Melliodora
"Melliodora'* (Hepburn Permaculture Gardens), is situated on the edge of Hepburn Springs, the spa centre in Central Victoria. See map below for directions. It is one of the best documented and well known permaculture demonstration sites in Australia. The passive solar house, mixed food gardens, orchards, dams and livestock, and creek revegetation show how permaculture design can help to restore and improve land, provide for residents needs and enjoyment in a cool inland climate. Following purchase in 1985, the one hectare property has been developed from a blackberry covered wasteland into a model of small scale intensive permaculture, relevant to both large town blocks and small rural allotments.
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Featured on ABC television; Gardening Australia (1998, 2007) and Landline (2004).
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One of 12 case studies in sustainable agriculture featured Museum of Victoria's Future Harvest Exhibition.
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The book, Melliodora: Ten Years of Sustainable Living, and the new eBook update, Melliodora 1985 to 2005, provide the complete design and story. See the eBook demo.
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Guided tours provide a insight into permaculture design to inspire those moving to a more wholistic way of life and lots of practical information to help make the change.
See a more recent (2003) airphoto of Melliodora
See NEW Photo Gallery of Melliodora
ABC Gardening Australia film crew in the garden, Feb 2007
Oliver, Su and David at Melliodora 2002 (photo by Christian Wild).
David Holmgren is best known as the co-originator with Bill Mollison of the permaculture concept following the publication of "Permaculture One" in 1978. Since then he has written several more books, developed three properties using permaculture principles, conducted workshops and courses in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, USA, Israel, Italy, France, Britain, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. He has consulted and supervised on urban and rural projects in Australia and New Zealand. Within the growing and international permaculture movement, David is respected for his commitment to presenting permaculture ideas through practical projects and teaching by personal example, that a sustainable lifestyle is a realistic, attractive and powerful alternative to dependant consumerism. At home (Melliodora in Hepburn, Central Victoria), David is the vegetable gardener, silviculturalist and builder. The Fryers Forest Eco-village, also in central Victoria, has been a major project in recent years, where he performed many roles including planner and project manager. As well as constant involvement in the practical side of permaculture, David is passionate about the philosophical and conceptual foundations for sustainability, the focus of his seminal book Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability.
Oliver Holmgren, Su and David's 20 year old son has grown up in the permaculture life and business. Since completing full time study, he is IT support and webmaster for the business as well as general fix it man, animal support person in between developing his own Apple Mac tech support business.
Su Dennett, David Holmgren's partner in life and livelihood is the publications, office, kitchen and animal manager at Melliodora. She is also a director of Fryers Forest Research and Development, active in local community planning issues and is a qualified Italian language interpreter & translator. Her commitment and energy in pursuing a low impact, simple lifestyle is legendary in permaculture circles.
Venie Holmgren
mother of David Holmgren is a published poet and environmental and peace activist. Her poetry is informed by a wide range of experience including 15 years of self reliant living in the passive solar house and permaculture garden documented in Permaculture In The Bush
Some of her publications and poetry can be found at COLA Venie HolmgrenHer latest book, War and Peace, is published by Ginninderra Press, Canberra.
For some of her recent poems, including on the Iraq war, click here. Soon to be published by an Ausralian Press.
* "Melliodora" is named after the Yellow Box trees (Eucalyptus mellidora) which grow around the fringe of our property.
Eucalyptus melliodora is famous for the honey made from its nectar and is indigenous to the extensive slopes of the Murray Darling Basin from western Victoria to southern Queensland. At Hepburn Springs it is at the cool summer extreme of its range and grows as a tall timber tree.
Eucalyptus melliodora is famous for the honey made from its nectar and is indigenous to the extensive slopes of the Murray Darling Basin from western Victoria to southern Queensland. At Hepburn Springs it is at the cool summer extreme of its range and grows as a tall timber tree.
Melliodora from the air. Dec 93