A decade ago, Beverley Exley threw in the nine-to-five Sydney corporate job in favour of a “tree change” life near Berry.
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Now, the yoga teacher, plant-based chef/nutritionist and artist is selling the much-loved home that has taken her off-the-grid.
The five-acre property at 241 Wattamolla Road, Woodhill (near Berry) is for sale, with a price guide of $1.58 million.
Ms Exley purchased the Woodhill Mountain property in 2008 –trading in “the madness of it all” in Sydney – as a home for her and daughter Antonella.
Tired of her former routine, she had the goal to live simply off the food she grew.
“I flipped it, so I’m now a yoga teacher, nutritionist, chef and grow all my own food,” Ms Exley said.
Drawn to Berry after holidaying there previously, she embraced farm work and a sustainable lifestyle.
The two-bedroom, eco-friendly building on her property was designed by a German environmental architect.
Self-sustainable with off-grid solar electricity (but still with mains power) and gravity-fed water tanks, the property’s privacy and flexible floor plan enabled Ms Exley to use the space as a yoga and meditation retreat.
Covered orchards contain a wide selection of established nut, citrus and tropical fruit trees, and provide protected growing areas for vegetables.
Other features include housing for chickens, ducks and pigs, dam sufficient for animal and food production and three fenced paddocks.
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Ms Exley was inspired by American farmer Joel Salatin’s methods of sustainability, such as relying on her chickens and her neighbour’s cows to fertilise her orchard and vegetables.
“As a plant-based nutritionist, I grow all my food base there apart from avocados,” she said.
“So it costs me nothing, and hasn’t done for the food we’ve eaten from here over all these years.”
Ms Exley said she was selling the property as she wanted to be closer to family, and also as her daughter was completing her HSC.
“I’m basically leaving everything as it is, including the majority of the furniture,” she said.
“Everything’s staying – although mini pig Tami who gets rid of the weeds isn’t – and I’m not ripping out plants or orchards.
“It’s pretty much turnkey really. If people wish to have that type of lifestyle, it’s already set up. I’ll seek out another property and I’ll set up exactly the same, because I know the food that I’m growing is nutritious, and it’s a really cool lifestyle.”
The selling agents are Leanne Pugh and Perrie Croshaw of Inspired Real Estate.