RHYTHMS & HISTORY attending movie nights at

After a decade and a half, the EcoCentre, provide

Crystal Waters feels like a
village. It is now a birth-to-
death (and everything in
between) place, and the
weekly market and the café
add a buzz and a regular
pattern to the place. It has
rhythms and history.
The number of skills avail-
able here is amazing, but
probably under-utilized.
Maybe people feel shy about
self-promotion? Or are nerv-
ous about being considered
occasions for new and old
people to meet. We also have
an internal phone system
which (after payment of a
modest monthly fee) allows
free phone calls within the
village. Our own monthly
newsletter, the Village Voice,
which is funded by levies, is a
good way to keep information
flowing in the village.

CRYSTAL
‘a tall poppy’ which needs
to be cut down? (A popular
Australian pastime!) It is not
as easy now for new settlers

WATERS to become part of what is

a fairly integrated group.
Most of the well established

15 Years On people here (about 30% of

all the 83 lots are still in the
original settlers’ hands) have
a comfortable circle of
friends, and it is generally
left up to the new settlers
to make that extra effort to
Max Lindegger was a key part of the integrate. Being a scattered
village means that we live
team that pioneered the development of relatively far apart from
each other (each lot is on
Crystal Waters in Queensland, Australia. approximately 0.4 hectare/
1 acre, and lots are grouped
He reports for PM with Val Brown in clusters scattered across
the 259 hectares/640 acres).
on what life is like at this established This makes the ‘casual
contact’ opportunities less,
and growing permaculture designed but activities such as pick-
ing up the mail from the
ecovillage, and what challenges lie centrally located mail boxes,
twice-monthly community
in the future. dinners at the café, going
to the shop or bakery, or
WORK
Most of us early settlers in
Crystal Waters probably
didn’t plan our working lives
very carefully. Many of us
were living on the hope that
‘everything will turn out okay’
(or, in Australian parlance –
‘she’ll be right’); we were
the dreamers, the pioneers.
For many, innovation and
hard work leads to success
and a modest income. Some
now ‘wear many hats’ –
sharing their time between
half a dozen or more
activities which together

I
t is generally accepted
that the journey from
the ‘dreamer’ stage to
the ‘established’ stage of an
ecovillage is difficult, and
the success rate is low. After
15 years, however, it seems
that an ecovillage can be
expected to have settled into
something of a routine. In
the case of Crystal Waters,
we have developed a work
plan which provides a time
table showing when maint-
enance on our infrastructure
is due. Budgets, always
challenging, are based on
established facts, our track
history. Our elected comm-
ittee members – for the Body
Corporate Committee and
the Crystal Waters Co-op
Board – have a mix of exp-
erience and new blood with
bold ideas. Basically, we
should increasingly be able
to concentrate on future 1988
progress and development.

