Best bushwalks in each state in Australia

Best bushwalks in each state in Australia

Well, here are my personal favourites anyway. Would love to hear about yours!

This time of year remains one of the best times to get out and about, and our country has such a wealth of wonderful tracks on which to lose yourself for a couple of hours, or a couple of days. I've been blessed to have walked in every state in the country, and although there are still many, many more tracks to explore, here are my current favourites. (Although the great thing about any list of 'favourites' is that it can change.)

ACT

With everything from snow-capped mountains covered in alpine vegetation, to wetlands, the ACT has a lot to offer the keen bushwalker. My favourite walk though is a fun little gem, found in my book Top Walks in NSW. It's called Square Rock, and finishes with a short climb up a ladder to an extraordinary 3D rock playground on the edge of a precipice. Views, wildlife and a bit of an adventure - all in a few hours. 9km return. Definitely recommended.

Square Rock, ACT

NSW

Admittedly I've done much more walking in my home state than any other, and so I have a much wider choice. My top 63 walks are in Top Walks in NSW. But my absolute favourite walk in the state remains the century-old National Pass. With dramatic cliffs, sensational views, plunging waterfalls, rainforest and NSW's only endemic bird species, it's a brilliant walk at any time of year, and in any weather. Allow half a day for the steep 6km loop.

The wonderfully precipitous path on the National Pass, Blue Mountains.

NT

So many great walks to choose from, from desert country to tropics, and my pick of the bunch is a little walk that few do. I haven't done it for a few years now, so I hope it is still as good, but my memories of doing it with my parents, a child in a backpack on my back, and a pregnant wife, are very vivid. It's called Chain of Ponds, is a 3.5km loop, and is in Trephina GorgeNature Park. Trephina Gorge itself is worth wandering up too - all within the less-visited East MacDonnell Ranges.

QLD

A couple of weeks ago I returned from the only "great walk" in Queensland, the new four-day Scenic Rim Trail. I do love those highlands in the south-east part of Queensland, and my favourite walk is actually on the other end of the Scenic Rim, in Lamington National Park. It's the 17km Tooloona Creek circuit, leaving from O'Reilly's, or the walk through to Binna Burra,  via Tooloona Creek rather than just the Border Track. There are Antarctic beech trees, gorgeous rainforest, and birds galore. A solid day out for those not used to walking, but a joy nonetheless.

SA

I must admit my walking experiences in SA are limited, and I am still hoping to get to that bushwalking mecca of the Flinders Ranges. I've had some great experiences though on Kangaroo Island. But my favourite walk is way up in the north-east corner of the state, along Cullyamurra Waterhole near Innamincka. Wonderful outback scenery, birds such as brolgas and the sad history of Burke and Wills. At the top of the waterhole are some extensive Aboriginal engravings. Camp along the waterhole and just explore as far as you want.

TAS

Oh, again, so, many walks from which to choose, and I've been blessed to have experienced so many. Cradle-Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is a favourite area to hike (how good are the Twisted Lakes?), as is Mount Field National Park. One of the most popular tourist sites in the country is the Tahune Airwalk on the Huon River, a raised platform walk on forestry land, 90 minutes drive south of Hobart. Just near it, however, is Hartz Mountains National Park, an untamed sub-alpine wilderness, with swirling winds, changing moods, and, if you hit it on the right day, some of the best views over Tasmania's south-west forests. Few people go here, and you will need to be well prepared, but the five-hour walk up Hartz Peak is an absolute cracker.

The track less-travelled: Hartz Mountains National Park, Tas.

VIC

From alpine areas to wild coastline and wonderful koala-filled forests along the Great Ocean Walk, as well as one of my favourite national parks in the country, the Grampians, Victoria has been known for many years as the best state for bushwalking in the country. My favourite walk is the multi-day 35km  loop to Sealers Cove and Refuge Cove in Wilsons Promontory National Park. Gorgeous remote beaches, wildlife including wombats, and some of the nicest coastal scenery in the country. It's no wonder this is such a popular national park for Victorians.

