Hello from Down Under

[Lady B]

Hi, I found your site via a link posted on an Australian website - Aussies Living Simply. The link posted was to the 'ciderish' recipe which I'd followed and was having problems with. Thank you to those people who answered my question.

My better half, (whose online name in various things is "The Highlander") and I have 100 acres at the foot of Mount Buffalo in Victoria's North East. 70 acres of that is natural eucalypt forest with a variety of wildlife - wallabies, kangaroos, possums, wombats, some deer and a multitude of different birds from huge wedge tail eagles to tiny little mistletoe birds.

As some of you would be aware, we're in drought. The last few years have been well below our average rainfall. Having said that the area we are in is faring better than a lot of other places. We still have feed in the fields for cattle whereas some places are just bone dry, dusty with nothing to eat. A friend of ours refers to these fields as "Jenny Craig paddocks".

We have a few head of livestock, but they're all pets. Four Scottish Highlands, Penny (the mum), Scottie (a 4 year old steer), Bonnie (3 yo heifer) and Heather (2 yo heifer). Two Black Suffolks - Wallace and Gromit - both wethers about 3 1/2 years old. They're all just grass munchers, although I have milked Penny when Heather was young. We also have two Welsummer chickens - Toffee and Humbug and we're on the look out for a few more.

Our vegetable patch consists of 8 beds. We follow a 6 year rotation, and the two remaining beds get used for potatoes, cucurbits and corn when there's an overflow situation. We have an orchard that is 5 years old and starting to bear some good fruit. 14 varieties of apple (some cider apples - hence the ciderish) a couple of different pears, 5 plums, 3 apricots, 2 peach, 2 nectarine, 2 cherry, 2 hazelnut, an almond, quince, walnut, elderberry. A couple of grape vines some gooseberry, red and black currant, raspberry and a lemon tree.

I do a lot of preserving plus jam, chutney, sauce, etc. I also brew our own beer and am just starting to try cider. I also make cheese.

All in all, life is pretty good.

[Millymollymandy]

Hi and welcome! You live in a beautiful part of Australia! I spent several days in Bright many moons ago as I went there to visit my great grandparents' graves.

[red]

welcome

[becks77]

hello

[rockchick]

Hello!

[Sky]

Hello and Welcome

[Gert]

Hi

100 acres is pretty impressive, sounds like you are pretty sorted down there. Will be interesting to compare how you tackle things in such a different climate.

Gert

[Lady B]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone.

100 acres is reasonably small by Australian standards. Some of the large cattle stations muster cattle using helicopters!

[Gert]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone.

100 acres is reasonably small by Australian standards. Some of the large cattle stations muster cattle using helicopters!

oh, most of the people I know can use a pushbike

[snapdragon]

Welcome in

Sounds lovely - my dream is to have an acre, we currently have 10 by 20 foot

[MuddyWitch]

Welcome to ISH

& I wondered if we were biting off more than we could chew, looking at five acres!

MW