28 Permaculture Magazine No. 38 www.permaculture.co.uk

create a modest income.
Naturally, Crystal Waters
has a great educational prog-
ramme for school children
to adults and also offers
consultancy for ecological
projects. There are mail order
businesses for permaculture
products, books, organic
gardening goods, and plants.
Wood fire baked organic
sour dough breads of many
kinds are made on site,
alternative health retreats
are available and there are
many types of complementary
therapies on offer too. We
also have talen-ted arts and
crafts people, carpenters,
tree planters and eco-builders.
In more recent times many
of us dreamers have become
realists, and the people
settling here now seem to be
more work focused, and
arrive with a business plan and
some capital. This trend is
probably driven by necessity
– houses are more expensive
now, and council rates alone
www.permaculture.co.uk
have increased to over AU$700
(£290) a year. Our Body Corp-
orate rates are on top of this
figure – a further AU$700-
$800 (£290-£333) a year.
PLAY/RECREATION/SOCIAL
INTERACTIONS
Visitors quite often refer to
Crystal Waters as ‘remote’
(it’s 25 minutes drive to the
nearest town), and wonder
what we do in our spare time.
What is the social life in an
ecovillage? To me, and I under- spirituality and permaculture the main reasons why people
stand to many others here, don’t mix. Many of us (maybe move into ecovillages. It is
the issue is often not one of all?) living here believe that hard to say how ‘self sufficient’
‘not enough social life’ but Crystal Waters is a very spiritual Crystal Waters is as a village
‘too much’! place, with many sacred (and community, but there are lots
There are privately organ- secret) places, with spiritual of fantastic gardens, highly
ised clubs, cluster dinners, activities and rituals. But spirit- productive orchards, chickens
community meals, meditat- uality is probably not seen as galore, and some local meat,
ion groups, women’s groups, more or less important than the milk, yoghurt and honey prod-
children’s playgroup, Sunday way we see our environment, uction. Living in an ecovillage
Brunch, Saturday market, or how we grow our food. still means balancing your time,
volleyball (where the people Where does spirituality start and we could probably grow
from the town 25 minutes and where does it finish? most of our own food (if only
away come down to play), we had more time!), though
table tennis, film nights, FOOD, FARMING & SOIL some people do manage this.
music sessions, courses and It is not surprising that the We have been here long
workshops, meetings, working expectation of quality, fresh, enough that we can measure
bees, parties... not to mention chemical-free food is one of improvements in the soil.
the casual cuppa provided
to someone dropping in for
a chat, or to lend, borrow or
donate something.
SPIRITUALITY
Many of today’s ecovillages
like Findhorn in Scotland or
Damanhur in Italy, started
off as spiritual intentional
communities. Crystal Waters,
on the other hand, started off
as a permaculture village, and
some people seem to think that
2003
No. 38 Permaculture Magazine 29
A convincing indicator is the
increase in organic matter.
On one particular patch I
have been testing, the soil
and the organic matter has
gone up from under 5% in
the beginning to nearly 10%.
This is a very high level for
a subtropical soil, where the
combination of relatively
high moisture and temper-
atures results in oxidation of
the organic matter – a natural
process known as ‘burning off’.
There is a lot of common
land at Crystal Waters. About
80% of the 259 hectares (640
acres) is administered by the
Body Corporate Committee
(via paid Portfolio Managers).
A large percentage of this land
is environmentally important
habitat, such as forest, roads
and dams, and is not available
for farming. But we do have
valuable acres of gentle slopes
and river flats which residents
can lease for a modest fee.
After 15 years of observ-
ation (and in several cases
long-term rainfall records),
the early settlers of Crystal
Waters are now very much
‘in tune’ with this particular
part of the world. To some
extent they can ‘read’ the
weather, and plan planting
30 Permaculture Magazine
and other activities accord-
ingly. Arrival of certain
migratory birds, the nesting
behaviour of birds and catfish,
changes in wind directions –
these and many more clues
tell residents about what to
expect. This helps in food
production, lot design, water
use and even our social life.
TRANSPORT
The disadvantage of a scattered,
rural village is the distance to
essential services like banks,
dentists, and the post office.
There is no public transport
to Crystal Waters and we
depend on cars much more
than we would like. Some
people make do without a
car and depend on lifts from
No. 38
other people – it’s an infor-
mal system but is quite well
established and organised.
While residents running bus-
inesses still largely depend
on cars or scooters within
the village, trips are mostly
short in length. Some residents
of course have to commute
to work outside the village.
Still, we dream of a time when
non-fossil fuel propelled
cars are an affordable and
practical reality.
Crystal Waters was design-
ed with the expectation that
residents would reduce their
energy consumption. A mix
of infrastructure design, edu-
cation and peer persuasion
seems to have worked well.
Some dwellings are not conn-
ected to the mains power grid
at all and mostly rely on the
sun for their energy needs.
Others have decided on a mix
of stand alone power systems
when possible with mains
power back up, while some
use a grid connected solar
system, feeding power into
the mains grid and drawing
on the grid as they need. We
now produce all our firewood
needs on the property, and have
started milling some timber
for community buildings.
CHILDREN & THE AGED
Ecovillages are wonderful
places for children. Crystal
Waters is no different. The
opportunity to have easy access
to many playmates is a bonus
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for children – and their parents.
Young children provide a great
connection between parents
and create opportunities for
shared child minding, clothing
and toy exchanges, and sharing
of experiences.
I am not very convinced
that teenagers find rural eco-
village living quite as exciting.
There must be lots of temp-
tations in the Big Smoke, and
often there is a need to relocate
for some time at least for
education and possibly work
reasons. Will they come back
after they have left? It is too
early for us to tell. Some
probably will get their fill of
city life and will want to come
back ‘home’.
I do believe that Crystal
Waters is a great place to grow
old and wise. There seems to
be a great respect for exp-
erience and wisdom, a respect
which may be lacking in
general western society.
Older people are very much
included in activities, and
