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G'day cobbers, t'is I again with the latest instalment of my charmed life in distant lands.
The last time most of you heard from me, I was working hard stripping mandarin trees for Aussie dollars..... by mid august the trees were bare and it was time to move on and try something different, but with only 2 buses a week from Eidsvold going in the wrong direction, leaving town was my next challenge....... Susie decided to stick around and find more work to save up for a new van/home so with my backpack fully stuffed with excitement I headed off alone.... but not quite....
Luckily, Robyn, a friend from work was heading towards Brisbane and I got a ride. On the way we caught up with another friend, Matt who was travelling by horse & homemade cart on a 10 day journey to a heritage festival. We found him trotting through the city of Dalby just as he negotiated his first set of traffic lights... At the next red light, I hopped into the drivers seat with him and cruised along for the next 10km or so until we found a good camp spot for the weary horse & driver - now THIS is the way to travel ;o)
After a night in Toowoomba, Robyn dropped me at the bus station and I was indeed off on my next adventure...
I'd heard of "Crystal Waters" and Maleny couple of times over the last year or so. Intrigued and in search of community life I followed the signs and found myself in a unique rural community perched above the Sunshine coast in the Blackall Ranges.
Crystal Waters - Originally set out as a permaculture village, still hosts a community mostly working towards balanced natural ecology, eco-sustainability and personal well-being therapies but amongst all these big words and theories it is not without it's 'management' problems....
However, it is definately host to some very special people that I am blessed to call my friends and is set in a glorious bushland valley, abt 27km from the town of Maleny. Approx 300 people of various age, nationality, religion, and political belief share this 640 acre rural property, with many business', professions & creative energies working together.
Crystal Waters is also a wildlife sanctuary and refuge to a large variety of native animals - kangeroos, wallabies, echidna, quail more than 150 species of bird, rare frogs, ferels and domesticated animals (cows, chickens, ducks, goats, geese) however no dogs or cats are allowed on the property. A reforestation programme, construction of numerous dams and lack of predatory domestic animals has resulted in a harmonious relationship between man and nature. The chorus of the birds at dawn is humbling. Crystal Waters is totally organic, gloriously natural, seductively serene and very quickly became my home....
When I first arrived, I got a lift from town with the aboriginal elder of the community & his large family, arriving at the visitors camping area I was introduced to a large, exuberant, gay, ferel hippy and I spent my first night sat around a fire in a teepee learning the concepts of numerology and drinking lots of tea - it was fairly bizarre..... but don't get me wrong - Anthony is the extreme!!
For the first week or so, I stayed in a bunkhouse at the visitors area, and spent my days hanging out with nature, walking in the forests, soaking up the a meeting some of the community residents and making colourful hairfeltz (my new hobby) to sell at the markets. I also putting out to find a help exchange (WWOOF) host so I could do some work in exchange for accommodation and food, sure enough I met Wolfgang, a german carpenter who built many of the eco properties and has been living on the community since it was established. He offered me work in his garden for a week or so, a lovely caravan to stay in, meals and use of his house/amenties - perfect ;o)
We became good friends and I ended up staying over 2 weeks with him and had a great time pruning his fruit/nut trees, fertilising, mulching etc. injecting love into the banana & coffee plantions, revitalising his hedgerows, digging & planting a small veggie patch and cutting down a big old fig tree.
Chloe rents a cabin on the same property, she's a writer and childcarer, we became good friends too and shared some good fun times together. We had 2 gorgeous carpet pythons that lived between my place & hers and kangeroos & wallaby families playing around the garden - magical....
Eventually, when the work had dried up, I moved back to the visitors area for more of a social atmosphere and became involved in some community projects.
There was the construction of 2 enormous bamboo dragonflies that I spent some time helping with and a Tibetian fundraising evening that I voluntered my time and energy to. This was an awesome night - an art auction and tibetian dinner followed by live entertainment with a lively celtic folk band. I ran a chai tea stall with my good friend Tony and had huge amounts of fun serving Chai and yummy cakes, we changed our names to 'love' and 'happiness' and took turns letting loose on the dance floor and chilling with our friends by the fire. A fantastic night was had by all and we raised heaps of money for the orphans of Tibet ;o)
I also spent many a morning helping my friend Dennis in his veggie garden. Dennis is English, he's in his 60's and produces lots of yummy organic vegetables to sell to the community, at the market and to local organic shops. He got a bit behind in the garden after a dose of flu and a week of bad weather so I traded some of my time for hugs & fresh veggies to help him out and learn some new skills in the garden - fair exchange....
