"A Natural Village"                                                       Welcome to our community website

Projects

Solar Energy Grant

The Community Centre is going solar. Solar panels and lighting are currently being installed in the Centre. If you are thinking of going solar, why not have a look at the solar setup at the Community Centre and talk to people who are familiar with this technology. We will be holding a number of free workshops on solar technology at the Centre later this year.

 

Front shade sail 

 

Community members will be erecting a shade sail at the front of the Community Centre some time in the next few months. John P will be organizing the volunteers so drop in and see him on a Thursday if you want to help out.

Community Water Grant

In 2006 Chillingham Community Association received funding from Round 1 of the Australian Govt. Community Water Grants for a project titled “Sustainable water use at Chillingham Community Centre”.   The project was designed to provide a sustainable water supply by collecting, using and recycling water on site. Infrastructure provided through the project includes rainwater tanks to capture maximum rainfall, water saving toilets and taps to reduce water use and a Biolytic (worm farm) sewage treatment system to replace the septic system.  Treated water from the Biolytic system is used onsite to irrigate plantings. 

Riparian regeneration is another part of the Community Water Grant.  To improve surface and ground water health, 500 metres of riparian vegetation on an unnamed tributary of the Rous River has been planted with local native plants and a local bush regenerator has been employed through the project to control weeds.  

As partners in the project, Tweed Shire Council built a new toilet block and TURSA Work for the Dole team built a verandah for the Community Centre to extend the roof area that can catch rainwater.  The Tweed River Committee at Council also contributed to the riparian regeneration part of the project.

The new water saving infrastructure at the Community Centre is a model of ecologically sustainable water use.  As a remote rural village independent of town water supply we need adequate water saving infrastructure to provide for growing community and visitor use and to see us through drought times.  

The community vegie garden at the Centre now has a more reliable water supply to irrigate the produce grown there.  We have fresh rainwater to drink.  And locals and visitors to the Community Centre learn how to be frugal with the water they use…WATERWISE!