Thora Gondwana Farm

Gumbaynggirr Country, Mid-North Coast, NSW, Australia

The Brief

We compete with other designers in the area with a design comprising very imaginative use of Torii Gates leading to an ancient tree-lined rainforest river and wrought iron fencing woven through groves of banana and palms. This proved to be a practice run for what was to come….

The brief evolves mostly along the lines of our recommendations. These are – to work with a large group of contractors to protect the river, waterways, forests and ancient Gumbaynggirr culture of the place at all costs, to create large scale berms along contours to stop soil erosion, create surveys and land models, slow and capture rainfall runoff, create screens and wildlife corridors, to create extensive themed gardens, create permaculture berms, to restore and enhance access tracks, water, fencing and all other farm infrastructure.

Over 5 years we end up regenerating this entire farm, around 140 hectares, positioned between World Heritage National Parks: Dorrigo National Park and Bellinger River National Park. All this we capture in a series of surveys and detailed reports.

Challenges

• Unknown extent and characteristics of the property because it’s completely overgrown when we start
•  Sheer physicality of this extreme landscape – steepness, inaccessibility, ticks & snakes and the scale of the works
• The unbelievable heat waves – and rainfall & droughts
  
• Multitude of contractors, characters and sub-projects & the need for social and organisational design
  
• Courage, energy & dedication required to deliver such an ambitious project

Design & Implementation

This project was carried out through phases and cycles of project design, implementation, redesign, implementation and so on – over 5 years. Teams of contractors were pulled together for 2 – 6 months at a time for each of the rolling projects. Multiple trades working together.

It was essential that each project be planned and implemented successfully keeping future maintenance fully in mind and building capability and confidence in, and within, the team. Multiple projects ran at the same time meaning that materials and contractors were able to move between these efficiently.

The final phase involved creating a state-of-the-art farm shed set into massive wildlife berms and re-wilding stepping stones. Multiple trades and professionals putting into place the final parts of this amazing super-challenging & super-rewarding farm regeneration project.

Ideas in Action

• Sustainability project implemented at a significant scale
• Strategic allocation of robust resources to allow projects to reach their full potential

• Weaving multiple approaches together: gardening, conservation, Permaculture, regenerative agriculture, nature appreciation & connection, Ecopsychology, respect for Gumbaynggirr Elders & Country
• Learning new ways to mentor, report and organise large-scale projects

Outcomes

• Demonstration site of a sustainability project at a large scale showing that it can be done, and how it can be done
• Demonstration of new ways to survey, model, mentor, report & organise large-scale sustainability projects
• A deepened appreciation of Country
• First Tawny Frogmouths, and by the end, the majestic Powerful Owls!!!

“Charlie, Bridget, Bede, Raffe, Becky and team have done a magnificent job completely renovating and reimagining this property after it had been neglected for 40 years. It is my rainforest sanctuary.”

Property Owner

Thora Gondwana Farm

Gumbaynggirr Country, Mid-North Coast, NSW, AUS

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