WA

Again, what a wealth of riches in this vast state, from the subalpine peaks of the Stirling Range National Park (again, one of my favourite national parks in the country), to the towering karri, marri and jarrah forests, to the floral bonanza of Fitzgerald River National Park. But I'm going to jump to a walk way up in the Kimberley, in Purnululu National Park. The multi-day walk up Piccaninny Creek, past one of the most beautiful and iconic landforms in Australia - the extraordinary Bungle Bungles - this walk will probably see you wading through waterholes, avoiding wildlife such as snakes, and dodging prickly spinifex. It's the only gorge within the park that you are allowed to explore, and I've met people up there camping for nine days. But even a hike one day in, then setting up a camp and exploring from there, will see you deeply immersed in one of the most spectacular parts of the country.

As always, I'm keen to hear from others - particularly so I can keep a lookout for my next walks.
www.kensbigbackyard.com.au      

We need higher taxes

We need higher taxes

Yeah, that's right. Charge me more for being an Aussie worker.

Go on. Tax me harder.

At this time of the financial year, when we dread getting out the magic shoebox of receipts and wading through spreadsheets in order to come up with paying the least tax we can get away with, I want to sit back and reflect about a few things.

Today we had the "bust the budget" marches across Sydney, Melbourne and elsewhere complaining (quite rightfully) about the current financial slashing of a whole host of things that were previously considered important in this country: the environment, science, the arts, conservation, tertiary education, health, elderly care, foreign aid ... to name a few.
Now, like everyone, if I was in power, I would prefer to see financial slashing of other parts of the budget. For example, defence always seems to get a big swag of cash that is sacrosanct. But I am not making those decisions, and don't know all the pre-existing agreements and ins and outs of dropping spending on something, just because it isn't the bees knees in my way of thinking. Yes, I would make different decisions, but so would everyone.
So, in the light of that, it becomes increasingly clear that our governments just need more cash. I want government to spend money on protecting biodiversity. I want it to fulfil its international obligations on asylum seekers, on foreign aid, on creating new protected areas. I want it to properly fund our health,  education and science sectors, so that we can again be world-leading innovators and changers. I want a thriving arts community. I want a public transport system that works well, and is integrated, and forward thinking. I want more development of green power and farming methods that will see us prosper and look after our land for unlimited generations to come.
Politicians of any political persuasion won't pitch as their election promise "I promise to raise taxes" – hardly slides down the throat with a nice shiraz. But perhaps my little voice can be added to a few others to say, "hey, tax us a little more, and then deliver us what we really want".

www.kensbigbackyard.com

Easy rock climbs around Sydney

Easy rock climbs around Sydney

Some recommended outdoor rock climbs for beginners or those with creaky knees

Ken Eastwood feeling "Hope" (grade 15), Mt Piddington.

I get such a buzz out of rock-climbing. Particularly lead-climbing. There are very few other moments in life when I am completely "in the moment", focused totally on every move, on every dimple in the rock, on the kiss of the sun on my skin or the breeze at my back.
I also love sharing the joy of rock-climbing, and end up taking out a lot of people new to the sport, or those who want to get out of the climbing gym and try the outdoors.
I suspect there are many people in and around Sydney who have struggled, as I have, to find great areas to take beginners. Also, the reality is that as approach a half century, and don't spend nearly enough time on rock, that I will increasingly need to find easier spots to climb myself.
Unlike some other cities, we don't have that many superb, easy places to climb. Brisbane is so well set up with Kangaroo Point. It's lit up at night, so you can climb in the evenings, and has excellent fixed protection at the top so it is easy to set up top ropes.
After almost 20 years of outdoor climbing, I reckon good areas for beginners (or those who want an easy day out at the rock) have reasonably easy top-rope set ups, aren't overly steep (not past the vertical), and have at least some holds with big, chunky holds, so that everyone can get up at least one climb. These are surprisingly hard to come by.
Once climbers have experience, particularly in lead-climbing with a natural protection rack, the Blue Mountains becomes an obvious choice, because there are just so many climbs up there, and hundreds upon hundreds at easier grades – some of which are superb adventures. Heck, the very first climb in the brilliant guidebook Blue Mountains Climbing is a superb four-star, 150m epic called Tom Thumb, at a very achievable grade 13. However, I think it is ridiculous to think that beginners with no experience would or should attempt that. Some time needs to be spent learning a few techniques and moves, and getting comfortable on rock first.
So, the following isn't by any means an extensive list (and favours the north side), but it shows some of the spots I have enjoyed fairly stress-free times out at a cliff. Please let me know your faves too, and I hope to see you out there sometime.

