Patchwork Jungle is a repurposed primary school in a small country township. Our Patch, set on one hectare is a mixed enterprise including herb nursery, market garden, berry and mixed fruit orchard as well as a coffee shop used to help value add with jams, cakes, juices, and hot foods. Close to the Murtoa Stick Shed, Little desert, Grampians National Park, home of Halls Gap Zoo, and the Silo Art Trail make us a great destination to include in your travels, particularly if you have your own transport. We use the schoolroom as our central hub, with a number of out-buildings as extended living such as bedrooms, laundry etc and the cafe/shop is in two ‘school portable’ style buildings brought in recently.
We have been hosts since 2014 and love the shared experience working with WWOOFers at our place. For us it is not about getting labour to help with the jobs we need to do, we welcome people from around the world to share our home, and to learn from each other. By being a diverse enterprise there is always something to do, but we enjoy mixing things up, and working together.
Organic/Biological methods we use
Our style is aligned to permaculture principals, but use the term Resource conscious. Incorporating a green waste collection for members of the township as a community service, and a range of composting styles helps with our nutrient return. Multi-use animal yards and integrated growing areas are being included. We use circular flow of materials, and love to reuse and repurpose everything. As we are actively open to the public we have to balance practical functionality with environmental responsibility. Biological diversity is also a key component to the property.
We plan to incorporate a range of short courses and workshops soon. These would be more likely to be in winter when there is less demand on our time and would include gardening, fruit tree maintenance, mosaics and permaculture concepts.
The Stay
More than 4
3-7 days1-2 weeks2-4 weeksWhatever suits
In Our HomeSeparate BuildingCaravan
Smoking allowedNo Smoking InsideChildren allowed by arrangementPets allowed by arrangement
The Stay
Eat togetherShare cookingShare most meals
Mixed mealssome meatsome vegetarianBYO Special diet foods pleaseFish based mealsMeat based mealsVegetarian meals
