The main self-managing project of Ballarat Permaculture Guild is
The Hidden Orchard
The Hidden Orchard harvests fruit from 'unloved' or neglected trees on private or public land. We only harvest where we have permission. One third of harvested fruit is given to the landowner, a third to the pickers and a third to charity. It's a great arrangement and stops healthy food becoming waste (or a nuisance dropping onto the ground or hosting pests). Formed in February 2017, THO harvested over 1.5 tonnes of fruit in its first year!
The Hidden Orchard has a separate committee that manage its activities. They also have a separate webpage and social media presence. Did I mention the great jam made from fruit the pickers don't want to take home (or second quality that most charities reject). If you see a BPG stall at a local festival or event, look for THO jam to add to your basket!
Partnerships
Here are a few of our friends!
These are like-minded groups that we support and who support us. You might like to check them out... 🙂
Ballarat Community Garden
The BCG was built in 2004/2005 after several years of planning and lobbying. The garden features 75 individual or communal garden beds, including some raised beds for people with mobility problems. There are several storage sheds and a 'big' shed for meetings and socialising. Solar panels on the shed roof, wood heater for winter. They also have a greenhouse, two pizza ovens, a communal herb garden, a small orchard, a native garden and chooks.
On the first Saturday of every month, there is a produce swap from 9.30 am. Many BPG members attend and it's a great social time, as well as a chance to swap for fresh produce, seedlings and other useful items.
The big event on the BCG calendar is the annual Harvest Festival - held late February or early March each year. Watch out for it! It's a great day with fabulous plants for sale, musical entertainment, talks by garden experts, free kids activities, pizza direct from the oven and much more.
Ballarat Regional Beekeepers
Ballarat Regional Beekeepers was formed in 2015. They meet monthly, to share their interest in, and knowledge of beekeeping. Some of the members are ‘professional’ beekeepers, whereas most are amateur ‘backyard’ beekeepers. The focus in the group is to support each other in beekeeping, and to provide education and ‘hands on’ learning opportunities at the actual hives. They also work with Councils and Government authorities to help with swarm management and biosecurity issues. The club are also working collaboratively with schools in our region, and aim to establish project hives in schools, as happens overseas in UK and USA. if you're interested in hosting a hive or learning about beekeeping, BRB can help. They run introductory courses each year.
Other groups include:
Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions (BREAZE)