off-grid in australia

[Anonymous]

I cant see profiles, including my own. Have no idea how I receive a message. No idea if messages I have sent have gone… It just goes on…

[OffGridWannaBe]

Hi Kuldebar,

It looks like you know an awful lot about off-grid living and it was great reading your post above!

I noticed you said there are a lot of places where there aren’t building codes etc. I’m interested in learning more about this because I’ve been looking at converting a shipping container into a nice eco dwelling in the wilderness, but I’ve been looking over at Container Home Plans and they mentioned about the difficulties of getting building approval in built up areas etc…

Do you know any other good places to learn a little bit more about building regs and approval?

Thanks

[retired profile of WrethaOffGrid]

Thanks Felineman, looks interesting, I just scanned through and clicked on a couple of things, this is definitely worth looking into further…

Wretha

[BeefEater]

I’m in with the plans of a off the grid community , and reason  I was working for a place that give me first hand info ,  on the USA, and other Countries and everything else, and I would love to start or be a part of a place as such and live free, and a new life , SERIUOSLY

[GardensWaterwheels]

Yes, if you ask me, this kind of thing can only really be accomplished by a fairly big group of people with a small ammount of money, or a small group of people with a large ammount of money, as the land needs to contain within it this permanent mountain stream. Although it is possible to aquire the same conditions at two acres, which would allow a small ammount of people with a small ammount of money (40k each) to accomplish this task, but this would be a very difficult task! One is better off to blow the government alltogether and just set up somewhere. Without any kind of intervention, apon a free earth, one could simply find this location and set up thusly. Ofcourse we cannot do that unless our team was a large portion of the earths population or something >.<. This land will need to be of perfect conditions. Aquiring permits and correctly utilising run of the river hydroelectricity apon a permanent mountain stream would deem my idea absolutely possible!

[Anonymous]

What OFF-GRID means to me. I plan to build a cabin, install solar or water power and use propane for refrigeration. Is this truly off the grid NO. Propane must be bought and food too. We have many different types of people from survivalists to doomsday peppers. I think the best term for OFF-GRID would be modern day pioneering. Living the self sufficient life style. Grow your own food as much as possible and life the simple life, Not that off-grid living is simple. A typical day involves waking up before the sun has and starting the fire making sure you have everything ready for the coming day. Then either chopping wood, gardening or hunting depending on what time of year it is. People talk about the simple life but go back in time and look at the early 1900’s where everyone had to work just to survive, I don’t mean a 9-5 job but the physical labor required just to feed, clothe and warm yourself, only to have to do the same thing every day. And don’t forget your up before the sun and and up long after the sun has set. People refer to this as redkneck or hillbilly style living, but if you look at history we all lived this style in the early 1900’s. Sure we have internet, lighting and automobiles to make life easier but its just a new form of old technology. Candles and ice blocks were fridges and lighting back in the old days. Horse and buggy our cars. Internet and cell phones just another form of the telegraph. But to get to the main point OFF-GRID means not having to rely on the system. IE….. power generation, food stores, medical or dental services, and many other modern conveniences that we all take for granted. I don’t care if you live in a 3000 sq ft house or a 100 sq ft mobile small house or even a 300 sq ft cabin in the woods. If you grow your own food, hunt or even heat your home with wood then you all share the passion for off-grid living in some small part. Its about the want to be self sufficient.

[Anonymous]

NP I have been collecting information on off-grid living and homesteading for about 12 years now and have a personal library of over 200 GB and about 12 thousand books. If anyone would like a book I can find it. Don’t ask if its copyright or not, just use the information how you want. Most of my books are public domain or copyright expired but I do have some in my personal collection that would have cost more then a months rent to buy. Hopefully I can make my dream come true in the next couple years by finding some dirt cheap property in northern Ontario. And maybe someone to share that dream with.

