Permaculture
For The People
A Permaculture Design Course with a focus on community
Bundjalung Country -Mullumbimby NSW
2 August - 1 November 2026
How to take permaculture beyond the back yard & how social & economic design are integrated into permaculture.
How to take these practices to build an abundant & equitable life for people & planet
Where permaculture sits in an ecosystem of social change & how we can support & integrate with other movements (think global, act local)
Taking place on Bundjalung Country Mullumbimby, this systems design course is underpinned by the foundation of indigenous sovereignty and tangible actions that affirm this. We collectively recognise the historical & present impacts of colonisation and are accountable to redesign our human systems in respectful partnership with First Nations self determination.
This course is designed to inspire learners to confidently build permaculture systems for themselves, our food systems, our communities & to contribute regeneratively to ecological, cultural & economic world systems.
Join us for a 14 week, hands-on, excursion filled time of connection as you learn permaculture design processes, practices, ethics and principles. We will hear from a number of guest teachers exemplifying the many ways permaculture is practiced in this region & how context changes everything.
This course is made for people wanting to “tap in” to community, for people seeking strategies, techniques & skills to enable meaningful change. This PDC covers foundational land-based design & addresses design for young people and people of diverse lived experiences, moving beyond traditional ‘lifestyle block permaculture’ into designing for diverse resources, stability & capacity.
The teaching team draws from their Indigenous, queer and disabled perspectives on permaculture and implementing systems design from planetary, national, state, social enterprise, community, household & personal levels in their own back yards. This course is context driven & designed for direct application into your life.
Learning Outcomes
A deep understanding & practice of permaculture ethics & design principles to take into your life & community
A working knowledge of systems thinking & how we can design from patterns in nature
Develop strategies & permaculture practices around soil, water, fungi, climate, zoning, sustainable housing & ecology
The cultivation, propagation & preparation of foods most climate appropriate for the northern rivers
Learn more about food sovereignty & permacultures place in bioregional food security
How permaculture can prepare us to adapt & respond to disaster (climate, social & economic)
What to Expect
Students will spend 14 weeks together deep diving into nature, informing how we build systems of regeneration for ourselves, our communities and the world around us. You’ll be equipped with both theory and practical skills with hands-on support from a variety of teachers leading in their areas. During this PDC you will collaborate with other students together on a group permaculture design and be supported to refine a design of your own. Based out of Byron Community College Mullumbimby, the course will also include:
A hybrid teaching model with in person practical sessions on Sundays & Zoom theory classes on Tuesday evenings, running from the 2nd of August until the 1st of November. All online sessions will be recorded and made available to students.
A shared potluck lunch during our Sunday classes from week 2 onward. These will be collectively catered towards dietary needs as a practice of interdependence. A dietary section will be included in your registration process & is flexible for severe allergies or dietary requirements.
Learning excursions throughout Bundjalung Country.
One group design & one individual design project to be completed and shared during class. The presentation can take on any form and supports will be available from the facilitators.
Please note: A PDC is a design course and not a gardening course (even if we do grow some food!).
Permaculture Design Course Units
Ethics & principles of permaculture
Systems thinking & patterns in nature
Understanding, adapting & designing for climate & micro-climate
Water science & water systems
Ecology & “cultivated ecology”
Soil science, health & practices
Fungi & mycology
Plant function, selection & propagation
Food forestry & polycultures
Designing across scales
Animals & integrated pest management
Social permaculture, community development & design practice
Economic permaculture, localisation & equitable economies of care
Cultural Safety, Mental Health & Accessibility
At PermaQueer we host brave & inclusive spaces designed for social & ecological regeneration. We recognise that spaces of meaningful diversity represent many different lived experiences, histories, cultures & ways of being. This reality informs our facilitation & course design process to support our community through challenging experiences & foster radical transparency, accountability & transformation.
While we aim to make our classrooms as accessible as possible, some venues and farm excursions can be less accessible for those with mobility issues or other disabilities. Where possible we offer prior information about these limitations & will work to support meaningful access & participation.
During the registration process your access, cultural or mental health requirements can be safely disclosed & will be integrated into our course design. If you have any questions, please email Toad@PermaQueer.com
Resources
All students will receive:
Rosemary Morrow’s Earth Regenerators Guide to Permaculture
Aranya’s Permaculture Design textbook
Reference materials & additional resources
Recordings of all online Theory sessions
PermaQueer Approach & Facilitation
Toad Dell
Guy Ritani
Sticks XO
Student Teachers
Guest Teachers
Zac Holt
Others to announced soon
Enrolment & Course Fees
Enrolment can be completed via our website PermaQueer.com
We offer self-nominated sliding scale course fees. Please see the outline for each to aid your decision.
Pay it forward Access - $2,500
Standard course fees plus additional sponsorship for us to offer more scholarships. This is for those with full time employment, investments or stable access to finance (for example access to family wealth & resources).
Pay it even further forward Access - $3,000
Standard course fees plus additional sponsorship for us to offer more scholarships. This is for those with full time employment, investments or stable access to finance (for example access to family wealth & resources). People who may own their housing, have assets or investments & have readily available earning capacity. People who sit in positions of structural societal privilege (race, class, financial, material) & recognise their responsibility in equitable distribution of resources.
Standard Access - $1,850
Standard course fees covering operating costs & living wages for the facilitators. This is the baseline course fees for anyone who doesn’t identify within portions of the Pay it Forward tier or the scholarship tiers.
Partial Scholarships Access - $890.00
For structurally & culturally marginalised peoples & those experiencing financial hardship.
First Nations Scholarship Access - $200
For First Nations peoples (covers cost of learning resources)
** If you are experiencing financial difficulties both payment plans & scholarships are available. Please feel free to contact us to discuss.
Contact
We hope you’re interested & excited about this course. We are looking forward to meeting everyone!!
If you have any questions please contact Toad - p. 0427773797 / e. Toad@PermaQueer.com
