Patanga: an intentional community

Living at Patanga

Land and infrastructure

Each of the 15 shares of Patanga includes a hectare of land. In this area, residents may cultivate their gardens and pursue any other project which is generally acceptable to the community.
All building decisions on any share must have Company as well as local council approval.
All decisions regarding the use of common land (eg agriculture, or animal husbandry or agistment) are also made by the Company.
Each share is levied $80 per month to help finance farm upkeep and pay for council rates, company administration, insurance of commonly owned buildings, and other equipment.
Residents are also expected to contribute labour on monthly Saturday workdays, or spend an equivalent amount of time on another day if Saturdays are not possible.
Patanga is a National Parks and Wildlife Service registered wildlife refuge. As such, ownership of cats and dogs is not permitted. Visitors may bring pets, provided they are always kept on a leash. Our Wildlife refuge page sets out the responsibilities and benefits of the wildlife refuge scheme.

Water

Water is pumped from Die Happy Creek, which flows through Patanga to holding tanks and is gravity fed to all house sites.
Significant junctions in the water system are marked with star-pickets and distinctive metal tags. Please do not tamper with these.
Residents are expected to familiarise themselves with the water system and usage.
Water is a limited, precious resource and should be used sparingly.

Fire safety

Every home should have a hose that is long enough to reach around the house, permanently connected and ready to go. Remember, house fires are won or lost in the first two minutes.
Residents are asked to observe council's fire restrictions from spring to autumn. These are advertised in the local paper, usually in September.
In the event of a small localised grass or bushfire on Patanga - residents should contact another farm member, ask them to contact all other residents, and if necessary, the local fire brigade.
Then collect hoses and nozzles from the fire shed.
If possible keep your car horn on continuously (the accepted Patanga emergency alarm).
Keep your personal fire fighting gear ready - boots, Mcleod hoes, metal rakes, hard-hats, gloves, goggles and drinking water flasks.
If you are not suitably dressed and equipped, please volunteer for jobs such as minding the phone, keeping children safe or supplying drinking water to firefighters.

The Community House

The Community House is primarily for shareholders' families and friends.
Any guests in the Community House must be the responsibility of a member or tenant.
In all cases, the farm member or tenant sponsoring the guest must be responsible - provide linen and food (including replacing farm supplies of tea, sugar, toilet paper etc that guests may use), explain cleaning requirements, rubbish disposal, use of phone, bathhouse, and general farm protocols etc. and they must clean up when guests have vacated.
General farm agreement: "If you use it, you help to maintain it".

Tools and Equipment

The tractor and its assorted implements may only be used by trained shareholders.
Brushcutter, lawn mowers, loppers and various farm hand tools are all expensive common property purchased slowly over many years and require regular, expensive maintenance.
Non-members are not usually permitted to use this equipment, although exceptions can be made after appropriate training and approval from members.

Domestic animals

The introduction of farm animals onto Patanga is an important community issue, and has become more so over the years with more people living on the farm, more demand for mulch, various milk and meat and goat co-operatives, winter feed shortages etc.
Patanga also has a legal responsibility to supply annual statistics to the Pastures Protection Board, which include cows, horses, goats, sheep, pigs, alpacas, lamas, chickens etc.
To bring any large grazing animal onto Patanga, even those that can be housed within the shareholder’s hectare, needs to be first approved by the community.
Cats and dogs are not permitted to be owned by Patanga residents.