We are Kirsten Bradley and Nick Ritar , and, until recently, we lived in inner-city Melbourne, Australia. We've decamped to try our hand at building, growing, and living simply, in the highlands of New South Wales. The basic premise for this idea has been developing for the past couple of years - as artists, the overheads of inner-city life are challenging to say the least, and we have both struggled with trying to remain balanced humans and artists while being positive about how we can do our bit for the planet and still making the rent.

So, in light of the craziness which is our current world, we have to decided to try out a low-cost, high enthusiasm lifestyle. Milkwood will be our home.

Milkwood is currently the back paddock of Nick's parents farm, Kirwin, which grows olives and lavender and some sheep quite amusingly called wiltipolls. The air is clean, the nights are clear and the rainfall is low. We will be aiming to slowly transform a creek meadow and a hillside into Milkwood - a sustainable farm based on Permaculture principles which works with the land and the environment to both feed us and our friends and to return a small portion of land to a functioning ecosystem which benefits everything from the wallabies to the water table.

We are aware that this is no small feat but we're up for it.

Given our backgrounds in new media and technology, we feel this site will be an excellent way to both document and share this ongoing adventure. We are going to pack it full of how-tos on everything from composting, chook sheds and carrot cake through to straw-bale building and no-frills greywater re-use, and we will be documenting the process of planning, building, stepping on rakes, establishing forests and gardens, and whatever else comes next.

We'd love you to come along for the ride .