Lindfield Rocks

A classic bouldering area (meaning an area usually climbed without ropes), this can work quite well for beginners, particularly kids. It's relatively easy to set up top ropes, and if you choose your climbs carefully, most beginners should be able to get up a couple of routes. One of the problems with it as a bouldering area, is that it is high enough to be quite dangerous if you fall, and some of the landings are awful. However, it isn't really high enough for most climbers to be on rope (climbs are only about 6-8m long at best), but certainly works as a beginners spot. (Park at tennis courts at Lindfield Oval, and take the walking track for about 5 mins.)

Barrenjoey

The stupendous view over the isthmus, halfway up a climb at Barrenjoey.

Probably not for absolute beginners, but this is such an absolutely classic, gorgeous spot that it is definitely worth the drive up to Palm Beach. Hike along the bayside beach then bash along the bush for a few minutes and up to the cliffs. One of the best areas for beginners is the first area you come to on the south-west side, and you can spend a fun day poking around on climbs such as Millie, Carrie Bradshaw, Starboard Barnacles, Professor Wigginsworth's Chunder Bucket and Crack of Dawn. The views back along the isthmus are glorious. It will greatly help if someone in the group is confident leading sport climbs at grade 14, in order to get to the top. Afterwards, you get to swim at one of Sydney's best beaches, and can even do some easy and fun bouldering on the sand at the big boulders half way along the beach. 

Berowra

A little higher than the previous two spots, this can be a bit of a struggle for beginners, as grade 16 or 17 is often too hard for them. But there are lots and lots of climbs, you can set up top ropes fairly easily and if people are willing to have a go, you can still have a great day out here. It's also lovely and warm on winter arvos! Kenneth's climb (no, not named after me unfortunately, but after a lovely skink that used to live in the crack) is a challenging grade 14. Drive to the end of Wideview Road in Berowra, head left to the cliff and don't fall off.

The Stables

Hidden up in Pennant Hills, this is a surprisingly good little area in some lovely forest. Good for summer, as it's quite shady and protected. Best recommendations are getting to Storm Wall and doing climbs such as Clipz, Yoink, and Carrots are Vegetables if you're up to some jamming. Find it at the end of Schofield Parade, Pennant Hills and then follow the instructions in the online guide.

Suicide slabs (now called Brooklyn)

A bit of a run-out lead, so take care, but this big slab is in a glorious spot beside the boat ramp at Brooklyn. Exhibitionists will like it, as you usually get a bit of an audience. There's a two-star grade 15, and a couple of 14s, but easy to slide across and try a couple of slightly harder ones on top rope.

The Block, Medlow Bath

If you're up to heading into the Blue Mountains, it can be difficult to know where to start. So many gorgeous areas and climbs. This is a wonderful little spot, and if you study the guidebook and wander around a bit, you can find a host of climbs here. One of my regular climbing partners did her first lead climb here, a 22m long ripper called Manana, with a difficult finish. It's just around the corner from The Block, which has a mix of roots including the very nice line of Ole Biscuit Barrel (grade 14).

Mount Piddington, Mt Victoria

Top of Mt Piddington - glorious views.

With more than 200 routes here, there is plenty to keep you occupied at virtually any level of climbing. The bulk of it requires natural protection though, so not so great for those without access to a natural protection rig (placing cams, nuts, hexes and wires to protect you from a fall, rather than relying on pre-drilled bolts placed by someone else). Still, it's probably one of the best places around Sydney to learn to lead on a natural protection, because there are so many lower-grade climbs. The great unwashed, at Grade 10, is a fun, unusual climb with a great mix of moves. I had a bit of an epic recently on Chicken Hearted (grade 13), and have enjoyed playing on climbs such as Faith (an excellent three-star grade 8 with the ability to set up top ropes on chains to tackle some of the surrounding climbs), Hope, Chastity and Sincerity. Always scope here to take a break and admire the climbers attacking harder leads such as the five-star classic The Eternity (grade 18).

