Loving the land on which we live.

When the land was purchased back in 1995 it was a simple dairy farm. It comprised of an old settlers house, some decrepit animal sheds, and bare grazing paddocks with the token lone marri tree left standing to provide shade for the cows. As new owners we planted over 20,000 native Australian saplings which have now grown into tall forests. The cow shed is now an artists studio. The pig shed is now the Chalet. Animals, both native and domesticated, live here in peace. Herds of kangaroos and flocks of cockatoos are regular visitors. Guinea pigs roam freely and keep the grass nicely mowed.

Life at Birchfield.

Over the years this property has steadily developed into a peaceful utopia, away from the ever expanding township of Margaret River. However secluded it may seem, there is always something happening. The resident artist Alice Forte Linford, hosts her open studios exhibition from the on site gallery most years. There is a communal pizza oven on the ‘village green’ which offers a wonderful venue for an alfresco social get together. We host an annual bonfire party with live music to mark the end of the fire ban. Andy Linford, the property owner, is always busy building something quirky, maintaining the property, rounding up ducks etc.

Eco Living

In recent years the solar system on the farm has been upgraded to provide 10KW of power to its residents and visitors. All of the hot water comes from solar tanks and woodfire boosters. We collect water from the rooftops and ground water reservoirs, which is then filtered to provide clean drinking water. Our goal is to become completely off grid and to grow more of our own food from this land which we love.

Creative Living

Alice is Andrew’s youngest daughter and when she isn’t traveling to the far corners of the earth you can normally find her getting arty in her purpose built studio (the one with the giant rooster painted on the side, just off the village green). You can also view her work online at www.theartofalice.com.

Earth Living

It’s not uncommon for the whole family to get involved in the various projects and developments that happen on the farm. When Andy was building the Dome, daughters, cousins, siblings and friends all came and got their hands dirty. Using earth materials such as this mud render makes it a fun and hands on experience for anyone who’s inclined to learn and get involved.