Redgum the Property
This is the home of Vicki Younger, Roger Bunyan and Redgum Soaps providing both lifestyle and income in a sustainable way.
Redgum is a 2.2 hectares (5.5 acres) property at Brogo in the Bega Valley on the far south coast of New South Wales, Australia.
The picturesque Bega Valley is a rural region famous for its dairy industry, though it is now becoming better known as a tourist destination by people who come here for the pristine beaches, old growth forests and diverse rural community.
The House
- Our home
The house is an adobe (mud brick) construction with over 6,000 handmade bricks weighing over 120 tons and took the owner, Roger Bunyan, over 4 years to construct.
The bricks were made on site using the clay soil cleared from the building site and the timber for the roofing frame was locally harvested and milled.
The entire construction was built using electricity supplied from a solar power system demonstrating that it is possible to construct buildings with almost zero embodied energy.
The Solar Power System
Electricity for home and business use is supplied from a photovoltaic solar panel array and battery storage system.
Hot water is supplied by a gas boosted solar hot water system.
Solar power was chosen over the closely available grid connection to demonstrate that renewable energy systems are capable of supplying not just the household needs but also our business needs.
- Powered by the sun!
The Water Supply
- Our dam
The Redgum household and soap factory water requirements are met by stored rainwater that is collected from the house and workshop roof tops. Garden and toilet flushing requirements are supplied from a dam on the property.
Water is pumped using excess solar power (i.e. when the batteries are fully charged) to storage tanks which gravity feed to the point of use.
The Garden
Very slowly, when time permits, a permaculture design is being implemented that integrates orchards, vegetable gardens, small aquaculture, chickens, trees, and much more into everyday life on the property.
A permaculture design was chosen over many conventional methods of food producing gardens. Rich in diversity, the design provides a feast of organically grown food for a minimum of effort.