Please remember that climbing, like all outdoor sports, has inherent risks, and if you do not know what you are doing, you should join a club, befriend someone experienced, or pay for some training. Having said that, I maintain that statistically you are far more likely to get injured or killed driving or cycling to a climbing site or crossing the road than you are actually at the site.

Do you have other recommended areas that are great for beginners in and around Sydney? Please let me know!
www.kensbigbackyard.com.au

Australia's World Heritage Areas

Australia's World Heritage Areas

What is the purpose of the World Heritage list? What are the 18 Australian entries on the list?

The brand new Scenic Rim Trail, in the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Area.

I'm often surprised when I mention to people from the USA about World Heritage Listing (e.g, of an area such as the Blue Mountains) that most seem to have no idea what I am talking about. I'm even more perplexed when we have a government that is trying to de-list some Australian areas from the World Heritage list, as if it is something terrible that we should revoke.

Set up from 1972 by UNESCO, one of the arms of the United Nations, the World Heritage list was initially designed to prioritise which areas of the world we wanted preserved for evermore. The original list was of 12 places (a list first released in 1978) that were in great danger.
Three years later, the first Australian places were added to the list - the Great Barrier Reef, Willandra Lakes Region (home to Australia's oldest human remains) and Kakadu National Park.
Australia now has 18 entries on the list, including such diverse things as the Sydney Opera House and  Fossil Mammal sites at Riversleigh (Qld) and Naracoorte (SA). Some of our entries, such as the fossil sites, and the convict sites, are made up of multiple places in different locations. Others are large swathes of areas that are made up of different types of land use - national park, state land and private land.
As a science, environmental and outdoor-focused journalist, I've had the pleasure of visiting many of Australia's World Heritage-listed places. In fact, just last week I was hiking in part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, a large area around the NSW/Qld border that is listed.
I will nearly always mention World Heritage listing in an article about those places and the people associated with them, because I think making this UNESCO list means that it has been recognised by a worldwide body as a very important place - something worth preserving. Some of the areas are listed for their cultural heritage, others for their exceptional natural beauty, because they clearly show certain progressions in the earth's development, or because they are preserving something – plants, animals, ecosystems, a cultural practice – in serious peril of being lost.
I do find it hard sometimes to look at our list and justify everything on it on a world standard. For example, do we really think that the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, in Melbourne, should stand on an equal world footing as the great pyramids of Egypt or the Great Wall of China? However, we do know that the Royal Exhibition Building is the world's only surviving example of a great hall from a major international 19th-century exhibition. Neither I – nor you, I suspect – have sat on the committee determining what does and doesn't make the list, and so to an extent I believe we need to honour their decisions (although of course they can be questioned and their criteria should always be up for review).
To have something put on the list is indeed an honour for a country, and shows some of the valuable things that the rest of the world feels need to be preserved, and I thought that politicians of all persuasions would accept and nurture that fact. Usually politicians are in agreement on listings.
Much research has shown that World Heritage listing can be of exceptional economic value to an area. In the Wet Tropics of far north Queensland, when logging was halted due to World Heritage listing, tourism rose exponentially in the area, and within two years was worth seven times as much as the logging industry had been. The Adelaide Hills area is well aware of this value, and is therefore currently pushing for World Heritage listing.
Of course, being on the list doesn't really ensure absolute protection, as the current campaign on "saving the Great Barrier Reef" shows. However, it does provide a firm basis for determining policy, and a commitment from the rest of the world to help with advice and support.
I'm stoked that I live in a country with 18 listings on the World Heritage register. How fantastic that we have so much worth preserving, and more people pushing for even more to be listed (current talk includes Cape York, the Great Forests of Victoria and Adelaide Hills).

In terms of the rest of the world, it is hard to make a comparison, but Canada is an obvious choice because it is vaguely similar in size, the population is within the same ballpark (34 million vs 24 million), and our economies are similar. Canada has 17 World Heritage listings, and we have 18. So we are certainly not out of kilter with that comparison.
I hope that we can use the World Heritage register to rejoice over what is deemed by the rest of the world to be important, and to celebrate with them the wonderful things that make up Australia.

