Sustainable

We were staying in the house of Meg and Fraser. It is situated on a dirt road 6 k out of Beechworth. They will soon move into town though, where they have built a “second generation sustainable” new house. There we first met with them for lunch, later in the afternoon we rode down to the current one.

They have built this house some 13 years ago. The walls or made of rammed earth, they use rainwater for domestic use, the house is completely solar powered, they have a compost toilet, there are two dams to collect water for the gardens etc. So they are not dependent on these services from outside. They are leaving this place because they want to be closer to town, not having to do the drive up and down the hill on this dirt road all the time. They're on to their next move. The place is beautiful though, very well kept and agreeable. It's also (officially) a safe house in case of a bush fire. This implies that they always have enough water, that plants in gardens and surrounding areas are kept low, the grass is always cut short etc. In case of an emergency the neighbours can go to this house and be safe. The closest neighbours are about 1 k away, by the way.

Also their new house has similar facilities and will most likely, and hopefully for them, have the same atmosphere. We hope they won't miss the old one.

We loved our stay there, not only for the house. We must mention Kelly, the dog as a faithfull companion, and not in the least Meg and Fraser themselves. Perfect hosts we would love to meet again.