EMBRACING COMMUNITY AT BEND ECO-NEIGHBOURHOOD

You’d go a long way to find a purpose-built, permaculture-inspired, organically certified eco neighbourhood like Bend. With those credentials, you might expect a remote location, miles from anywhere, but Bend is located in a major town on the NSW Far South Coast, near schools, shops, a post office, library and medical facilities. The aim of this intentional living project was to build community, not just build ‘a community’.

‘Bend is integral to the town of Bega. We wanted to be inclusive and diverse, and part of the town,’ says Jenny Spinks, who was active throughout the project and now lives there. The eco-subdivision was intentionally medium density, with two thirds of the houses privately owned, and the remaining one third purpose-built for affordable housing rental.

The eco-neighbourhood of 30