Nature has put on a fine display in recent months, reminding us why we should be working with not against her. As someone who makes her income from a short term rental (STR) in one of nature's heartlands - Werona in the Blue Mountains - I want to share my story with you as it's fairly typical of what many tourism areas are experiencing.
Here I am at my beautiful Blue Mountains property feeling more than a little overwhelmed. Insurance claims that seem to be taking forever, Government support claims that only require one kidney and my first born child, a failed retaining wall quote in the 6 figures - damage excluded in my insurance product disclosure statement, and a To Do list that is now so long I find myself drifting to distractions like Facebook, a Crossfit class, a glass or two of organic wine and a long bath. While I’d compare our experience as a series of unanticipated anxieties, inconveniences and irritations, to those facing more dire problems, I can’t help feeling the cumulative impact of the punches that have just kept coming. As I invested savings in resilience projects - a new roof, solar, water tanks, and removal of large pines to make way for regenerating the land, it feels like supporting an eco vision and using money with integrity gets scarce reward. One of the reactions we had to the fires was to get out and support the local communities doing it tough. My own heart space - the Blue Mountains and a road trip next week down the South Coast of NSW and through the beloved snowy mountain regions of NSW and VIC to Daylesford where we will visit one of the founding permaculture sites to learn all that we can about building a resilient property. After all the chaos we had to have some fun too - carpe diem. The owner of the tiny home we stayed in was a nice bloke. But clearly worn thin by the events of the last few years (mind the last year of drought, fire and flood). He casually retorted as I complimented his property, "Do you want to buy it? It’ll be up for sale within the next 18 months." His soul was weary, yet you can tell it’s still so connected to this country - ‘the best place on earth’ he said in the same sentence.
I had started to feel the same way about Werona. A place I claimed when I bought it that I would leave ‘when they carried me out in a box’. Yet recent events had me starting to seriously contemplate the need to leave - perhaps to the South Coast for an ocean firebreak or perhaps better ground water when the rain stops coming for real. I even considered the prospect of leaving Australia altogether and becoming climate refugees with our friends in Canada. My heart ached at the prospect (and for all the existing refugees). Eventually on one of my return visits to Werona I remembered it is my heart place. It’s also well prepared for the catastrophic fire seasons we’ll face more of, it’s got excellent ground water, and the air quality - even during fire season, was far better than Sydney’s and the south coast. If I’m going to hang out anywhere till I die, this is a bloody good place to do it.People always comment on the dining table at Werona. It reflects my priorities and Italian heritage. You need a nice big dining table for the fine food, great people, excellent wine and fun games. Visitors also love the stone fireplace, the lounge is cosy, the bedrooms are comfy and stylish, and everyone loves the chickens and garden - both ornamental and edible. (The garden that is, not the chickens!)
Werona is a soul nourishing experience. I get lots of comments in our guest book expressing gratitude for all the special touches as well as the eco tips and joyful eco living experience that inspires our guests to rethink the way they live their own lives. Everyone can take the experience of Werona home - it inspires a different view on what joyful and elegant living really means (no expensive car or brand new kitchen needed). Then there are the surrounds and the local business community. Gosh where do I start with all the places and experiences I love? Many of which are a stone’s throw from Werona. To learn about all those I recommend you head over the Werona Facebook page or check out our guide book on Airbnb.My fellow short term rental (STR) hosts share my passion for the region and generously share each other with our guests so the calibre of home share or short term rental in the Blue Mountains is outstanding. You’ll be spoilt for choice. Short term rentals (STR) provide a vital income source for many people without giving up their properties altogether - for me it’s funding my transition to an eco career and property. We've now finalised our grand vision for Werona with the help of a permaculture designer, the new roof and solar panels are finally in (I’m thinking I single handedly ended the drought up here by booking that in late January with torrential rain ever since). Water tanks go in this month. Then we will upgrade the vege garden to make it more resilient and get to work on planting more trees and regenerating the other end of the land for our luxury tiny home. After that, the chain of ponds and natural pool for water retention and restoring the natural systems that will clean our grey water and slow, sink and spread water through the land - through drought and flood.
It’s taken a lot of time to research all these elements and bring them together into a holistic well prioritised plan of resilience (with good people and businesses to support it). This is what I hope to help others who don’t have that time to fast track. You can follow our journey on the Werona Facebook page here and if you want to experience it for yourself book your stay here. You can learn about any special offers on the Facebook page.