GAIA HOUSE AND
BILLABONG GARDENS

A Project of the Gaia Foundation

Gaia House is a Gaia project. John and Vivienne are the present custodians of this lovely wooden workers cottage situated in the middle of Victoria Park, 12-15 minutes from the centre of Perth, in Western Australia.

Gaia House is nestled amidst eleven frog ponds of Billabong Gardens. The front garden and the street verge are home to many native plant species creating a small piece of wilderness. Neighbours have joined us in creating frog ponds or revegetating their own gardens.

Entering the large back yard one can follow meandering footpaths, leading through an array of herb, flower and vegetable gardens. Over the years, we have built the poor sandy soils into rich, black humus. We have a passion for making compost, and growing earthworms.

Gaia House also houses an amazing library, comprising of thousands of books, journals, videos and tapes on topics related to sustainable living. To find out on how to obtain library membership please click here on the Library website. Earth Voices, offering books, videos, and tapes, for environmental, spiritual and social transformation, also operates from Gaia House.

Gaia House is the first house of an intended future Housing Cooperative. This property is currently being placed into a Community Land Trust. This will remove it in perpetuity from the speculative real estate market. The notion of buying and selling land has been alien to indigenous people all over the world. It was the privatisation of the "commons" which began the industrial revolution, depriving village people of their livelihood and driving them to the factories. Placing our land into a Community Land Trust is one way of rebuilding the "Commons".

We have a commitment to living sustainably in the city, using environmentally friendly products, recycling, growing as much food as possible, being car-free and using green power.

Gaia members are always welcome and are free to make use of the resources made available here for their projects. We also have an office from which many Gaia projects are initiated and taken to completion.

We offer workshops here on many topics such as:

  • community building, conflict resolution and consensus decision making
  • project support and strategic planning for Gaia projects
  • fundraising and money workshops, which help to create financial resources for Gaia projects.
  • Gaia study circles on topics relevant to the Great Turning, shifting from the industrial growth trance to a life sustaining society
  • the work that reconnects, which are processes in experiential deep ecology
  • living simply and sustainably in the city, reducing consumption.
  • creating native gardens and frog ponds, to attract wild life, birds and insects
  • making good rich compost and soil, and organic vegetable growing.
  • preparing simple, nutritious meals from the garden, (eg. making your own sprouts, salads, homus and much more).

Should you wish to visit us, please phone in advance to make an appointment on (08) 94705334.

CONTENTS

Other Websites

Wishlist

Any assistance in making these dreams come true is gratefully appreciated.

  • Books and bookshelves (or the money to buy them) for Gaia Library
  • Money for subscriptions to relevant journals
  • Two couches for the Library
  • Solar Pagola for the back door
  • Help with laying bricks (repair of a small retaining wall)
  • Help with cement rendering
  • General handiwork help (eg painting & general repairs)
  • Volunteer Carpentry urgenty needed
  • Weatherboards for wall repairs at Gaia House
  • Large terracotta pots and a bird bath
  • Photovoltaic cells (so that we can be independent in electricity)
  • Solar hot water system (we have a gas backup system)
  • Office equipment including 1 Laptop Computer & CD Burner
  • Volunteer assistance is always welcome