"It's my land. Who would I be if I did not try to make it better?"  ~ from the movie 'Kingdom Of Heaven'

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Once again, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we reside on and that we come together on - the Pibelmen (Southwest Region) people. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this sacred place and this amazing region.

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2021 Update...

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Wadi Farm is up the end of a long valley, a short drive out of the town of Nannup, which is about an hour's drive inland from Margaret River, for those who know this part of south-west Western Australia. Only about 55 of our 95 acres is pasture, with around 3 acres of house/cottage/gardens/infrastructure. The rest is bush and a creek line. 

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We like to keep it that way. The original homestead is over 60 years old and put together in pieces (not much is level!), but it's clean and cosy and is now a farmstay cottage. Our new house went up in 2019, to accommodate us and Kevin's 90 year old mum, who lives with us these days.

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We have two old growth Karri trees (one of which is on the National Big Tree Register), and a couple of old growth Redgums (Marri). Our bush is mainly regrowth, around 80 - 90 years old because prior to that, most of the property was cleared. Pretty much all by hand! 

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Since moving here in 2005 we have planted more trees, with the help of my wonderful mum. We have designed raceways and paddocks with fodder trees planted between, creating wildlife corridors and also so that the horses can graze and the birds can breed and feed. We've planted eucalypts, oaks, mulberries, other fodder trees and more Karri trees. These trees counter frost, protect fragile soil areas and pasture, and encourage wildlife and healthier soils. Our very overgrown creekline is fenced off. No horses are allowed in the creek line, nor in most of the remnant bush. Our waterway is important - there is a soak where the water comes up on Wadi Farm, and continues down the creek line. It feeds the tributary down stream (there are two), and these feed into the Nannup Brook. 

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But back to our trees...we have Karri, Marri (Redgum), Jarrah, Snottygobble, plus a variety of other Eucalypts. Also Wattles, Oak, Mulberry, Fig, a variety of Banksias...the list goes on. We remove dead or damaged trees if they pose a risk, clear up storm damage and keep fire breaks safe. We are members of our local rural fire brigade.

 

Otherwise we encourage our bush. 

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We have designed our fences (higher bottom wires) so that kangaroos and emus can pass safely underneath without getting caught up, thereby damaging fences and themselves. Believe it or not we don't have huge roo or emu or even rabbit problems anymore because - aside from allowing the pastures to balance themselves out over the years - the horses keep the kangaroos and emus moving through. They like to chase them, from time to time. And the rabbits have largely disappeared because the thundering of many hooves has literally shaken them out of their burrows and warrens. We still have a few in the creek line but sadly myxomatosis and calisi virus clean them up every few years. (Sad because I think it's an awful way for them to die.) There are feral pig and deer in parts of the bush around Nannup, but not around or near our property. Not sure why, although they don't seem to inhabit Karri forest as much. We do have a fox and feral cat problem here. They live in the creekline. I see them fairly regularly - but never when Kevin is carrying a rifle. Funny that. (I like foxes and cats, but the feral predator problem in Australia is a large one, although with rabbits and yes, feral camels, dogs, donkeys and even horses in some places in outback Australia. We need to manage it more humanely and with far more savvy than we currently do.)

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Some of the native birds and animals that now call Wadi Farm home, or at least home for part of each year, include Western Grey Kangaroos, Emus, Southern Brown Bandicoots (Quendas), Mardos, Red Tailed Black Cockatoos, Black Ducks, Shelducks, Wood Ducks, Black Swans, Ravens, Magpies, Magpie Larks, Eastern Kookaburras (sadly introduced), Grebes, Splendid Blue/Fairy/Redback Wrens, Firetail Finches, Fantails, Willy Wagtails, Golden Whistlers, Tawny Frogmouths, several different hawks, reptiles (Tiger Snakes and Dugites are the poisonous ones)...etc...oh and we have a variety of fungi, spiders, and about 5 different types of frogs breeding here now, which sounds awesome at night!

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We also have a wonderful pair of Wedge Tailed Eagles who hunt over this valley. They have swooped on Tia three times over the years so I have to keep an eye out when we are walking! They are awesome native birds though and we do admire them.

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These days we run the farm using regenerative agricultural principles. We continue to plant trees.

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We don't fertilise our paddocks except with trace elements (we soil test and replace what's lacking), or organic fertilisers. We are not classified as organic because up until 12 months ago we still poisoned our firebreaks. We are in a high fire risk area and we must find a balance between responsible management and care of the land. We clean up storm damage and keep our bush areas as open and safe as possible. It's an ongoing responsibility and one we take very seriously. We have a fire management plan and evacuation plan even though there are only about 4 months in any year where we are at risk. We have stock, pets and wildlife, not to mention our neighbours, depending on us to manage these things. So we do.

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I have compiled a collage of our property photos below. Feel free to click on and 'heart like' your favourite photos. These are all my photos and include just a few of the animals and birds that share this special place with us. And YES...one of the photos is of a Quokka. A young adult female Quokka, to be precise. She was injured but survived. She came from the colony living between Nannup and Manjimup. There are around 7 subspecies of Quokka in Australia, including the ones living on Rottnest Island. 

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FYI our old growth Karri is estimated to be between 300 - 400 years old. 'He' is approximately 60 metres high and 8.75 metres in circumference, a metre up from the base. If you love trees, you might like to plan a visit and come and hug it sometime! 

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Art therapy/Painting/Digital Photography/Bird & Wildlife watching retreats are available on request. Organise a few friends and come and spend a day! Head to our Contact Us page for more info/quotes/discuss your needs.

 

You can also visit Wadi Farm (by appointment), for free. We invite you to come and share our peaceful space.

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