About Quatre Saisons
Quatre Saisons is a family owned and run stud grazing property where we enjoy a simple life based on a traditional mixed farming model. The choices we have made in land management, preserving and enhancing the natural biodiversity found on Quatre Saisons, means we choose to have a small number of top quality animals that enjoy a stress free and comfortable environment
Rather than use popular ‘labels’, our approach is simply natural - we aim to be reasonably self sufficient and have a gentle footprint on our place, and to achieve this we draw on a number of philosophies in farm production, using those things that resonate with our experience on this piece of country. We do not use chemicals in pasture management or animal husbandry. We harvest all water for use and recycling on the property and generate our own power using solar energy.
The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against, nature and we employ techniques such as permaculture and biodynamic soil conservation to build soil carbon and enrich our pasture.
Sustainable use of our forest timbers provides warmth and building materials. Heating and cooking is also supplemented by LPG gas in the coldest winter periods.
The property is very well named –the French ‘Quatre Saisons’ translates to ‘Four Seasons’- an apt description with distinct seasons and we can often experience a variety of weather extremes in a single day.
There are incredible open views across the east towards Gundaroo and west to Murrumbateman, without a single dwelling in sight. It did not take us long to realise what a special place Quatre Saisons is, and we know how blessed we are to live here. It is easy to imagine you are far far away from civilisation as eagles soar above the treetops and float through our valley.
Come and visit us soon…
Education and Retreat
It was amazing to realise the plant and animal biodiversity and life on this piece of land was virtually unique in the Yass Valley.
How blessed we feel to live here, and so, the decision was taken to share this hidden rich environment in some way.
Educational leadership is one way we can ensure our children and their children can understand and experience the richness of Australia’s natural biology. We expanded on the simple notion of self-sufficiency to grow additional produce for local distribution and sell our extra stud animals. This provides funds in support of the education programs, and to provide others in our local community the opportunity to appreciate the simple goodness of life that my family are able to enjoy.
School excursions and camps
We have developed a creative, flexible, learning program designed to provide an alternative learning framework for students of all ages and capabilities to connect with the Australian bush; understand the connection between climate, soil and water ecology; grow their knowledge of local flora and fauna and provide the basis for ongoing understanding of indigenous landscapes.
School groups can arrange a day visit or a camp over to participate in a nocturnal forest observation activity.
Details and activities can be tailored to suit the class size and curriculum area-day walks cover broad areas of the curriculum including geography, geology, botany and hydrology.
Australian mammals and monotremes are nocturnal, so a range of lesson modules has been designed around night walks and the study of insect, animal and bird habitats.
Paint- draw- enjoy the seasons
Quatre Saisons makes a perfect artists hideaway…
Quatre Saisons is a unique educational learning environment - and not just for school students. Artists, photographers and ecologists have come to study the rare flora and extraordinary range of birdlife, many species of which are endangered and not found widely in the Canberra region.
Quatre Saisons provides a rich environment for the artists palette-a landscape vista, an idyllic pastoral view, a wildflower or an iconic eucalypt-you will find what you seek here. To enquire about artists weekend workshops, accommodation options and seasonal packages available contact us.
Ecology
Quatre Saisons has an amazing natural biodiversity; there is a lot here that is hard to find any longer in the Yass Valley, or the wider Canberra region outside of the major National Parks. Ungrazed and organic by neglect, we have retained the majority of the natural forest vegetation and native grasslands of the NSW South Western Slopes, and have vegetation typical of a natural box gum grassland community. A unique microclimate provides examples of alpine herbfields and native grasslands uncommon in areas outside the Kosciusko rangelands.
It is in some of the quietest, most secret places on Quatre Saisons, tucked away in the dark, hushed parts of our forest, where platypus and echidna choose to raise their young. You can read more about our monotremes here. Maybe you will be lucky enough to encounter them one day too.
Following the devastating Canberra region bush fires of 2003 Quatre Saisons was selected as a host site for seed collecting run through the Seeds for Survival program. Quatre Saisons seedlings have been grown on to revegetate Namadgie National Park and many Canberra community properties through this program, which is a partnership between Environment ACT, Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG), CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra Urban Parks and Places and Greening Australia Capital Region.
Sustainable Natural Farming
At Quatre Saisons, we have a keen awareness of the interconnectedness of the bush and our smallholdings’ productivity. The rugged shale and quartzite ridges allow large quantities of crystal clear water to filter through the forest and on to nourish the pasture providing rich native forage for our animals producing the finest quality natural, rare breed, ethically raised, beef, dairy, pork, lamb and poultry.
Our approach to traditional animal husbandry and a very limited stud breeding program supports the health of our country and provides the highest breed standard we can achieve. We have sourced top bloodlines to ensure our genetic lines are world class. This is reflected in the quality and resilience of our stock.
Each group of animals introduced forms a key piece of the biodynamic web that is our small holding. My choice was to have a truly self sufficient mixed farming model - just as it used to happen in much of human history.
Over 90 hectares of our holding is protected by the Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority. This is a binding agreement that commits us to protect Quatre Saisons’ forests and waterways and graze in a sustainable and strictly limited way.
There are less than 1.2% of the total land area of the NSW South Western slopes in conservation reserves.
