Paul Coelho
Behind the soul and spirit of a Place there is always the influence of a personality.
The passion of a lifetime, a love story always, a family story sometimes.
Deux Belettes – our story
Long before the global trend advocating protection of the environment this “family” had already embarked on an ambitious ecological strategy in the Ballina /Byron Bay hinterland on the East Coast of Northern New South Wales where there was a well established “alternate” society living mostly off grid and growing their own organic produce.
In 1980 the family of 4 packed up and left Sydney and settled on a 30 acre farm in these rolling green hills, cleared the paddocks of basalt rocks that they later used to construct the main buildings and a bridge.
They planted more than a thousand fruit trees, rare rainforest trees and thousands of eucalypts and pines for building and heating. They collected old bridge timbers and railway sleepers from abandoned roadside tips … split old fence posts for roof shingles, sourced demolition materials and began building their dream farmhouse using traditional methods found in rural France…. the door and window hardware was purchased from garage sales and brocantes when holidaying in France.
They also planted 150 plane trees roadside and along their long driveway to provide shade for their ponies and cattle from the hot summer sun…these now massive trees giving the property a distinctly European ambience.
Deux Belettes is the passion of a family.
Long before the global trend advocating the protection of the environment, this family had already embarked on an ambitious ecological strategy in an utterly charming Guesthouse.
Today, nearly 40 years later, this farmhouse and outbuildings are a rare example of “slow building”….where you can only proceed when the right reclaimed materials become available…a building that is utterly charming….an enduring love story that they share with many.
Every Year for the past 10 years we have planted 12 rainforest trees….each named and dated to represent the contribution made to the environment by wedding couples.
Our hope is that… like these trees… our couples will thrive and multiply.
We now have an established little rainforest attracting beautiful birds and butterflies and while some of the names may have disappeared over time…each tree remembers the couple who provided them with a place to put down roots in such fertile soil. When you walk amongst these trees you are surrounded by love…not just for our environment… but for all living things