support from the community
is available and readily offered
if needed.
But we need to plan ahead.
How will an increasing number
of older and (eventually) frail
residents be able to care for
gardens and orchards? Will
they need to leave Crystal
Waters, or will we be able to
provide comfortable housing
within the community they
know so well, and where they
can continue to make their
contribution? In the end are
we just a small example of
society as a whole, but with
a greater willingness to look
for local solutions?
ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE
Crystal Waters is blessed with
a natural beauty, enhanced by
the work of residents over the
last 15 years. The combination
of water, forest and varied
habitats (and the lack of pred-
atory cats and dogs), makes
for an abundance of wildlife.
We realise that we are lucky
to have permanent water in
our creeks, river and dams, and
ribbons of forest connecting a
number of ecosystems, from the
high ridges to the valleys. We
now have abundant bird life,
a strong population of frogs
and large numbers of walla-
bies and kangaroos, as well
as platypus in the river – and
a whole host of other, mostly
nocturnal, wildlife that we have
come to value.
We need to do even more.
Some introduced weeds
(Lantana being one of the
worst) offer considerable
challenges, as does the manage-
ment of grassland for grazing
animals and habitat. We need
to keep potential fire hazards
to manageable levels.
WATER & WASTE WATER
We provide reticulated utility
water and fire hydrants to every
lot. This was (still is?) quite
unique when Crystal Waters
was designed and developed.
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We engage, as a village, a part-
time water manager who makes
sure that we have a working
water system. Individual lots
accept responsibility for the
provision of their own drink-
ing water, which in our case
means collecting roof run off in
water tanks. The recent drought
here has shown once again
that we should never take water
for granted. The drought –
the worst in over 100 years
– also showed that Crystal
Waters can ‘make do’ with
our water resources, even
still managing to grow some
food in drought times without
damaging the environment.
15 years on, and post-drought,
we can say ‘the water infra-
structure design worked’!
Crystal Waters has possibly
got the biggest collection of
working non-conventional
wastewater systems anywhere
in the world. For many years
now various systems have been
tried and refined. The village
provides proof that human
waste can be processed safely
and effectively, and used to
support agricultural production.
EDUCATION
Ecovillages are more likely to at-
tract people with an interest in
permaculture, as sustainability
is likely to be a core interest.
For many years now perma-
culture and ecovillage design
courses have been offered here.
The EcoCentre constructed
in 2001 has created an oppor-
tunity to offer courses related
to sustainability with an inc-
reased level of professionalism
and comfort. It is a joy to be
able to teach in a building
which stands out as an example
of what we teach, where water
is collected, waste recycled
and energy produced. Where
we can stay cool in summer
and warm in winter by using
good design rather than envir-
onmentally-expensive gadgets.
With the village quite
settled now, we have a situation
where the village is part of
No. 38 Permaculture Magazine
the education, not separate
from it. Where students can
learn from others who are living
the message and by being imm-
ersed in ecovillage living.
ARCHITECTURE
If a picture speaks a thousand
words, being able to feel and
experience so many environ-
mentally friendly buildings
must be worth a thousand
pictures. With most residential
buildings and a number of
commercial structures est-
ablished now, we can make
comparisons between shapes
and materials. Crystal Waters
has gone through fads and
trends in architecture, and as
residents we are now probably
in a pretty good position to
31
separate what works from
experiments which are risky
– or best left to other climates.
For example, passive solar
buildings need verandahs and
overhangs that create shade
from mid spring to mid autumn.
They need to face the sun with
only a 20 degree deviation to
the east or west. We don’t have
to deal with extremes of temp-
erature but we do need insulation
for the cold season and designs
which create good air flow
during the warm time of the
year. Unshaded solid walls,
e.g. concrete, are undesirable.
Concrete has an insufficient lag
time and transfers the heat of
the day into the night. Rammed
earth has a longer lag time than
concrete, and when used prop-
erly is suitable. We favour
physical rather than chemical
barriers for termite control
– termites are vicious here –
they can totally destroy a wall
in a matter of months and a
house in a year!
INTO THE FUTURE
Crystal Waters, one of the first
ecovillages designed using per-
maculture principles, is steadily
moving from a pioneering stage
into a human settlement which
is meeting more and more of
all human needs – food, social,
spiritual, shelter, economic,
educational. We are learning
that people issues are very, very
important, but that these social
needs can be met if there is
a functioning infrastructure.
An important realisation is
that we can’t separate social
demands from the economic
needs of residents – they are
intrinsically linked.
Ecovillages are not places to
hide away. We are very much
part of a changing world. We
may even be able to have some
very modest influence about
how this world of ours will
develop. Now, that would be
just about revolutionary
Max Lindegger, a mechanical
and civil engineering designer
by training and a qualified
permaculture designer since
1981, has worked on the design
and/or implementation of over
750 ecological properties, inc-
luding the UN Habitat Award
winning Crystal Waters Perma-
culture Village, and works as
a consultant on the development
of ecological town subdivisions
and villages throughout the world.
He is the Regional Co-ordin-
ator of the Global Eco-village
Network (Oceania/Asia) Inc and
teaches courses on ecological
sustainability, ecovillage design
and permaculture. To date he
has provided his expertise in over
35 countries around the world.
Max holds a Permaculture Dip-
loma (first issue) and was awarded
the first Permaculture Community
Service Award in 1985. He has
recently been awarded the Prime
Minister’s Centenary Medal for
‘distinguished achievement in the
field of developing sustainable
communities’.
Val Oliver has worked with Max
Lindegger since the inception
of the Global Ecovillage Net-
work in 1994. Coming from
a non-green, non-gardening,
consumerist big-city publish-
ing background to the organic,
conservation-minded world of
Crystal Waters ecovillage, Val is
walking, talking proof that eco-
villages can transform anyone!

