Liz Beavis, Small-Scale Cattle Farmer and Soap-Making Beekeeper

Occupation: Weekend Farmer, Soapmaker and Beekeeper

Residence: Rural Queensland, Australia

Background: Liz and husband, Peter, are passionate about growing their own food. They started with just eight acres in rural Queensland and soon found themselves keeping chickens in homemade tractors, raising a house cow and making their own cheese, butchering beef cattle and tanning hides and growing all kinds of different vegetables in their sub-tropical food forest. It became clear that more land was needed to expand on these hobbies, and they bought 258 acres nearby. As there was no house on the land, they then moved a 100 year-old house onto the property and began several years of renovation to create their dream home, with self-sufficient features.

They currently have three dogs, a herd of cattle, several beehives and plenty of chickens. Their farm life is guided by permaculture, regenerative agriculture and holistic management concepts. Overall, they aim to improve the land, while also feeding themselves and sharing the excess.

Liz has been writing about their adventures in self-sufficiency and permaculture since 2009. At first this was a way to share what they were learning, as there was so little information available online at the time. Gradually a community of like-minded folk have joined Liz on her social media pages. Sometimes it can be hard to find these people among the many who are happy to just buy everything they need and never think to make it. It’s nice to know that you’re not the only one who would rather make, grow, mend and make-do than mindlessly consume.