Living within an ancient rainforest
We at Cooper Creek Wilderness considered, for many years, the design of the dwelling that would ultimately house our growing family. Amongst many peculiar challenges, the exclusion of the Daintree Cape Tribulation rainforest community from the provision of state supplied electricity, dictated design elements.
With an average annual rainfall of 5.5 metres and very little wind, we sought to optimise open-living so that air movement and light were least inhibited. We now make our own electricity from a hybrid system sourced from hydro and solar-power through a 1700 amp-hour battery bank and 3kW inverter. It is expensive electricity; about 30-times more so than equalised tariffs, and this impost seems consistent with the state government’s obvious acquisition agenda.
Open-living also provides for the unobstructed passage of a diversity of non-human inhabitants (fly-wire screens are of little relevance to white-tailed rats that can easily eat their way through steel garbage bins). Livng at the centre of this ancient rainforest is shared with an extraordinary biodiversity. Ideed, all rainforest residents share their homes with snakes, rats and a multitude of other inhabitants, whether they like it or not. We love it!
Two dedicated storage rooms double as cyclone shelters leaving the only remaining emergency concern from tidal surge. Hopefully, such an eventuality would allow sufficient forewarning and to this end we are linked to the outside world via broadband satellite.