Tasmanian Wilderness, Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park

Australia's World Heritage list

Great Barrier Reef
Kakadu National Park
Willandra Lakes Region
Sydney Opera House
Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (Melbourne)
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
Wet Tropics of Queensland
Australian Fossil Mammal sites (Riversleigh/Naracoorte)
Convict sites (11 locations)
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Greater Blue Mountains
Fraser Island
Tasmanian Wilderness
Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles)
Lord Howe Island group
Shark Bay
Heard and McDonald islands  
Macquarie Island

A top bush experience near you

A top bush experience near you

Sometimes we just need our eyes opened to the beauty that is near us.

Lane Cove River, adjoining my local patch of bush

A colleague who has lived in Earlwood for a while recently expressed great surprise and wonder at something he'd only just discovered on a weekend walk. A little wander down a bush track near his house revealed a whole natural world he didn't know about, with cavelets, cliffs on which to rock-climb, and some lovely trails that wound through the bush.
Girrahween Park, which winds along Wolli Creek, is indeed a little local treasure, and well known to some in the rock-climbing community who even have a guide to the cliffs there.
My local bit of bush, the Field of Mars Reserve near Ryde, is a cracking little nature reserve that I enjoy all year round.
Getting to know a local bit of bushland is such a pleasure because you get to know it intimately, can get there with no cost and no time, and can watch it change through the seasons and in all weathers. I've been in it in torrential storms, when the tracks are knee-deep rivers, and on hot summer days when the colourful native bees have been buzzing. I've wandered through it at night, and seen owls, tawny frogmouths, possums and frogs, and I've enjoyed the huge range of fungi and tiny wildflowers throughout the year.
The other advantage of getting to know your local patch of bush is then working out what the habitat connects to. Certainly in Sydney, most little patches of bush aren't that far from another, and another. Today I walked for over three hours with my son, from Cherrybrook back to Ryde, and 95% of our walk was in the bush.

Cascades near Thornleigh

We passed convict artworks engraved in the stone, and the bush was buzzing with birds: treecreepers, flycatchers, wattle birds, parrots of all colours and sizes, kookaburras and bellbirds. We passed cascades and waterfalls, ferny glades and towering gum forests.

Convict "graffiti" in upper Lane Cove Valley

There is another loop I can do, where by crossing over two roads, I can run for more than an hour, almost completely in the bush. I can link up several tracks and head in almost any direction, in the bush. Two weeks ago, I took a long loop along the Lane Cove River (little tracks go on  both sides) and was reminded how beautiful it is. What a blessing to have so much gorgeous nature on my doorstep.

Lush ferny glade near home. Local treasure.

Yes, I still adore going to the Blue Mountains, or Royal National Park, or Ku-ring-gai National Park, or wider afield, but I think sometimes our eyes need to be opened to the treasures in front of us.
Of course, not every part of Sydney is as fortunate, but even in places such as Auburn, I've scooted along a little track between houses and a creek, and discovered an albino blue-tongued lizard. Most places in Sydney aren't that far from a large reserve such as Centennial Park, or Bicentennial Park at Homebush, or Royal National Park, or another national park.
Winter unfortunately seems to be a time when many people go into a temporary torpor, but it's actually a perfect time to be out walking and enjoying life. If you want more encouragement, read the brilliant Michael Moore's blog on why he walks. Alternately, if you do want something a little more challenging, you can read my recommendation for 10 wonderful winter walks, or grab a copy of Top Walks in NSW.
But the easiest thing is just to head out from your place to your nearest bit of bushland, and see where it leads you.
Blessings
www.kensbigbackyard.com.au

Charles Darwin Walk, Wentworth Falls

Charles Darwin Walk, Wentworth Falls

This delightful, easy walk is a great way to get to one of the best views in the Blue Mountains without  having to fight for a car park.

