Part of the responsibility that comes with being designated Green Wedge and bordering pristine bush reserve, is having an environmentally responsible and sustainable approach to managing our land. Being on the edge of a National Park we are very considerate about what we flush away. 15 acres of our 48-acre property is a designated Conservation Zone, we operate on filtered rain water and a septic system, we generate the majority of our own electricity on the property using solar panels, and irrigate our 3-acre wildflower farm from the dam. Sustainability and environmental impact are at the heart of every decision we make, from purchasing to producing.
SUSTAINABLE CLEANING & TOILETRIES
In your bathroom at Yarradene you’ll find Orana refillable toiletries (avoiding the waste of single use containers) and complimentary eco-dry accessories including disposable shower caps, sanitary bags, and dental kits with biodegradable packaging, all of which are FSC certified. Our housekeeping team use eco-friendly cleaning products which are septic tank and grey water safe.
BEING OUR OWN PRODUCERS
Having chooks on the property comes with many benefits – they are free range, so fertilise the ground as they wander around eating bugs, we feed them our food scraps so there’s no waste, and in return we collect fresh eggs every morning (you’ll discover a dozen home-laid eggs in your kitchen on arrival).
The chooks would love it if you fed them during your stay and you’ll find some freeze-dried worms (our chickens’ favourite food) under the sink in your kitchen.
Shane’s a registered Beekeeper and we have 3 beehives at the bottom of the hill. If you’re interested, arrange a time with Shane to meet and learn about our bees and if it’s warm enough, he’ll get you suited up in a beekeeper’s suit and open up the hive so you can safely interact with them. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the importance of bees – not many people know that a third of our food production is reliant upon these industrious little creatures.
Our fruit trees on the property include peaches, limes, figs, lemons, grapefruits, and cumquats – nothing beats the taste of fruit picked straight from the tree, so help yourselves if it’s ripe when you visit. Home grown produce tastes all the better for knowing EXACTLY where it comes from, with no food miles, no pesticides, and knowing it’s seasonal, not grown in a hothouse at the wrong time of year!
We have 67 solar panels at Yarradene with two battery storage. Producing the majority our own electricity is valuable on so many levels: reducing our bills, making us more self-reliant during power outages and being less of a drain on the national grid. All by using the power of the sun.
REDUCE & RE-USE
Recycling or composting as much waste as we can is key. Our maintenance team are masters at re-purposing and repairing.
Our food waste is fed to the chooks and composted to be returned to the gardens and we have provided compost bins for guests to do the same.
Adding cardboard to the gardens serves as a great method of suppressing weeds and keeping moisture in the garden beds.
When purchasing cleaning products and guest amenities we avoid all chemicals and look for natural products. We try to work with companies that have minimal or recycled packaging solutions either in place or under development.
Our property requires considerable fencing. Our maintenance team build and maintain all our post and rail fences using found and recycled timber. The rails are attached to the posts in mortises, they are never nailed or tied on.
We encourage our guests to ‘switch it off if it’s not being used’, conserve water, recycle and compost in our Guest Compendium.
We are constantly learning new ways to preserve and conserve our land.
FARM STAY ACTIVITIES / EDUCATION
Guests are welcome to take part in farm-based activities, to learn what we’re growing and animal management. Activities range from animal feeding, donkey feet sanitising, egg collection, crop information, bee education and hands on hive experience.
Our native flower farm requires a considerable amount of water, and we have a 2mgl dam next to the crop with a backup bore, not used to date. To drought proof our property we have two further dams, one in the Conservation Zone used by wildlife, and the other in the front paddock, favoured by the highland cattle who love a cooling dip on a hot day!
When we bought the property in 2017 the soil was poor pasture quality so we undertook extensive soil improvement. We planted out three types of Leucadendron’s – Safari Sunsets (Laureolum Hybrid), Summer Suns (Laureolum X Strobilinum) and Harvest (Stelligerum), three varieties of Eucalyptus – Baby Blues, Crenulata and Cinerea & King Proteas – Cynaroides.
To protect the crop, we put in a 1.8m deer proof fence, carry out pest/disease inspections weekly, soil testing every 3 months and ongoing weed management. If guests are interested in learning about growing native flowers, we are happy to give them a tour and explain the weeding, pruning, pest/disease inspections, spraying, mulching, slashing, mowing, checking irrigation, bracing plants, and soil testing.
As part of our commitment to protecting the land, we designated 15 acres of Yarradene as Conservation Zone. This means minimal disturbance to the vegetation and the soil, no machinery to enter, no firewood to be taken, no dead trees are to be felled and all tree hollows to be preserved as a priority. Leaving bush to regenerate is an essential part of managing the land, enabling essential habitat for our native species.
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