livestock and umpteen other tasks. A tree on
your property falls in a storm? — there’s likely
someone nearby with a portable saw mill
who’ll be willing to help cut it into timber and
boards for a portion of the bounty. You fancy
planting something new? — there’s bound to be
someone else nearby with heaps of experience
planting and cultivating exactly what it is you
intend to sow.
In fact it’s exactly these type of community
transactions that motivates many to seek
cashless self-sufficiency in the jungle over the
wage-supported supermarket-convenience of
metropolitan centres.
Portland Roads, just north of Lockhart
River, is a sleepy bolt hole that attracts many
seeking to nourish a self-sufficient ethos
within themselves to its margins. Many of the
communities that flourish up there are small
and malleable, almost nomad-like, with peopleplanted grows quickly. A polytunnel, while
normally used to boost humidity and heat in
temperate conditions, can be used in tropical
conditions to cool and regulate humidity. With
a polytunnel, anyone living in the tropics can
ensure a steady supply of fresh greens, which
normally struggle in a hot, moist wet season.
A common misperception of going off-grid
is that to do so, you break ties with community
and well-grooved organised social cohesion,
head off into the bush and, because there’s
no infrastructure and you’re bereft of know-
how, batten down the hatches and forage
like a wild beast until lessons are learned and
things slowly right themselves. But really, the
opposite is true. Anyone who makes a serious
fist of going off-grid knows the fundamental
importance of a strong civic community as
you make your way; planting crops, building,
clearing bush, slaughtering and butchering" A common misperception of going off-grid is
that to do so, you break ties with community and
well-grooved
organised social cohesion..."
Once inland on the Cape, the terrain
becomes scrubby and open
The cooling waters at Fruit Bat FallsThere's plenty of water courses up
on the Cape. Some dry out mid year,
others retain some water. Beware
the deep, isolated billabongs though!
Sometimes a lone croc will have taken
up residence.A temperature-controlled polytunnel
is a good way to harvest year-round
greens
ADVEN URES
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