Permaculture Design Course
(PDC)
1st - 13th April 2024, Kwoorabup/Denmark, WA
AUD $2000 + Booking fee
What is the PDC?
We are all caretakers of land at some level, and we all exist in communities
The Permaculture Design Course (PDC) helps us deepen our knowledge of the natural world, and strengthen our design thinking at every step. With topics as diverse as soil science, food production and social permaculture, this course gets us thinking and acting in ways that make the world a better place for people and planet. We’ll apply all of our learnings in a design project that we move through together, to learn design skills you can later apply to your own place, community, and even your own life.
The focus of a PDC is on design. This is not a practical gardening course where you learn the best way to prune a tree or transplant a seedling. Some practical techniques may be included, but the focus of the course is to develop design thinking so you can make the best decisions for caretaking the land and community around you.
This is a non-residential course with morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea provided. Classes run from 8:30am – 5pm each day, with a rest day on Sunday the 7th April.
What People Say:
“Holy moly, my growth in these two weeks has been epic. I’m so grateful for the interactive, flexible, dynamic learning environment you provide, it really met my needs as a learner and I’m taking away so much new information.”
— Lauren, course participant
“This information that I’m taking away with me has literally changed my life and my way of thinking, and I’m so excited about putting what I’ve learned into action.”
— Pete, course participant
“I came here to come up with a design for my property, and I am SO stoked with what’s come out of it. I wouldn’t have had the tools or knowledge to do this myself, so thank you for all of your guidance and support and wisdom.”
— Tom, course participant
Is this course for me?
The PDC has been taken by millions of people all over the world from diverse backgrounds. Whether you’re a thinker, a do-er, a community member, a parent, a farmer, a gardener, an activist, an educator, or any kind of person who cares about the precious world we inhabit, then this course is for you.
We create a safe learning environment that avoids stressful elements that may have been encountered in past educational environments – there are no exams, alarms or lengthy lectures to be found here, because all of those things inhibit learning. If you’re neurodiverse or have reading, or other learning needs, you are more than welcome on this course. Get in touch if you have any questions about this.
Topics covered
Permaculture ethics & principles • Design theory & applied design • Zones & sectors • Site analysis & assessment • Base mapping & design drawing • Climate • Pattern understanding • Soil • Water • Trees & forests • Social permaculture • Regenerative agriculture • Sustainable building • Alternative economics • Intentional communities and more...
Permaculture ethics & principles • Design theory & applied design • Zones & sectors • Site analysis & assessment • Base mapping & design drawing • Climate • Pattern understanding • Soil • Water • Trees & forests • Social permaculture • Regenerative agriculture • Sustainable building • Alternative economics • Intentional communities and more...
Your Teachers
Brenna Quinlan is a permaculture educator and illustrator who has taught alongside the biggest names in permaculture, including Rosemary Morrow and David Holmgren. She is part of the Formidable Vegetable teaching team for the School Permaculture Tour program run in association with Resource Smart Schools Victoria, and she regularly teaches and collaborates with Milkwood Permaculture on their various projects. After living at Melliodora for four years, she’s now embarking on building a strawbale house and garden in Great Southern WA. You can find out more about Brenna at brennaquinlan.com
Greta Carroll is a permaculture educator and small-scale organic farmer currently based on Wadawurrung Country. She has previously taught for Permaculture College Australia, she is Chair of Permaculture Australia, and is a course facilitator for Permaculture for Refugees and Nettle and Snail. Passionate about accessible, inclusive education, Greta has built curricula and learning experiences for diverse groups. She has worked with people in displacement settings and refugee camps for over a decade, in Australia and internationally.
We also have a selection of guest teachers who are experts on specific topics.
Food & Catering
Seasonal, local, whole foods catering is provided by the amazing team at Denmark Grassfed Lamb. Dietary requirements are accommodated, we’ll ask about this in the pre-course email.
The Venue
The course is held at Kwoorabup Nature School on Pibulman Minang Country next to the beautiful Kwoorabup/Denmark River, and a short walk from town. Address: 2A Inlet Drive, Denmark, WA
Accommodation Options
This is a non-residential course, so you will need to find your own accommodation. The Denmark Rivermouth Caravan Park is across the road from the teaching venue, and has excellent facilities and a cafe. They charge $70 for up to two people over the Easter weekend (up til the 4th April), and $50 for up to 2 guests for each night after that. You will have to book early for the Easter weekend as they often book out. Let them know you’re part of the course and they’ll try to keep course participants in a group.
Locals taking the course may be able to billet those from out of town. Head to the Facebook event to organise this.
If you get really stuck or are on a tight budget, we can help find other camping options, so please get in touch.
Payment Plans
We do offer payment plans so you can pay the course fee over time. Purchase the “Deposit” option at the ticketing page and then contact us to set up this plan prior to the course so that the fee is paid in full by March 2024 (one month before the course starts). Get in touch so we can organise the details.
Cancellations
If you need to step out of the course, we can refund the course fee, minus the deposit, if you cancel with one month or more notice. Alternatively, you can pass your place on to a friend, or use your fee as a credit towards another course.
This workshop will be run in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines recommended at the time. If you are unwell with flu like symptoms, please refrain from attending the workshop and get in touch to discuss options.
If the course is cancelled before it starts because of Covid-19 or any other reason, we will provide a refund minus the deposit, which will be used towards covering unavoidable costs.
FAQs
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Techniques, such as gardening and composting depend on where you live, so even though examples may be given of different techniques used in permaculture, the focus on this course is on design and design thinking. The PDC is not an organic gardening course.
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In this course, we do group design work together, so participants will mostly be working on the same site at any given time. The PDC is structured this way so that by learning the design skills first, you can then easily apply them to your own place with a solid foundation of design to guide you. If you would like to try and design your property in your free time on the course you are welcome to, however the teachers will have limited time to assist with individual projects.
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The PDC is intentionally unaccredited to keep it accessible to people from all walks of life, however it is widely as an essential starting point for becoming a permaculture designer.
On completion of the course, you will be given a printed certificate, which is internationally recognised within the permaculture community, however it is not a formal qualification.
If you are interested in formal qualification in permaculture, Accredited Permaculture Training (APT) Certs III and IV courses are held at Denmark & Albany TAFE and at other institutions around the country.
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At this point in time, we are only offering one scholarship for a First Nations person, but payment plans are available to cover costs over time. See above Payment Plan. Please contact us with any questions.
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We have successful attendees all the time from a range of neurodiverse backgrounds.
We aim to make the course as interactive & accessible as possible and seek to accommodate any special needs that we can. Please contact us if you have any concerns.
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Yes, we can accept one helper on the course. If you have already completed at least one PDC and are interested in helping, please contact us.