STATISTICS & CORE INFORMATION A LITTLE HISTORY

Design process started: March 1985
Lot Titles issued: July 1988
No of lots: 85 (83 residential, 2 Co-op owned commercial
lots: Visitor’s Camping Area and Village Centre area.
Each lot has access to utility water (controlled by Crystal
Waters), mains electricity and phone/fax/email. Crystal
Waters has an internal phone system (known as Centel).
Total land area: 259 hectares (640acres)
Privately owned land: 14% approx.
Co-op owned land: 6% approx.
Common land: 80% approx.
Legal bodies: Community Title (Body Corporate – non-
entrepreneurial). Co-operative (entrepreneurial).
Village type: Scattered village with core area zoned for
commercial use.
Location: Southeast Queensland, Australia, 120km
north/northwest of Brisbane.
Climate: Subtropical – warm, humid summer (Dec/Jan/
Feb); mild, dry autumn/winter/spring (April-Oct).
Population: Approximately 200 people, + visitors!
Oldest resident: Mid 70s.
Youngest resident: 4 weeks (as of August 03).
Businesses: There are a number of well known businesses/
organisations based at Crystal Waters, including the Global
Ecovillage Network (Oceania/Asia) Inc, EcoLogical Solutions
Ltd, Green Harvest and the Crystal Waters Co-operative.
Many people work from home, and home occupation is
encouraged by the special work from home zoning achieved
at the development stage.
Mid 1960s. The area known as Crystal Waters was
cleared around the mid 1960s. A lot of the millable
timber from the property was used to build a very long
wooden bridge on the outskirts of Brisbane. In those days
Crystal Waters was part of a much bigger property (about
1,200 hectares/ 3,000 acres), and was managed as a cattle
property. The cattle yard and work shed were located
where today the EcoCentre stands. The ‘old’ farmhouse
is used now as a craft workshop and meeting room.
1973. The export beef market to the USA collapses.
Property is split into a number of approximately 64
hectare (160 acre) lots.
Mid 1970s. Bob Sample purchases four lots (259 hectares/
640 acres), establishes a horse stud and a Settlement
Co-operative.
March 1985. Bob Sample approaches Permaculture
Services Ltd (now known as Ecological Solutions Ltd)
to design a settlement to accommodate a large number
of people legally and prepare a permaculture design for
the property.
1986. Design for Crystal Waters Permaculture Village is
approved by Landsborough Shire Council (now part of
the City of Caloundra).
1986. Construction and sales of lots begin.
1988. Lot Titles are issued to residents.

32 Permaculture Magazine No. 38 www.permaculture.co.uk