On Saturday April 13 2013 the most-excellent group taking VEG’s first-ever PDC spent a memorable day with David Holmgren, Su Dennet & their son Oliver Holmgren at Melliodora, one of the world’s best-known and best-documented permaculture demonstration sites, and the base of Holmgren Design Services.  Here are a few photos from the day, the focus of which was trees…

Dave started by talking us through the whole-site tree design…

Before leading us to the gully, at a nice, leisurely pace, thanks to an unfortunate recent foot injury…

Outdoor classrooms don’t get better than this, especially when the teacher has over 20 years intimate connection with this landscape….

Melliodora’s magnificent Zone Two orchard…

Amongst the blackwoods with the bunya-pine backdrop…

Through the hazelnuts…

Past the Acacia floribunda support species…

Past potatoes in front of citrus in front of currants in front of olives in front of feijoas – the ultimate edible firebreak!

Up the comfrey-lined garden path…

Past the house kitchen gardens…

Back to the house, where Dave gave some reflections on the tendency permaculturalists can have to go hard growing fruit and veggies where for most people in our culture fruit and veggies are garnishes with most of the food our culture actually eats being carbs (currently from annual grain agriculture), animal protein and dairy.  He harked back to J. Russel Smiths 1929 warnings about the future of annual grain agriculture (due to soil erosion) and the need for multi-generational research on refining cultivars of trees like chestnut and oak for future carb supplies…

Oh what a pretty bunch! Thanks again Su & Dave for sharing your time, your passion and your wonderful property including all the produce we ate!

Thanks also to Guenther Andraschko (below Adam on the right there) for taking and sharing some of these photos.