Mother The Mountain Farm

We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia Vanderbyl. A few years ago, we began a journey to live a life in perfect harmony with nature. A life of caring for animals, growing fruit, planting trees, gardening, cooking, creating, building and learning to live with the land. In this time, nature has taught us more than we could have ever imagined.

We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia Vanderbyl. A few years ago, we began a journey to live a life in perfect harmony with nature. A life of caring for animals, growing fruit, planting trees, gardening, cooking, creating, building and learning to live with the land. In this time, nature has taught us more than we could have ever imagined.

Julia has been painting a huge artwork in the studio, inspired by the endless beauty of the rainforest. The jungle stream has been so magical, swimming in these soft waters brings so much inspiration

Join us this week for a fruit tour around the food forest! We cook a delicious curry with fruit straight from the trees.

The truth is, this life in the rainforest can be hard. There is beauty and hardship in each day but there are lessons woven through everything.

This week has been wild! We discovered a hidden valley under a waterfall, through a cave, and deep into the rainforest. It was a challenging but incredible adventure, pushing ourselves but learning from the intensity of being so alone in nature.

The orchards are full of abundant tropical fruit but the end of summer also brings so many snakes and this week something a little terrifying happened!

We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia Vanderbyl. A few years ago, we began a journey to live a life in perfect harmony with nature. A life of caring for animals, growing fruit, planting trees, gardening, cooking, creating, building and learning to live with the land. In this time, nature has taught us more than we could have ever imagined. Our environmental films document the landscape, the lessons we’ve learnt and our work as regenerative farmers here on Bundjalung Country. We live on the land of the Arakwal and Minjungbal People of the Bundjalung Nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Country we live on and recognise their continuing connection to the land and waters. We thank them for protecting this rainforest and its ecosystems since time immemorial.

We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia Vanderbyl. A few years ago, we began a journey to live a life in perfect harmony with nature. A life of caring for animals, growing fruit, planting trees, gardening, cooking, creating, building and learning to live with the land. In this time, nature has taught us more than we could have ever imagined. Our environmental films document the landscape, the lessons we’ve learnt and our work as regenerative farmers here on Bundjalung Country. We live on the land of the Arakwal and Minjungbal People of the Bundjalung Nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Country we live on and recognise their continuing connection to the land and waters. We thank them for protecting this rainforest and its ecosystems since time immemorial.

We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia Vanderbyl. A few years ago, we began a journey to live a life in perfect harmony with nature. A life of caring for animals, growing fruit, planting trees, gardening, cooking, creating, building and learning to live with the land. In this time, nature has taught us more than we could have ever imagined. Our environmental films document the landscape, the lessons we’ve learnt and our work as regenerative farmers here on Bundjalung Country. We live on the land of the Arakwal and Minjungbal People of the Bundjalung Nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Country we live on and recognise their continuing connection to the land and waters. We thank them for protecting this rainforest and its ecosystems since time immemorial.

We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia Vanderbyl. A few years ago, we began a journey to live a life in perfect harmony with nature. A life of caring for animals, growing fruit, planting trees, gardening, cooking, creating, building and learning to live with the land. In this time, nature has taught us more than we could have ever imagined. Our environmental films document the landscape, the lessons we’ve learnt and our work as regenerative farmers here on Bundjalung Country.

We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia Vanderbyl. A few years ago, we began a journey to live a life in perfect harmony with nature. A life of caring for animals, growing fruit, planting trees, gardening, cooking, creating, building and learning to live with the land. In this time, nature has taught us more than we could have ever imagined. Our environmental films document the landscape, the lessons we’ve learnt and our work as regenerative farmers here on Bundjalung Country.

We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia Vanderbyl. A few years ago, we began a journey to live a life in perfect harmony with nature. A life of caring for animals, growing fruit, planting trees, gardening, cooking, creating, building and learning to live with the land. In this time, nature has taught us more than we could have ever imagined. Our environmental films document the landscape, the lessons we’ve learnt and our work as regenerative farmers here on Bundjalung Country. We live on the land of the Arakwal and Minjungbal People of the Bundjalung Nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Country we live on and recognise their continuing connection to the land and waters. We thank them for protecting this rainforest and its ecosystems since time immemorial.

We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia Vanderbyl. A few years ago, we began a journey to live a life in perfect harmony with nature. A life of caring for animals, growing fruit, planting trees, gardening, cooking, creating, building and learning to live with the land. In this time, nature has taught us more than we could have ever imagined. Our environmental films document the landscape, the lessons we’ve learnt and our work as regenerative farmers here on Bundjalung Country. We live on the land of the Arakwal and Minjungbal People of the Bundjalung Nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Country we live on and recognise their continuing connection to the land and waters. We thank them for protecting this rainforest and its ecosystems since time immemorial.

This week we sow seeds, plant, tend and harvest all of the tropical fruits of The Australian rainforest, learning how to cook and feed ourselves from their rich flesh.

There are so many magical rare fruits ready to be harvested. We spend our days picking and cooking -- while of course caring for the baby ducklings.

Its mango season! The trees are full of fruit and we harvest and cook all day long -- of course with breaks for duckling cuddles and visits to the cool stream.

Summertime brings immense beauty, we watch the ducklings play in the water for the first time, cook from the garden and sew a dress from zero waste.

this past year we’ve been working in secret, pouring our hopes, our truths and our inspirations into this—a book that is written from the depths of our hearts. Full of reflections on nature, grief, creativity, gardening and our lives in nature, it tells our story from the very beginning. We are so excited to share it all

💛 Spring has arrived and the Australian jungle is magical. We’ve been gardening and celebrating the changing seasons. The snakes and storms have arrived and we feel ourselves shift in the new beginnings too.

This week we share our story of this 60 year old permaculture food forest (and the wisdom of what a rich life really means) Winter's fruit is abundant and we harvest, cook and even take fruit to our local town to share with our community

We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia Vanderbyl. A few years ago, we began a journey to live a life in perfect harmony with nature. A life of caring for animals, growing fruit, planting trees, gardening, cooking, creating, building and learning to live with the land. In this time, nature has taught us more than we could have ever imagined. Our environmental films document the landscape, the lessons we’ve learnt and our work as regenerative farmers here on Bundjalung Country. We live on the land of the Arakwal and Minjungbal People of the Bundjalung Nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Country we live on and recognise their continuing connection to the land and waters. We thank them for protecting this rainforest and its ecosystems since time immemorial.

The fruit of summer are abundant. We harvest and cook with juicy jambu and tasty mangoes to make the most colourful tacos! And then, we had the most amazing surprise, a tiny duckling hatched from an egg.

These magical days of summer are filled with harvesting, cooking, and sitting by many streams

We are sisters, Julia and Anastasia Vanderbyl. A few years ago, we began a journey to live a life in perfect harmony with nature. A life of caring for animals, growing fruit, planting trees, gardening, cooking, creating, building and learning to live with the land. In this time, nature has taught us more than we could have ever imagined.