I spent two beautiful winter weeks working at Dharmananda. Tasks included planting, weeding, shoring up roads, compost building, prepping wood for a new build (smiley face), dismantling the beloved Forest Meditation Centre (sad face), paddock weeding and burn pile building. There is a nice rhythm to the work day and week. I did about 4 hours each day, 9 to 1-2pm Mon to Sat. Each day I worked with a different member of the community. It was a great way to learn lots and get to know everyone a little better. Fri being maintenance day and Sat veggie garden day, we worked in bigger groups and enjoyed morning tea together. Maggie’s pikelets are a treat! What I appreciated too was that everyone was also respectful of my time. Food-wise, if you love dairy you’ll be in some kind of seventh heaven at Dharmananda. From daily milking of the jersey herd flows amazing milk, cream, butter, yoghurt, feta and cheddar cheeses. About 5 nights per week there were delicious community vegetarian dinners mostly made from what’s growing on the farm. A couple of times when these weren’t on I was kindly invited to community member’s places to eat. Thank you Ellen, Leigh and Andrew! But there is a well-stocked pantry, and of course veggie garden, to make what I needed for the other meals. With one exception. If you happen to be a coffee drinking wwoofer you’ll need to byo (but thank you Anna for helping me out there). Outside of work, winter mornings made for some beautiful walks through the surrounding forests. It was here I got to appreciate the mountain of work the community has done to restoring them to be the special places they are today. And it was probably no coincidence that on one of these walks I got see my first wild platypus. She has made a beautiful dam high on the hillside her home after floods scoured Terania Ck. On days off there was probably no better way to spend a warm sunny afternoon than at the Channon Hotel open mic session. A longer walk/run to the newly reopened Protester Falls was another highlight as was an evening trip to the Lismore Lantern Parade. And then there was the night of our Italian feast... but that’s a longer story. Dharmananda is not only a unique place but is at a unique point in time. The knowledge of the landscape, its ecology and how it responds to the human and non-human creatures that make it home exists within the now older generation that established Dharmananda in the 70s. Then there is the presence of a younger generation and new families bringing energy and ideas to the community. It feels like a sweet spot is emerging where new possibilities exist in the framework of the realised possibilities and valuable traditions created to date over Dharmananda’s fifty year history. So I guess what I’m saying is, there are many good reasons to return!

I also find it hard to describe Dharmananda. I would say it is both a magical and vibrant place. A very special one. I was there for almost a month, though it felt like home since the moment I arrived. I was struck by the beauty of the place but also of the community itself and its people: the simple fact of living in a community, the way it is so well organised, the fact of growing most of the food, everybody's attitude towards life - they're all special! I learnt a lot simply by talking with these amazing people, and by everyday working with somebody different. And it was also a great opportunity to spend some time on my own during the weekends. The place is stunning, both the community and the surrounding forests, creek and valley. And then there is the lovely food: all of it is gorgeous, from the meals together to the cheese and the veggies. The potential of Dharmananda, as I kept telling myself the days prior to my departure, is immense, and I had the feeling that I would need at least a couple of years of staying there to take it all in and come to terms with such amazing reality. You'll do you yourself a favour if you WWOOF there, honestly.

First, it wasn’t easy to find the right words about this special place, but first of all I have to say that I really fell in love with Dharmananda. As a wwoofer the lovely community takes you as a part of the whole and shows you the different aspects about natural living. You will learn different aspects about substantial living and natural gardening, having some great homemade food with the community and many interesting conversations with the lovely and open-minded community members. You will eat so much self-grown food out of the amazing vegetable garden besides having the very rich milk, yoghurt, cheese and butter from their own cows. I can highly recommended this farm and I’m sure that you definitely will miss Dharmananda after your time there.

Dharmananda community is a very special place, people there from different countries and have different skills/knowledge/stories, but they all super friendly and love natural environment. They have a detailed job division plan, thus You would learn many skills from different tutors including cheeze making/vegetable and fruit planting/composeting/milking etc. The most important thing is you would have a chance to learn how to co-exist/live in a nature environment, to have a different view of sustainable living. We eat what we made, vegetables/milk/honey from the farm, handmade bread/cheeze/yogurt, very tasty and healthy. Accomadation is comfortable. Highly recommanded!

Response

Hi Yu Hui, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. I am sorry that I did not meet you. All the best. Carol