Australia: Off the Grid in Bega

Fig Hill Farm

We threw our packs into the dark abyss of the luggage hold under our bus and got on. I was nervous and excited about the week to come, but I was also dreading the nine hour bus ride. We got comfy in our seats as the bus drove south out of Sydney, thoughts running through my head… What would it be like working on a farm? Will they expect me to know how to garden? I hope they like us. As we drove further south the scenery slowly began to change, from the bustling city traffic to small beach towns. Then into soft rolling hills lined with endless herds of cows and sheep. Finally we arrived at our stop, the little town of Bega. We happily grabbed our bags and jumped off the bus, looking around for a woman who we didn’t know, but hoped would be able to find us.

Back in Bali we met a friend who told us about a work exchange she did in Bega, Australia. It was on a farm with a couple that grew their own produce, and had a food truck business that needed help with cooking, cleaning, and prep for big festivals and events they attend. She spoke incredibly highly of it, and raved at what a cool experience it was. Josh and I were sold. We were already planning to find work in Australia to keep our costs down, so we were glad they were able to have us.

Meg saw us first, greeting us with a friendly smile, and we walked over to her and introduced ourselves. We got in her truck, and headed into the lush green hills of Bega. After a quick fifteen minute drive we hit a dirt road, then turned into a long, narrow driveway that looked straight uphill. We were there! We could see the house from the foot of the drive, and it was beautiful looking down at us with its massive windows. We got to the top of the hilly drive and jumped out of the car, where three very excited dogs greeted us, followed quickly by Steve, the owner of the house and Meg’s husband. We said our greetings then went inside to get to know each other, and have some dinner. The view from the front deck was absolutely breathtaking. You could see for miles through the hills, all the way to the ocean! We sat down with a glass of Meg’s homemade wine, and learned that Steve had built the house by hand!

Their goal was to create a home with a light footprint that’s self-sustainable. They use solar panels for electricity, rainwater for their water source, and have a composting toilet. The house is created mostly from recycled materials, and each item in the house has it’s own unique story of how it got there and where it came from. Their house is filled with heart, but not only that, it looks amazing! It feels very traditional farm style with a modern twist.

I was so impressed with the amount of detail and time that went into building their home. They bought the property ten years ago, made the design plans themselves, and have been building it on their own (with a little help from friends) ever since. They live in a trailer on the property while building until their bedroom is complete, which will be the final room in the house.

Not only that, they have a beautiful garden filled with organic veggies, fruit trees, and some new grapevines with aspirations to grow their own grapes for their homemade wine. They have ducks and sheep, and have intentions to get pigs and several other animals. They are nearly self sufficient now, and their goal is to be able to utilize everything (including rubbish) towards something else.

I was completely fascinated by all of this. Growing up in suburbia, I was used to seeing cookie cutter houses lined up among the streets, with little variation in shape and design. The idea that you could create something like that yourself, and in an eco-friendly way was incredible to me. Functional, environmental, and beautiful. Not to mention the fact that they can walk outside while making dinner and cut off a few basil leaves, pluck a few tomatoes, throw it in their salad and Voila! An incredibly fresh and healthy meal at virtually no cost.

We really enjoyed spending our first evening getting to know Meg and Steve, and learning about the farm and their current business. In their ‘other lives’ Meg and Steve used to be conservationists, who restored and preserved ancient artifacts. When the market tanked and governmental funding got tight, they reinvented themselves and bought their property in Bega. Steve became a chef and they now have a food truck called ‘Hardcore Carnivore,’ that they take to different festivals and events all around the region. The food menu is incredibly unique, and top notch using the freshest ingredients.

View from the deck of Fig Hill

Our work for the week consisted of various different tasks, which made it really fun. We worked outside in the garden, picking and planting. We did some yard work. We fed the animals. There were two big festivals for Hardcore Carnivore back to back the weekend we were there, so we spent the majority of our time cooking, cleaning, and doing food prep to get everything ready for the day of the events. It was a great experience!

Prepping the pulled pork for HC

I loved picking the veggies and learning about how gardening works. My parents had a garden back home, but I never did much to help out with it, and realized I really enjoy it! Josh did a lot of weed whacking, which is pretty physical work, but he enjoyed that too. We both loved cooking with Steve and learning how all the tiny pieces came together into four incredible menu items at the events. Pulled pork, garlic slaw, olive tapenade, braised lamb, pork belly….etc. Yum!

The Shack

At night, we stayed in ‘the shack,’ which was a small shed Steve made that sat at the bottom of the hill. It was completely ‘off the grid.’ All electricity came from the solar panels, we had a gas stove, and the water came from the rainwater collector on the hill. Our bathroom was a little outhouse made nearby with a composting toilet and recycled bathtub and sink. It was like the main house, but much simpler. It used to be Steve’s workshop, but now it hosts workawayers like us. We enjoyed having a space for ourselves, though it was more rustic than we were used to… we had a little visitor some nights, who swooped at my head as I was reading with my headlamp on- a little bat! AHH! It totally freaked us both out, and we had a few episodes where we were running around trying to get it out. No dice. I guess our skin got a little thicker, and we survived co-existing with the bat all week. That’s pretty good, right? The shack also kicked our butt each morning when we walked up to the house…the hill was a killer (but a good workout)!

Biking around Bega

We had some time to ourselves when we weren’t working, and loved the serenity of the area. It was simple and beautiful. No wifi…no tv…no consistent hot water…but incredibly relaxing. Josh and I went running nearly every day we were there, and did some biking too. The hills were no joke! We got our butts handed to us as we were running through the beautiful scenery.

We saw this Kangaroo on the beach near Bega

We didn’t work inside the Hardcore Carnivore food truck at the festivals because they can get so busy that they prefer to have repeat workers who know the game plan and can move quickly. We were however, able to go to one of the events nearby. We got to taste everything on the menu that we helped prepare, and it was A-MAZ-ING!

Pulled Pork Sandwich, Hardcore Carnivore

Hardcore Carnivore

One of my best memories was in the evening time, all of us all sitting out on the deck, listening to the crazy kookaburra birds laughing. The Kookaburra is native to Australia, and it has the funniest ‘laugh’ I’ve ever heard! There were a lot of them too, so it was really loud and echoed at us from the hills. I’ve never heard anything that contagious before! It just makes you crack up anytime you hear them. Listen Here

Meg and Steve were a fountain of knowledge. They taught us so much about so many different topics, and we absolutely cherished the time we had with them. I was definitely outside my comfort zone, doing a lot of things I didn’t know much about. As foreign as some tasks were, I also felt like we got back to the basics. We unplugged. Our time made me realize things about myself I never realized. I want to garden. I want to be eco-conscious. I need time to unplug and just be in the moment. I want to get a little dirty. I want to be inventive, and take risks. I want to take my ideas to the next step. They showed us how fun life can be if you keep reaching. It was only a week, but it was one of the best on the trip.