Charles Darwin Walk, Wentworth Falls

I have my definite favourite walks in the Blue Mountains: Ruined Castle, Blue Gum Forest, National Pass and a few other absolute corkers are highlighted in my book, Top Walks in NSW.
But one of the problems with having such outstanding favourites is finding the time to explore some of the smaller tracks around the mountains - particularly the gentler walks that perhaps don't appeal to me as much. This delightful little walk, the Charles Darwin Walk at Wentworth Falls, had therefore escaped my footprints until today.
Darwin of course visited the mountains in 1836, and wandered around this area. The walk named after him follows Jamison Creek from the Great Western Highway, right down to the big plunge of Wentworth Falls. It has a wonderful series of little bridges across the bubbling creek, and passes by cascade after cascade, all through a fern-filled valley brimming with birds. Without really trying we saw honeyeaters, wattle birds, yellow-tailed black cockatoos, fairy-wrens, a host of crimson rosellas and the delightful eastern spinebill. There are little caves to explore and logs across the creek, all on a very well defined track.

Fern-filled overhang, with Jamison Creek flowing through. 

It's only 3km from Wilson Park, where there are toilets, down to Wentworth Falls, so will take an easy hour, or two hours return. You can make it even shorter by driving down the narrow Dalrymple Ave, and parking right at the end by the gate – room for one, possibly two cars.
A network of other little tracks dive off to the sides, and many of these would be fun to explore if you have the time, but we preferred getting down to the dramatic cliffs around the falls. From here you can then do the glorious National Pass loop – if you have the energy and the time – check out the stunning lookouts on the west side of the falls, or wander up to the important Aboriginal area of Kings Tableland, east of the falls. We decided to avoid the crowds heading down the stairs to the bottom of Wentworth Falls, and instead took the track up to the left, towards Rocket Point, which is accessed through a keyhole in the rock.

Keyhole leading to Rocket Point lookout

This little lookout offers a stunning but quite different view of the falls. Unfortunately, there's nowhere to sit where you can enjoy the view, but if you follow the main cliff-side track here for a bit over 5 mins more, it'll wind through shrubs and scrub up to a rock platform with an extensive view that is great for lunch and a turnaround point.
All in all it's a wonderful little wander, suitable to little legs and big.  

Log 'bridges' across the bubbling creek.

    
www.kensbigbackyard.com.au

The failed urban sustainability project

The failed urban sustainability project

Can an average household in suburban Sydney become sustainable? Theoretically yes, but practically... well ...

Sustainable urban household?

I have failed. My efforts to live a sustainable 21st century life in middle class, suburban Sydney are little more than a tittered joke among the neighbours, and polite ridicule by those closest to me. Even the chooks shake their heads and cluck at me, before they put their heads down to continue destroying what is left of our meagre garden.
I live on a small block, about 550 sq. m, in a ramshackle 1960s brick house that was affordable because it has a lot wrong with it. But it provides a comfortable and happy home for two adults and two kids, and a changing menagerie of animals. Five years ago, when I left my job of 11 years, the plan was to endeavour to work less, and spend the extra time growing veggies and living a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. Here's some of what has happened. And gone wrong.

Solar power

Don't believe the misinformation. People will say the most outlandish things about solar power, including the tired old line that "it takes 20 years to make back the energy that it took to produce the panels". Rubbish. When solar panels were first invented, for spacecraft, that was true, but it hasn't been true for many decades. It now takes one to four years to payback the energy needed to create a solar system. My solar panels have been a dream. They sit on the roof, causing no trouble, generating both power and income. Our household uses about half the amount of power of the "average" four-person household, according to AGL. We used 834 kWh last quarter (summer). Our solar panels generated 580kWh during that period. We were fortunate to invest at a time when the NSW Govt was offering the outlandish rate of 60c a kWh for solar power, so we actually made a profit during the quarter of $140.

Why I failed 

Although the solar panels are wonderful, we are not generating more power than we need, so are still importing power from the grid (supposedly from "sustainable" sources, but electrons don't differ between green, brown or black electricity). I hadn't fully realised when I installed the system that it is quite difficult to "upscale" a system once it is in place, i.e, all the infrastructure is to suit a certain amount of power production, and you can't just add more solar panels and plug them in. I would have liked to have designed the system that way, so it could be expanded more easily.

Food production

Some of this year's small lychee crop, harvested from the backyard.

