, to reclaim the pasture for grasslands and other indigenous plants; and pay special attention to the creek, as it flows north towards the Gellibrand River.

It’s only a month or so since we took possession; and the first thing we did was stand on the deck, looking over the creek, and acknowledge that we were standing on the land of the Gulidjan people. We pay our respects to the elders: past, present, and emerging. And we hope to learn from their custodianship of the land.

We cannot believe our good fortune. Already, this land is transforming us, and our vision of the time left to us on this earth. We did not know we needed to change our lives, but it appears we did.