Spring Routines: Living Off-Grid in the Australian Wilderness

Spring came, and with the new season, everything changed very quickly. We'd move the sheep to a new field every day, and with little grass around them - they would always bounce and dance at the thought of the fresh green shoots and delicious fallen fruit awaiting them in their new field. Their joy is contagious. We are two sisters, Julia and Anastasia, and this is our home in the Australian rainforest. We spend our days taking care of animals, growing food, creating, building, and learning how to live off the land. One of the things we have learned in our time in nature, is to celebrate the seasons. Watching every little change always puts everything in perspective. When the sheep are in this playful mood, they often outrun us and bounce like ballerinas in the

  All over the farm, not in the paddock we were driving to. They skipped the day through all the hills before we finally got them on the track right. Aphrodite and Harmonia are always lost when they mow the lawn for too long. The big red cedar tree is full of green growth. Watching these slow, subtle changes in the landscape is amazing - it's amazing to witness the passage of time in such a beautiful way. Red cedar trees are one of the only native deciduous trees in Australia, and their changing leaves follow the most magical cycles. They fall in the winter and slowly shoot back when the warmer weather comes around. Its buds are bright red and seem to glow among the deep rainforests. They dot the hills and valleys like paint strokes. The Welsh Harlequin family sleeps through its roots

  And chickens scratch in the paddock in its shade. They get brighter and brighter until they suddenly release thick green foliage and announce that the season has changed. The nasturtium is blooming, reminding us that it's our sweet duck's birthday! A year ago, when she was only a day old, she wore her nasturtium hat. And a flower hat for every change of seasons and she's getting bigger this year. Her birthday marks the change of seasons, and now, a year later, the same flowers are blooming and she's celebrating with the same flower hat! She is the softest and kindest soul, and makes friends with everyone. Even the lamb eggplant! Filled with delicious fruit and thick leaves, the persimmon tree in the fall fell in winter and now in the spring, new shoots have appeared. Today we go swimming in the creek.

  These are our cute neighbour's cows. Sometimes when we call the sheep home at night we hear them calling the cows. The familiar "cmon" echoed through the valley. She is 74 years old and has lived here for all those years, her knowledge and relationship with the animals is very inspiring. We have so many childhood memories of jumping across that creek and across the meadow early in the morning. We'd meet our neighbor in the old bail-out and collect fresh milk for the day. Our dad did the same thing in his childhood, telling stories of jumping from cow pie to cow pie to keep his feet warm on cold winter mornings. I think the cow feces were fresh and warm from the damp earth! Although I prefer to wear shoes, in the spring the rain ceases, and the streams cease to flow so heavily. Still fed by springs from high in the mountains. The landscape changes a lot with the seasons, in summer, streams flow and rage, and heavy summer monsoons cause inevitable floods. In the fall, the streams are filled with fresh water, from the rains which drip into the mountain canyons.

  It is very beautiful for a refreshing swim. Now, in the spring, the creek has returned to a small point. It is incredible to see how much it changes, between the fresh gushing waters, the raging torrents and now, the effervescent drops. We spent many days of our childhood playing in this creek. Explore, sit on rocks like fairies and build cubby houses and grapevine swings. It is very special that this childish play remains within us. We've been scouting in the rainforest hedgerows and working out where to put new pasture so we can replenish more and find more food for our sheep and goats. It's hard work but along the way I found the best vines for swinging and got very distracted. Sometimes, when you come across a perfect woodland vine, you just have to swing for hours! We didn't just play though - this is our brother Riley. He is a bush firefighter who works to manage and prepare forests for fire season. Now that spring has arrived, it has begun

  Everything is in drought and we have to be careful of forest fires. So, Riley came for a visit to help us clean up this field that was overgrown with brush and bushes and would be a huge fire hazard. Due to the climate crisis, fires have occurred on the ranch twice in the past few years - something really abnormal in our subtropical rainforest. This can be really overwhelming at times, the goats were enjoying their snacks here so they cleared easy paths through the weeds. Now Riley is cutting wood that is a fire hazard and I'm hauling it. My mom makes firewood and Julia works in the garden. Everyone helps, even the goats and ducks! Since it was dry and there wasn't much fresh grass, the goats are very excited about the fallen trees. Maggie, Moth and Fern are the best helpers in rejuvenating the bush. Much better than me, I've been scared of electric fencing and sick of it

  Carrying the heavy logs up the hill... My arms are tired of swinging the vine! We run an electric fence for each duck pen that sends out tiny clicks to warn predators away. But the wire over that fence also conducts the electricity, and because the wood I'm moving is wet, I get crunchy if I touch it. One of our biggest family jokes is tricking someone into going off, so Julia always laughs when it goes off. With so much of the bush removed, you'll be giving your lawn a chance