[chowan]

great resource Felineman thank you

[GardensWaterwheels]

In reply to apollo: I hear alot of people use hydroelectricity to create their own electricity in india and many other contries similar, and they get away with it. One article was saying how there are so many people seising these resources apon their land in those areas and making dams without a hole in the bottom for freshwater mussels and other sea life to keep flowing to new areas. And because of incorrect set up they created problems that were entirely preventable. Most likely the officials in US are very weary about people making damms in the wrong places, and correctly, so they ask you for a permit, if you cant obtain a permit even with a safe set up, then it is most likely they simply are preventing you from going off-grid without having to buy solar. But atleast the good news in what I am saying is that there are still places where one can achieve the kind of lifestyle I am portraying, the best of which being to create a ‘green’ dam (one with a hole at the bottom and a mesh protecting the spout) apon a perfectly permanent (perrennial) mountain stream. With this method, the price to go off-grid without being at all primitive is dramatically reduced. Right down to the price of 40k each between four people at two acres, or less if you have more flow than your lands worth, for example, you buy a property of three acres, but the land is niagra falls, and somehow the fact that niagra falls is on your property did not increase its value in proportion to the ammount of electricity you can create. One would be able to supply enough electricity to 600 people who can all pitch in on the cost of land. So with this example, the ”put in” of price each person has to pay decreases depending on two factors: How much people can fit on the land, and how many people can live comfortably under the roof of the ammount of electricity you can generate from a site.

[GardensWaterwheels]

I hear alot of people use hydroelectricity to create their own electricity in india and many other contries similar, and they get away with it. One article was saying how there are so many people seising these resources apon their land in those areas and making dams without a hole in the bottom for freshwater mussels and other sea life to keep flowing to new areas. And because of incorrect set up they created problems that were entirely preventable. Most likely the officials in US are very weary about people making damms in the wrong places, and correctly, so they ask you for a permit, if you cant obtain a permit even with a safe set up, then it is most likely they simply are preventing you from going off-grid without having to buy solar. But atleast the good news in what I am saying is that there are still places where one can achieve the kind of lifestyle I am portraying, the best of which being to create a ‘green’ dam (one with a hole at the bottom and a mesh protecting the spout) apon a perfectly permanent (perrennial) mountain stream. With this method, the price to go off-grid without being at all primitive is dramatically reduced. Right down to the price of 40k each between four people at two acres, or less if you have more flow than your lands worth, for example, you buy a property of three acres, but the land is niagra falls, and somehow the fact that niagra falls is on your property did not increase its value in proportion to the ammount of electricity you can create. One would be able to supply enough electricity to 600 people who can all pitch in on the cost of land. So with this example, the ”put in” of price each person has to pay decreases depending on two factors: How much people can fit on the land, and how many people can live comfortably under the roof of the ammount of electricity you can generate from a site.

[chowan]

you know if all you want is electricity from water a turbine arangement is very doable certainly within the budget of 1 person and its generally easier to hide.

there was also another i saw which fitted directly into a fairly swift moving stream and did not require any dam

not as romantic and as water wheels though

[GardensWaterwheels]

^^ yes I will look into that. Cheers

[Anonymous]

rugs add more color to the floor.

[lorenzop]

I’ll always reply as long as the site is online and I keep getting emails. years keep going by and I’m in no better shape than the year before. I’d like to avoid being in debt to a bank, but it may be some time until I’m financially able to do what I want. I cannot wait to wake up one morning on a cob bench and build a fire to make breakfast, and no longer have a list of bills.

one thing I would love to do is start an off-grid internet provider. being off-grid, one of the only bills I’d have left is a large one for internet access (I pay extra to host servers on it.) if I could find an existing off-grid community which would let me join in exchange for my ability to do this, might be a good way to go.

[SpiritOnEarth]

Hi… Wondering if you found the land/situation you were looking for. We are also looking to move off-grid in the southern Georgia area, and are just being our search for the acreage. Have been in the ‘planning’ stages for off-grid living for a couple of years now, and are hoping to make the move this summer.

[Author]

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