Nmbngee isn’t really a ‘farm’. But it’s how we have always referred to the place. A former disused dairy farm when the place was purchased, the name “The Farm” has stuck down through the years.
Nmbngee has a vibrant history of Farm meetings, dinners, parties and picnic races (with beer brewing competition). In the late 70’s, the community banded together to fund raise in order to purchase a small pocket of rainforest at the back of the property, that otherwise would have been purchased for clear felling. For many months Nmbngee members cooked delicious home made cakes and biscuits which we then sold at the local Channon markets, and along with a share call, this allowed us to purchase the forest and institute a community by-law prohibiting building or clearing in The Forest. Recently a 40th Anniversary was held in the community machinery shed (all machinery was moved out for safety!). Kind of like an old fashioned barn party!
At different times, gardens, orchards and animals have been kept. Each hamlet (Nmbngee consists of several smaller hamlets within the larger body) often has it’s own hamlet-specific join ventures. And of course, road works and weeding are constant community projects. Recently there has been talk of rebuilding the community Main House, either in the same or a different location.
Each member has and is entitled to control over their own chosen house site, subject to the community guidelines that help ensure members are respectful of each other and the environment. For example, the ownership of cats and dogs is not allowed in the community other than under special exemption for example companion or assistance animals required by a member for health or disability reasons. Another example is that members must respect their neighbours privacy and maintain appropriate distance while choosing or building on their house site.
No two houses on Nmbngee are the same. Each house is designed to the member’s own specifications and unique sense of style.
Nmbngee is a great place for kids to grow up, with many acres of land for them to roam in a safe environment free from traffic, strangers and other concerns of city life. Due to having a policy of preserving forest where possible and no keeping of dogs and cats, the wildlife has returned to the area in abundance relative to the denuded state of the land when it was first purchased by the community. Wallabies, pademelons, goannas, turkeys, numerous bird species and of course, snakes are abundant. But don’t worry, most snakes keep out of the way. They do not like being around us lumbering humans. The most common snake you will encounter is the relaxed carpet python – who may occasionally hibernate in your rafters after feasting on your rodents.
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