John Button

Host Profile

    My Property

    Business Type

    Small/Non-commercial farm

    Farming methods

    Permaculture

    Short Property Description

    Sundari has been evolving for over 40 years, first and foremost as a sanctuary for all who live here. We are three shares, living in love and respect for each other. We are all dedicated to the beauty and health of this magnificent land. It is a remarkable arboretum of over 2000 species. I’ve been working. with permaculture professionally all over the world, and  returned three years ago after 31 years living overseas (mostly India and various parts of Europe). Having designed for so many others, finally it was time to design our own place (my wife Francesca is an Italian agronomist), and build another house (the old one is in the rainforest we planted and in need of restoration as a guest house), almost entirely from the trees we planted three decades ago, all cut and milled within 80 metres of the housesite. The house is now almost functionally complete (the details may take forever!), working on completing a new bathroom/toilet/laundry. Until now, this has been a very ‘rustic’ bush bathroom; full respect is given to privacy.

     

    We’ve planted an extensive food forest of diverse species, to add to what remains of the original forest garden, as well as extensive vegetable gardens for our own kitchen, for friends and guests. It’s in need of a big refurbishment at the moment, having been neglected while pushing ahead with the construction as the primary priority. This whole land, shared with two others, is a remarkable arboretum of mainly Australian rainforest species, and there are kilometres of footpaths all over the land, giving access to the most beautiful parts of it.

    One boundary is over a kilometre of stunning rainforest creek, there is a large pond on the land, and the views of the world heritage national parks and caldera of the ancient volcano are spectacular. We eat very well, having an international cooking capacity; we are not extreme, but cook only vegetarian food generally.

    Currently I’m also designing and implementing a beautiful large (75 hectares-185acre) nearby property, focusing on functional integration of water management, cabinet and structural timbers, rotational grazing, food forest, small cropping and biodiversity. This is a long-term project.

    Organic/Biological methods we use

    Having been a Permaculture professional for so many years, that’s essentially the basis for what we do. This property has always been free of synthetic chemicals; there’s no need or reason to do otherwise!

    Skills WWOOFers can learn here

    Organic practices & techniques, Permaculture design practices & techniques, Gardening, Composting, Soil conservation, Mulching, Environmental recovery/regeneration work, Worm farming, Using & caring for tools, Fencing, Building, Natural Building techniques, Handyman, Off Grid Living skills

    My Details

    Name

    John Button

    Gender

    Male

    The Stay

    Can Accommodate

    3 WWOOFers

    Preferred length of Stay

    3-7 days, 1-2 weeks, Longer stays by negotiation

    Accommodation

    In Our Home, Separate Building, Tent, BYO Accommodation

    Other options

    Non-Smoking, No Smoking Inside, Children allowed by arrangement, No Pets please

    Meal Procedures

    Share most meals, Share cooking

    Languages spoken

    English, Italian, German, some Hindi (though rusty)

    Diets we cater for

    Mixed meals, some meat, some vegetarian, Vegetarian meals, Vegan meals

    Why I became a WWOOF Host

    With so much experience and applied Permaculture, AND so much work to do here, I feel it is an ideal situation to be able to share the experience and inspire others, and at the same time have the benefit of extra hands to help with all the work. It seems to be a wonderful exchange, fitting perfectly with the aims of WWOOFing.

    Address

    Contact

    Availability Calendar

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