There were Monday nights at the "Up Front Club" open mike sessions in town, where my friends jammed on stage and I shook my booty on the dance floor and made even more friends. Friday nights usually found us at Gordy's house around another fire sampling large amounts of home-brewed organic beer followed by a stop off at the bakery on the way home where Les was just pulling freshly baked sourdough loaves out of his woodfired oven. Every second Sunday we would have a large family gathering and use the bakery oven to slowly roast a big communal feast whilst we hung out in the sunshine & cooled off in the river, with drumming, singing, chatting or making fun stuff with the kids - there was always plenty of musicians around supplying endless amounts of impromptu freestyle entertainment. I spent many a meal with my new family or round at friends houses and some very special evenings in the teepee with a billy of tea on the fire, and my brothers loving company and freestyle songs.
I also had the fantastic opportunity to spend 6 days on Fraser Island (worlds largest sand Island) on a great lakes walk/camp with 2 other adults & 2 kids. We organised food & transport to the island then carried everything we needed on our backs. Walking approx 7 or 8 km each day along forest paths and sometimes on sand to glorious lakes where swam, set up camp, cooked dinner & rested. We slept under the stars by lakes, on sand dunes and 1 night on the walking track. Wow! I could write a whole book of stories that this trip alone produced but I'll save it for special requests. There's a poem we wrote on this website that sums it up nicely.
Shortly after I returned to Crystal Waters, I headed off again for a few days on the sunshine coast with Jane & Danny who I have known for many years from back home. Good friends, shopping, beach, lounging by the pool, lots of great food & red wine - Glorious!!!
Back at Crystal Waters for the October full moon I sent a whisper throughout our friends of a family feed and a fire in the moonlight. All the fairies and elves came out to play, bringing food and music, fire-twirling and dancing. - This is one of my most special memories, it was a truly magical evening, such fun & friendship and the knowledge that soon I would have to leave it all behind to continue my journey homewards...... next morning when I woke up my friend Susie had arrived in the middle of the night with her new van & another friend from my fruit picking days - hurrah! they were there to share my last week in Australia in this very special place....
It has to be said that we had a ball, the weather was glorious (as usual) and we cruised back and forth to town in Susies new van, soaked up the serenity of Crystal Waters and organised a farewell bash for little me.
Keen to try out the little adobe mudbrick oven outside the camp kitchen, we made heaps of yummy pizzas with gourmet toppings, friends broughtmore toppings, salads, dips, meatballs, falafels & Chai. We feasted like royal fairies and elves then took the party to the big fire pit where the festivities & frivolities continued until we were all partied out.
I slept with my brothers by the fire in the teepee and woke one last time to the sweet chorus of bell-miners and whip birds, thankful for the love, kindness and friendship offered unconditionally by such wonderful open people.
As Susie drove me along the winding valley roads up and over the rolling hills to the airport, I reflected on the magic I had found and felt sadness that I had to leave it all behind to continue without me. I take with me on my journey a heart filled with love and a desire to return but also the knowledge that with every step I take, wonderful people and special places are always present and within reach. The Universe is listenening and out there for the taking, everything I could ever desire can be mine - and it is..... I live where I am and it's a very happy place indeed.
Thank you all for sharing it with me.....
You can check out the crystal Waters website if you like at http://www.ecologicalsolutions.com.au/crystalwaters/index.html and there are a few new photo's in the Australia Antics folder although my camera broke on Fraser Island so there is a big chunk missing.
I am now in Thailand (with a new camera) until 13th November, shopping in the sticky city, chilling out on white sandy beaches and visiting a few friends up in the north, before going back home to England to meet my new baby nephew and spend Christmas with my family. Watch this space to see what happens next.........
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