Story By Mahmood Fazal, Photos By Danny Wootton

Winding up the back roads of Glenlyon reveals a serene landscape of happy-go-lucky wandering piglets, chickens rummaging inside a truck, pensive goats and an inquisitive dog. Catherine Farm is the life-blood of Catherine and Bohdan, Glenlyon locals who want to give back to the earth.

“We operate our farm on a scale appropriate theory...what this means is that there’s only so many animals, plants and people that one peice of land can sustain before the symbiotic relationships of nature are thrown off kilter,” explains Bohdan, with a vibrating smile that lights up the room. “If you work with nature nature will work with you. To farm this way you must have a personal relationship with the land and observe the seasons; the way water and wind move across the land.”

Their story is about adapting to the rhythms of life. Ironically, the couple’s journey started on the flip side of the ideological spectrum. “In 2008 we were offered work in the mining sector.” Seduced by the perks of the opportunity and a fly-in-fly-out lifestyle, the young couple decided to pursue a career in a uranium mine. “At the time, we had no idea how destructive extracting minerals from the earth could be. On our time off we craved anything green; in the form of trees, grass and the forests.”

Catherine was working in JB HiFi when she first met Bohdan. “We are both originally from Geelong, it didn’t take us long to discover Daylesford.” They would soon be married at The Convent, before scouring the area for a plot they could call home. “We actually bought land without even stepping foot on it, we just looked online. We found the diamond in the rough in the form of a mud brick home on 7 acres of native bushland in Glenlyon.”

In the beginning there was no intention of farming. Bohdan says, “It all started with a couple of chickens, a vegetable garden and some super inspiring local producers running workshops.”

One of the workshops was the Central Highland Goat Club where participants were Bohdan realised how easy it was to separate milk and make butter. “An antique milk separator was soon purchased, then a goat. This pattern continued until we ended up with 50 chickens, three goats, four breeding sows, one boar and three young children. We had outgrown our home. We now had a vision of being self sufficient growing and raising what we need for ourselves.” Catherine Farm is now home to 200 chickens who potter around the property.

Together, they decided to embrace the philosophy of permaculture, a design system based on ecological principles that empower people to move from living as dependent consumers to becoming responsible producers. The origins of Catherine Farm was a 50 acre stretch of land with flowing dams and dense bush. “There was absolutely nothing here just a blank canvas. Which suited us.”

As Catherine walks back to her home, a Burmin cat rests on the sofa. She explains, “Understanding what animal should be on that part of the property at that particular time of year, what crop the soil requires at that time of year is important to us because crops are not only grown to be harvested for human consumption at Catherine farm.”

The animals on Catherine farm are fed a healthy balanced diet that offers far more than pasture. “Pigs and chickens are omnivores. Our animals are fed on food that was destined for landfill. One third of all food produced in the world goes to landfill so there’s an abundance of perfectly good food available.” Bohdan would spend hours on the phone asking local food producers for any food that was going to waste.

“We have a network of businesses that donate food to us. We do weekly local pickups of spent brewers grain, fruit and vegetables,” says Bohdan. “We hope that we are setting an example for the kids... that a loving relationship is shown in different ways, as well as the traditional chocolates and roses.”

Catherine interjects, “Its standing out in the rain holding up some fencing so Bohdan can get the job done quicker and safer, and it's feeding the animals each day with our kids carrying buckets of food. We also hope this lifestyle will help show our children that being male or female does not determine your strength or abilities.”

Catherine Farm

@catherinefarm

0423 814 393