Permaculture Cairns takes off
Permaculture Cairns is a recently formed permaculture group, located in the wet tropics region of Far North Queensland, Australia. Cairns has a Tropical climate, with generally hot and humid summers and milder drier winters. The cyclone season is normally confined to between December and April and the average annual rainfall is 1992mm. Nowhere else on earth do two World Heritage listed sites sit side by side –With the education of Permaculture at its core, the aim of the group is to spread permaculture throughout Cairns and the Far North, and give demonstrative examples of permaculture at work in such a unique and challenging environment. The Great Barrier Reef and Australia’s Tropical Rainforests. Both are in severe danger of being lost forever, in part due to the unconscious urban design for an ever-increasing populous and destructive agricultural practice.
Since being formed in July, a great deal of interest has been shown and the number of members (all ages) on our forum site has rapidly grown to its current level of 42. The group has been successful in attracting new members, particularly through its participation in two notable local festivals: the annual “Empower Energy Festival” and “Envirofiesta”, a community event, this year attended by more than 5000 people, that showcases the natural and cultural diversity of the region.