G'day from C.QLD.

Dione

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
18
Climate
Sub-Tropical
Hello there.

I'm from sunny C.QLD and I'm very happy to be here.

I'm very interested in self sufficiency and I'm currently developing systems to side step
dependency on "the system".

I brew kombucha.
Make yogurt.
Use a solar oven.
Use solar lanterns instead of mains powered lighting at night.
Disconnected my home from mains gas.
Adpoted a hybrid Back to Eden/ Market gardener (Curtis Stone) gardening system.
I have chickens and guinea pigs for compost creation, weed control, manure and protein.
Grow herbs and salad greens in two 52 plant, NFT hydroponic systems under 60% shade cloth and veggie netting.
I use a large fiberglass esky instead of a fridge and swap out 4 -3ltr frozen juice bottles daily to
keep my food cold.
I do my washing my foot ;)
Stockpile.
I pressure can meat when it's on special.

Projects I'm currently working on-

I'm in the process of building my own solar power system that won't be grid tied.
Gas powered, tankless water heater.
Building a 1000 watt electric bicycle with trailer.

I'm sure that there's things I haven't mentioned but I am excited to learn new and better ways to do things.

Hugs,
~D.
 

ClissAT

Valued Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Sep 27, 2015
Messages
1,842
Location
Pomona, Qld
Climate
Sub-Tropical
Hi there Dione & welcome!
What a line up you have & such energy!:twothumbsup:
I'm sure we will all enjoy reading of your systems.
I have to say I have lived completely off grid in my younger days, but now I enjoy the simple luxury of opening the fridge door ! :p
 

Dione

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
18
Climate
Sub-Tropical
Hi there Dione & welcome!
What a line up you have & such energy!:twothumbsup:
I'm sure we will all enjoy reading of your systems.
I have to say I have lived completely off grid in my younger days, but now I enjoy the simple luxury of opening the fridge door ! :p

Thank you for the warm welcome ClissAT!

I'll be getting a 3 way fridge freezer once I've built my solar system so I only have to suffer the
esky for a short-ish while.
My fridge broke down and rather than buy another huge power guzzling white good
I decided that I could manage without it for a while.
Same when my washing machine broke.
I wash my clothes in the bath tub and I use my feet and legs as the agitator.
I tried the old plunger trick but the constant bending over killed my back.
It works a treat and if I put on some worship music I can get exercise, sing praises
and get my clothes clean all at the same time. Multi-tasking at it's finest.

The savings on my power bill has been huge and the effort I put in seems worth it
when I open my Ergon bill.
I'm looking forwatd to the day I can shut off the grid completely.
 

stevo

nativebeehives.com
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Jun 13, 2013
Messages
1,804
Location
Clontarf, Qld
Website
nativebeehives.com
Climate
Sub-Tropical
Welcome to the site D! Everything you have sounds awesome. I read the title as "G'day from COLD", which it is a cool morning here but perfect weather at the moment. :)

I like the fridge ideas as they can one of the main users besides cooking/hotwater systems. I was purely on a off grid 12v camp fridge for about one year, saved heaps in electricity. You just get used to having less stuff.

:cheers:
 

Dione

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
18
Climate
Sub-Tropical
Welcome to the site D! Everything you have sounds awesome. I read the title as "G'day from COLD", which it is a cool morning here but perfect weather at the moment. :)

I like the fridge ideas as they can one of the main users besides cooking/hotwater systems. I was purely on a off grid 12v camp fridge for about one year, saved heaps in electricity. You just get used to having less stuff.

:cheers:

Thank you for the welcome Stevo.

Yeah, it was a bit cool this morning even this far north.
I had to put a blanket on the bed and thought I might even put a jumper on. lol.
I have two lots of juice bottles for my esky. One lot is in use and the other is refreezing.
I look around the house and all I can see is how much money I've wasted on appliances
that I thought I just had to have and now all I see is power guzzlers.
I would have been so much better off pouring all that money into a battery bank for my solar power system.
I find now that I actually prefer the softer light put out by the solar lanterns at night and
I dislike the house being lit up like a christmas tree.
I'm finding I'm sleeping better at night due to less light as I'm getting ready for bed.
It tunes your body into a natural cycle of sleeping when the sun goes down and waking when it rises.
 

Mark

Founder
Staff member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
May 27, 2012
Messages
5,192
Location
Bellmere, QLD
Website
www.selfsufficientme.com
Climate
Sub-Tropical
I'm sure that there's things I haven't mentioned but I am excited to learn new and better ways to do things.
Wow, I'm sure we could learn a lot from you too!

Thanks for joining SSC - sorry about the late upgrade to "Premium Member" but I've been away. :)
 

Dione

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
18
Climate
Sub-Tropical
No problems at all Mark, and thank you for the upgrade!

I did catch your YT update.
I am glad you had an awesome time and got back safely.:cheers:
 

Letsgokate

Valued Member
Premium Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2014
Messages
910
Location
SE Queensland, Australia
Website
letsgotravelaustralia.com
Climate
Sub-Tropical
Wow I missed this until now. It will all keep you fit and healthy.

At one point my family lived on 100 acres, we ran goats, milked our own cows, baked our own bread in a wood fired combustion oven. Kept the milk in a kero fridge. Had kero lanterns, shower was water pumped up to the dam into a 44 Gallen drum, heated by the combustion stove.

When the drum ran out you would have to scream your lungs out until someone heard you and put the pump on. Shower was outside under the stars.

Killed and ate our own chooks which I'm sure has scarred me be for life.

House was built out of flinches and gaps filled with mud. We had no windows or doors. In winter it would howl a cold wind that blew over the top of our beds as we were snuggled under our doona. This was a step up compared to where we lived in a tent each as a bedroom.

Snakes would just walk in.

No TV, no computers, no phone, no Mobil, no electricity the term living off the grid wasn't used back then.

Sure glad that these days living off the grid is a lot more comfortable.
 

Kasalia

http://retired2006.blogspot.com.au/
Premium Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2015
Messages
249
Location
Mid North Coast
Website
retired2006.blogspot.com.au
Climate
Sub-Tropical
Welcome from me as well. When we lived in the van for 2 years , while building house, I used to fill a rubbish bin with hot water and the kids all had a hot tub bath to their chins, last one in had to stomp all the school and play clothes, to get clean. Then I hand rinsed everything. I love my washing machine.
 
Top Bottom