Free Time!

Finished lounge wall w/glass wall & window

G'day!

I don't know what's going on with this world.  So many natural disasters so close together.  The 8.9 earthquake in Japan, tsunami and all the aftershocks are devastating.  I feel so badly for Japan and all its people.  Thanks for your concern about tsunamis in Aussie but as it turns out, the American West Coast got them instead.  It sounds like there wasn't too much damage since there was plenty of warning.  I'm going to New Zealand in a couple weeks but I will probably not go to Christchurch because of all the earthquake damage there.

Finished window - see how thick the walls are

Meanwhile, I am enjoying my free time here.  I/we got a ride into Healesville, 18 km down the mountain from Moora Moora.  Healesville was hopping (for a small town) with its weekly Sunday (flea and farmers) market.  Explored the town with lots of other tourists, possibly from the Melbourne area, for a couple of hours and then had to hitch a ride back up the mountain.  After walking about 1 thankfully flat km (.6 miles) in the hot, hot afternoon sun, Kirsten and I got picked up by a man who drove us 12 km up Don Road to Nyora Road, not where he was heading but a nice drive anyway.  We walked for a couple of minutes and were picked up by a couple who happened to know some Moora Moora residents.  They drove us all the way to the Lodge.  Whew!

Poured earth wall - 4th section

We attended a pot luck dinner and Talent Night at Jeremy and Julia's home where we heard several stories, a capella singing, ukelele playing and singing, lots of guitar playing and singing (some original songs), Indian drumming and chanting, a German song sung in a round with audience participation, original poetry, and a contortionist act.  My talent was bowling (pitching) a cricket (tennis) ball to the 8-year old son, Jinja, who showed off his talent of batting by scoring 17 runs on about 3 overs (18 balls bowled).   This was done outside and before everyone had arrived.

On Friday, Russell drove with us 3 wwoofs to Upwey, a little town an hour away to listen to his occcasional employer, Andy Cowan, perform at a cafe called Burrinja.  Andy plays keyboard and sings original and cover songs with his whiskey Ray Charles-y voice.  He was accompanied by Jimmy on saxaphone for his second set.  Burrinja has live blues and roots music monthly.  (Good looking) food is served as it comes out of the kitchen.  This is a cafe, not a restaurant so food service was pretty slow with a few dishes coming out every 10 minutes or so.  There was a party of 17 at the table in front of us.  Some of them were served more than an hour after others at the same table.  We had dinner at the Lodge but their Chocolate Mousse Cake was delicious!

Poured earth section with too much straw 

We are in the Yarra Valley, the wine growing region of Victoria, and part of the Dandenong mountain range.  The countryside is very picturesque with a patchwork of vineyards, small fruit orchards, grazing sheep, cow pastures, farmhouses and tiny towns and rolling hillsides.  The climate is varied.  At Moora Moora, on top of Mount Toole-be-wong, we can have fairly wild weather with sunshine one hour and then pouring rain the next few hours.  And the wind can blow in from various directions as indicated by the windmill (not very efficient as a power generator).  Other areas are more temperate rainforest and look primordial with lush tree ferns in varying heights among tall (Eucalypt?) trees.

Wombat burrow hole - probably not a primary one

I've seen a couple of wombat burrows and several wombats at night.  Apparently wombats dig several burrows, some just a couple meters long and some much longer and with multiple entrances.  They often visit several burrows each night, including ones they did not make.  One night, Kirsten and I were walking back to the Lodge from our hosts' after dinner when we heard a loud rustling in the bush - a wombat?  Maybe.  We were both spooked and walked a bit faster.  It was dusk, around 8:20, and while there was a little light left, it was really misty and a little eerie.  As we were walking up the track, we saw headlights coming towards us in the mist.  I shined my torch toward the car so that it wouldn't run us over like two tall wombats or wallabies.   The car slowed and passed us; we couldn't tell who they were.  We were glad when we got back to the Lodge, lights, and civilization.

Cool toilet/sink combo!

I visited a house being built by Ollie and Chelsea.  Most of the outside walls are made of strawbale (with less than 15% moisture content) rendered (coated) with a mixture of soil, sand, and lime.  The soil must be rubbed through a  sieve before use to get rid of lumps.  Long thick gloves must be worn when handling lime as it can burn skin.  Some builders use cement in place of lime.  Ollie told me that walls with cement cannot be patched/repaired whereas ones with lime can.  And  lime, when hardened, turns into limestone, as hard as cement.  Rendering is done several times depending on the consistency of the mixture and the method of application (hand or sprayed).   The walls are protected from weathering by a deep overhang which also create nice verandas.  http://www.earthgarden.com.au/strawbale/faq.html

First rendering on wall near services panel

Fitted straw bale wall ready for first render 

Stacking straw bales - cut to fit 

Galvanized panel outside - Gyprock or plyboard inside

Some of the inside walls are poured earth where a mixture of soil, lime and straw is poured into a wooden form and allowed to dry.  Each section dovetails/interlocks with the adjoining sections for sturdiness.  Placement of service pipes and electric wires needs to be carefully thought out before walls are built.  Other walls are galvanized metal sheets or double paned glass windows.  A ventilation hood will be located in the kitchen to draw moisture up and out of the house to reduce erosion and the necessity of a limewash paint job in the future.

Center stairwell to bedrooms

The washroom will feature a beautuiful wooden tub.  In the toilet, when you flush, water flows from a faucet into a small sink that drains into the tank so that you can wash your hands using the water that will fill the tank.  These toilets are popular in Japan.  Outside, a composting toilet will process all the organic waste from the house including black and gray water.  Basically a composting toilet is a worm farm into which all waste water/sewer pipes connect.  A toilet bowl, with a long drop, is affixed on top.  Kitchen scraps are dumped into the toilet.  The worms take care of the organic matter.  Excess water is diverted into a field away from the house.

Upstairs - galvanized walls/roof w/insulation

This house is a nonagon or 9-sided and will feature a spiral stairway around a central post.  The second story outside walls are galvanized metal sheets with fiberglass insulation.  Strawbale homes are made with natural materials, less polluting, and have lasted more than 100 years.  Strawbales provided great insulation and when rendered are extremely fireproof.   Ollie and Chelsea have been building the house part time for 2 years and are eager to move into the house before winter (June).

I will try to get pix up for these last posts as soon as I can.  Internet connection is touch and go and speed is okay to verry ssloow.

Cheers!
Cyn