‘It's not complicated’: the families going off the grid and saving big bucks
At some point, we’ve all thought about it – disconnecting, getting out of the rat race, cancelling those bills – and the Devine family have done exactly that, just off the Sunshine Coast of Queensland. Their farm is not just off the grid – it’s off the map.
Matt, Geraldine, and their kids – Archie, Arjuna, Sona and Freya – live together on their tiny patch of rainforest that’s a self-sufficient family oasis. It’s hands-on farm life, with no technology, and no complaints. The kids don’t watch TV, aren’t on social media, and they don’t mind one bit.
“I feel like the other kids are missing something,” Arjuna tells Sunday Night’s Denham Hitchcock.
This small farm in the wild comes equipped with a veggie patch, an orchard, tank water, animals for eggs, milk and meat, and solar power for electricity. It’s totally off the grid and entirely self-sufficient – an enticing possibility in times of mortgage stress and mounting household bills.
“This is not a complex issue,” Geraldine explains. “Can you grow your own food? Cook your own food? Have your food last you through the seasons? Can you chop your wood to make fire? Can you collect your own rainwater? Can you make electricity? It’s not complicated.”
But if you don’t have the money for a farm or you live in the city, Mike Reynolds can help. His solution is what he calls an Earthship – a home, either in the country or city, which is completely self-sufficient. No power lines, no pipes, no connection to the grid.
“The Earthship produces food, produces water produces electricity,” Mike says. “[It] keeps you comfortable without fuel and we build them from the garbage that people throw away.”
The idea has taken off – there are now more than 3,000 of them in 30 different countries.
“If you got all the water, food, comfort, shelter, electricity, if you got everything you need free, then doesn’t that kind of render money a little bit insignificant?” asks Mike. “Every man, woman, and child on this planet, it’s their God-given right to have sustenance, to have a life, that shouldn’t be subject to economy.”
Denham and the Sunday Night team travelled to the far side of Canada to a place with breathtaking scenery, no roads, and more grizzly bears than people. For the past 26 years, Wayne and Catherine have been out here on their own, the entire hand-built structure is entirely floating on pontoons; they’re not only off the grid, they’re off the land.
Called Freedom Cove, it’s complete with four greenhouses, an art gallery, a two-storey home, a lighthouse and even a beach. Fishing is generally done in the lounge room, and salad and veggies at the front door.
They love their place so much, they were married there.
“All the locals came,” Wayne recalls. “There’s nothing more beautiful than girls in wedding dresses and gum boots. It was a beautiful wedding.”
Wayne says the secret to their success for so long is being able to get along. “We actually like each other,” Wayne laughs. “That’s important, yeah. You’ve got to really like each other and we get along.”
Reporter: Denham Hitchcock
Producers: Paul Waterhouse
