By Tanya Mottl
We’re a group of neighbours on the Central Coast who decided to try something different – to build a place where people, land and future generations can thrive together. Guided by a shared Vision and Mission rather than rigid rules, we use Sociocracy for consent-based decision-making, practise circularity and regeneration, and align our projects with One Planet Living and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our monthly Open Days, John Seed’s Deep Ecology workshops and hands-on natural-build, bushfire hazard protection and garden sessions are where new ideas move quickly from conversation to practice.
Because we organise ourselves around inclusion and shared responsibility, things get done without sidelining quieter voices. Sociocracy keeps our meetings practical and respectful; it means decisions reflect the community, not a handful of personalities. When we design homes or run community projects, we aim for solutions that lower waste and long-term costs, support re-localised supply chains, and grow everyone’s skills so resilience isn’t just a word but a day-to-day reality.
That daily reality looks like families playing together, volunteers learning straw-bale or earth-building techniques, and neighbours co-designing emergency plans with lessons from the GEN Resilience Project 2.5 and Keystone Communities. For us, the real benefit is the lived outcome: people belonging to something larger than their household, sharing knowledge and resources, and having practical capacities to cope with shocks – from storm damage to supply disruptions.
We’re still growing – Stage 2 is largely sold and new homes are going up fast – and that momentum matters. More households means a broader mix of ages, skills and perspectives, which strengthens our intergenerational foundation and makes it easier for newcomers to find support and shared infrastructure as soon as they arrive. We welcome prospective families who want to learn, contribute and be part of a practical experiment.
Volunteers come to help on natural builds and in the gardens, taking home skills they can use elsewhere. At the same time, we’re seeking a committed CSA farmer to anchor local food production, enrich our food security, and run educational programs that get kids and adults into the soil. Rising building costs since COVID have made labour-based, community-supported approaches even more important for affordability and training.
We keep track of what we’re learning – impact data, lessons from projects, and the networks we’re part of like AlterCOP and GEN. We’re taking the momentum from Moora Moora’s Woven Intentional Community Conference into our Nov Before the Tide gathering. Sharing our wins and failures helps other communities adapt faster than we did. We’re not perfect; we’re perfectly imperfect – trying, failing, adjusting and celebrating small wins that add up.
We invite visitors to come to an Open Day, join a workshop, or listen to one of our members’ podcasts. Meet people who are doing the hands-on work of building resilient, connected living. Find upcoming events and more at www.nararaecovillage.com or on Facebook.