Previous owners had planted a small orchard here. There is a large lychee tree, mangoes, oranges, lemons and a few other odd fruits. My plan was to have a well-tended veggie garden, providing a consistent percentage of our daily food requirements. Our soil is horrible compacted clay, and by introducing chickens and lots of composting I hoped to help improve the soil.

Why I failed

Fruit is shared equally between us, possums, bats and fruit fly. Veggies were going okay until I introduced the chooks. The free-range chooks basically eat or dig up everything they can - they destroyed $50 worth of seedlings in an afternoon. All attempts to erect fences to keep them in or out of a certain area have failed. They always find a way in/out. Partly because I use only recycled materials to build our chook runs, rather than buying some big fancy fully enclosed chook run.
My next suggestion was to move the veggie garden to the front yard, where the chooks are not. This failed because of social reasons - ie., the missus thought that was a stupid idea. However, we have fresh eggs and manage to supplement the odd meal with fresh herbs, fruit or the occasional surviving veggie that we have managed to coax through its life. Latest research on urban sustainability emphasises that we NEED our farms - we cannot live in the cities without them.

Demitarianism

This new term, meaning to eat less meat than you did previously, is one of the most consistent messages coming out of the sustainability movement in the past decade. Let me make this clear. I am not a vegetarian. I love the taste of meat, and don't particularly have a problem with the humane treatment and killing of animals for my or your sustenance. However, the consistent message from environmentalists the world over is that the world cannot sustain the amount of meat being consumed by Australians. It has been said repeatedly that one of the biggest things we can do for the environment is to just eat "one meal less" of meat a week.

Why I failed

I failed to "bring the family along" with this change. My wife, who was suffering from an iron deficiency, was very upset by the change. "You care more for the environment than for us," she said. My son reacted counter-culturally by going the other way, craving meat for every meal, and now cooks his own sausages for breakfast. My daughter has become semi-vegetarian, and says she will become a full vegie over time. Lesson is that change requires social change in all those affected.

Transport

We had always been a one-car family, and I generally either cycled to my clients, walked or caught public transport. Our Camry, using non-sustainable, polluting fuel, was still clocking up a lot of kilometres a year, just with the general toing and froing of kids to things, the annual family holidays, and yes, my many weekend trips to the beach or the mountains or some national park.

Why I failed

As I travelled more and more for work, and needed the car to get around the state, my wife decided we needed a second car. Of course, once you have two cars, you use them even more, and our transport carbon footprint has gone up rather than down. We are currently back to one car. My use of E10 fuel has been slammed by my mechanic, who says it is dirty fuel and results in more need for maintenance of the car. He has requested (repeatedly) that I stop using E10.

Water

According to Sydney Water, we use considerably less water than the average four-person household. With limited budget, a household recycled water scheme was the least of my priorities, and we have not installed a water tank or a secondary recycled water plumbing system (e.g, from the shower to flush the toilet). So I guess we have failed completely on this measure. But it still is the least of my priorities.

Environment

The backyard, showing henhouse in its winter position, on what should be the veggie patch.

Nearly every shrub or tree that we have planted has been native and I installed a frog pond, initially in the backyard. It did attract frogs within a couple of years. A blue tongue lizard and about five other skink species visit the garden, along with a range of urban birds. We have ring-tailed and brush-tailed possums at night.

Why I failed

When I introduced the chooks, they ate all the frogs. I therefore moved the frog pond to the front yard, and although a frog is occasionally seen there, there are not the numbers there used to be.
Also, once when I was away for work, the family fell in love with a kitten in need of a home. It became our home, and although the cat (which is white) is meant to be an indoor cat, and has a bell, it escapes outside enough to negatively affect the skink population. For an urban greenie, this is particularly galling.

Urban murderer.

The positives

Although I can't in any way pretend that we are a "sustainable" household, I know we are more sustainable than we were, which has to be a good thing. I will continue to work at solving some of these issues, and hopefully we will continue to make improvements and modifications. One thing I need to get better at is bringing the family and/or neighbours along for the ride. So much of this would be easier if they were allies and actively involved, rather than passengers being towed behind the sustainability bus.
Got any sustainability tips?
www.kensbigbackyard.com.au