​Our Permaculture Design Course is your gateway to a world of sustainable possibilities.
'Take action and create the world you want'.
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Embark with us on a transformative 12-day journey (with an additional rest day) alongside renowned permaculture expert and educator, John Champagne. Drawing from vast and diverse experiences, John has conducted over 50 Permaculture Design Courses, in Australia and internationally. This immersive experience is enriched by a team of qualified and seasoned instructors deeply rooted in permaculture principles and the Australian permaculture community
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Our comprehensive program blends theory and hands-on learning, addressing the 72-hour PDC Certificate requirements. Delve into diverse topics, including climatic variations, landscape nuances, and effective problem-solving strategies. This course isn't just about meeting certification criteria though; it's a chance to discover a sense of balance in your hectic life.
Join us for an enriching face-to-face course that extends beyond the classroom. Throughout these 12 days, whether you decide to live onsite or join us daily, you'll not only acquire permaculture knowledge but engage in a supportive and vibrant community. Foster meaningful connections through group discussions and collaborative projects. The carefully crafted design exercises and practical applications empower you to immediately implement your newfound expertise.
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to carve out personal space in a fast-paced world. Immerse yourself in the world of permaculture, where learning is dynamic, questions are encouraged, and answers are readily available in a nurturing and friendly environment.
Features of the course
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Design Skills Focus
With 50 Permaculture Design Courses (PDC) completed, John has developed a course strucutre that culiminates in you working on the design of a property and practicing permaculture design techniques with some of the most experienced designers and practitioners to support you.
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You will learn from design to detail. We start with the principles of permaculture and how they can be used in all aspects of your life before moving to the detail – when, why and how to apply them ethics, principles and strategies is thoroughly covered.
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We have taught students across the world, from many cultures and bio-regions and we know that this solid grounding allows PDC graduates to return to their life confident in designing systems that work.​
You learn how to get your design onto paper from one of the leading permaculture designers in Australia. Aaron Sorensen is recognised for his exquisite and practical design work throughout Eastern Australia. With accredited design skills behind him, and teaching qualifications, as well as a strong artistic bent, he will teach you how to design no matter what the situation
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Great Teachers
All of our teachers have authentic, real life experience
​​​​​​​​​​John Champagne is with you from the beginning to the end of the course.
Our other teachers all have experience, enthusiasm and passion for permaculture. We are fortunate to have the likes of Aaron Sorensen, Thea Constantarids, Dean Turner,,Callum Champagne and Ben Buggy to draw from in our local area, as well as other guest teachers and site visit hosts
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All of our teachers are Permaculture Design Graduates who bring with them a wealth of real life experience in permaculture
Your teachers are more than teachers. They all have strong community involvement and connections built over many years of volunteering and passing on permaculture skills and knowledge for a diverse range of organisations in our communities -to us permaculture is more than a business.​
Creative teaching techniques are used throughout the course ensuring we meet the needs of different learning styles, the information is best retained and that each section of the course is new and exciting.
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Fully Immersive
"We are one of the few courses in NSW which offers the traditional, fully immersive Permaculture Design Certificate Course experience"
We offer face to face learning over 13 days on a 30 year old Permaculture Designed property.
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We believe that a fully immersive 13-day program is the best way to absorb the learning, as it provides a unique opportunity for bonding with others while empowering yourself .
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Site visits
We spend three days of seeing permaculture in action on site visits.
Everyone learns in different ways and and has different visions for their permaculture future. We know that visiting, talking to and experiencing the way others are 'doing' permaculture is the equivalent of "a picture is worth a thousand words".
Site visits are often identified as one of the highlights of the course.
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What we cover in our Permaculture Design Course
All Permaculture Design Courses are based on Bill Mollison’s book ‘Permaculture: A Designers Manual'.
At Brogo Permaculture Gardens we use this curriculum and also incorporate the work of David Holmgrean and Rosemary Morrow as well as our own experiences over nearly 30 years together with proven examples from around Australia and the world to demonstrate the effectiveness of permaculture.
Topics include:
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Origins, Development, Ethics & Principles of Permaculture
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Climate, water, soils & trees.
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Pattern Understanding
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Design Methods & tools for creative design and process.
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Food Production systems, urban to rural scale & animal integration.
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Aquaculture
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Appropriate Technology.
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Designing for different climatic zones & disaster mitigation strategies.
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Energy Efficient Housing & Eco-Village design.
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Bioregional & Local strategies for community resilience
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The course has a theoretical basis ( so bring your books and pens) which is supported by practical exercises and experiences (so bring your boots, hat and water bottles) and fun (so bring your sense of humour!)
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Cost
The price for the course is $2200 per person.
Earlybird bookings ( booked and deposit paid by 10th August 2025) will receive a discount of $200
Two or more people booking together will receive a reduction of $100pp which can be combined with the Earlybird reduction of $200pp if booking and deposit is recieved by 10th August 2025.
All final payments will be required by 7th September 2025- Payment Plans can be arranged, contact us to discuss.
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The investment includes a copy of Rosemary Morrows book "Earth Restorers Guide to Permaculture' valued at $75.
This price covers the following: breakfast, morning and afternoon teas and lunch.
Dinners are prepared by small groups of participants from food supplied by participants and staples at the property.
Accommodation costs are minimal and reflect the cost of setting up and maintaining facilities.
Options are bed in house (1 double bed available) , tentsite (bring all your own sleeping gear ), tentsite (tent provided bring all your own sleeping gear) , car/van site ( please contact about this due to size limitations)
Unfortunately dogs cannot be brought to the property.
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A deposit of $300 pp must be paid when booking and the final payment made by 7th September 2025 or earlier.
Accommodation and Catering
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If booking a camping site please choose between bringing your own gear or we can supply a tent. you will need to bring your sleeping gear etc.
If you want to bring a car or van to sleep in please contact us before booking detailing the siz and type of car/van you will be using. Caravans cannot use our driveway
Camping at Brogo Permaculture Gardens will allow you to fully immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the property. You'll wake up to stunning views each morning and be surrounded by the sounds of nature. It's the perfect setting to disconnect from the stress of everyday life and connect with the natural world.
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Facilities and accommodation will be basic at Brogo Permaculture Gardens, and we keep the numbers lower for this reason. Bathroom facilities are basic, and showering every day is discouraged - there will be showers available for limited use. Both the Brogo Dam and Brogo River are 10 minutes away to swim in.
A simple breakfast will be provided each day. Additional items for breakfast should be brought with you.
Morning teas, lunch and afternoon tea will be provided and coffees and teas are available all day.
Dinners will be prepared by small groups of participants from food supplied by participants.
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​Brogo Permaculture Gardens Refunds Policy
We appreciate that there can be legitimate reasons for plans changing and you may not be able to attend the course.
If you notify us :
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at least 60 days prior to the commencement of the course, your options are: a refund of your course fee, less an administration fee of $100 or a credit of the amount paid towards any future course organised by Brogo Permaculture Gardens
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30 days or less prior to the course commencing your options are: a 50% refund of the course costs (note that if you have paid less than 50% of the total course costs there will be no refund)​
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Refunds + credits are not available within 21 days of a course commencing.
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If we have to cancel for any reason a full refund will be paid.
We live permaculture....and have done for over 30 years