The southern green corridor of the Gold Coast has always been a place people love to escape to. A geographic outlier attracting human outliers with a spirited sense of adventure, the foothills and hinterland tell their own unique story.

By the mid-twentieth century, the southern green corridors held pasture and banana farms. Still, tracts of raw rainforest sat untouched and steep slopes remained inaccessible. Property investment was for those with intention to farm, escape or both. One such property, the aptly-named ‘Garden of Eden’, was a raw bush sanctuary in Currumbin Valley. The acreage was a prayer retreat owned by a clergyman.

When the Age of Aquarius dawned, a new generation sought escape from convention and sanctuary in nature. Many disillusioned youths headed to northern NSW (we see you, Nimbin). Some crept further over the hills to the valleys of southern Gold Coast. Somehow, a couple of free-spirited hippies found the ‘Garden of Eden’. The clergyman offered them cheap tenancy in exchange for maintenance. Soon many young idealistic nature lovers called the valleys their home.

These young utopians were living their dream of living off the land. They used basic hand tools for weed clearance, gardening and land maintenance. Clean simple living, eating fresh subtropical produce like avocados and mangoes, setting up small gardens and running barefoot and buck naked. 

Inevitably, a new generation of babies were born and raised in these peri-urban communities. Although these new parents found themselves stepping back into wider society to gain education and work to support their families, one foot remained planted in the foothills.

A cottage industry of arts and crafts using recycled and found materials was born of ingenuity. Old glass found in bottle dumps was fashioned into jewellery. 

A small rustic shop was set up deep in Tallebudgera Valley to sell art supplies, native plant seedlings and produce. 

Regular gatherings for music making, poetry recitals and socialising became commonplace. Families grew and the local school numbers crept upwards. The valley was a hybrid of farming and freedom-loving families.

Sometime during the 1980s, Mother Nature tested the mettle of this community and not for the first time. A severe bushfire broke out to the northwest of Tallebudgera Valley. 

Fires were not unusual but said to never “jump the road” from the northwest. This time they did. There was no local fire brigade and residents headed to the frontline to fight the fires and stop further spread.

Some had rudimentary hand tools, like rake hoes. Farmers set more sophisticated machinery to task and communal use. A fire brigade eventually did make it out but ultimately, it was local knowledge and the connection between land and people that stopped that disaster being one of greater magnitude.

This bushfire is said to have galvanised local opinions on land management. Connection to the land through manual labour had fostered stewardship. Sharing knowledge and resources proved to play a vital part in overcoming adversity. This growing community had organically built resilience, through community belonging.

Today, the community of Tallebudgera Valley has continued to grow in population. It now has its own Rural Fire Brigade, headed by one of those local residents who fought that bushfire in the 80s. As an important community hub, it continues to build resilience through education and community events.

The local school is still growing in numbers. A much-loved art teacher is one of those free spirits who sought adventure in the Age of Aquarius, meeting her partner in the valley. Their grandchildren now attend the school. 

A well-respected environmentalist with incredible knowledge of local ecology now talks to school and community groups. He found the clergyman’s ‘Garden of Eden’ and now wanders its surrounding valleys and beyond.

These are just a few of the Tallebudgera Valley elders interviewed and charcoal-sketched as part of Tallebudgera Valley Nature-Culture Alliance (NiCA) ‘Understories’ project. 

‘Understories’ was funded through the Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery funds. Through an arts-based community engagement approach local stories have been brought together to help collect the community values and define ways to minimise the risk, impact, and consequences of future fire disasters in the Valley. Many people contributed to the project including local residents. 

To learn more, check out talleyvalleynica.com