THE PADDOCK ECO VILLAGE

Create the sustainable home – and lifestyle – of your dreams in a truly inspirational setting.

Our Vision

Our vision is to create a new standard for sustainable living that fosters a sense of community and closer connection to nature. 

The Paddock eco village is, and will be, a beautiful place to live for people who enjoy a green lifestyle.

Residents enjoy high levels of comfort in customised, architect-designed homes in a peaceful bushland setting only 1.4 kilometres from the centre of Castlemaine. Houses range in size from 2 to 4 bedrooms, occupying sites between 84 to 120 square metres including a private front and back garden. Homes are highly energy efficient, with energy ratings up to 8.7 which, when the 4.2kW or more of solar is added, not only keeps running costs low but means that each property produces more energy than it uses.    

A significant part of the total land will be dedicated to shared food gardens, orchards, planted wetlands, small wetlands and native gardens. Car parking is limited to the perimeter, close to the back of each house, creating a central garden area that is both safe and serene.

A walking track already connects the property with nearby bush and provides quick access into the centre of town, the train station (with regular services to Melbourne and Bendigo) and nearby schools. 

The Paddock eco village offers an outstanding sustainable lifestyle close to the heart of one of Victoria’s most dynamic regional centres.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

The Paddock eco village has been developed in accordance with the philosophy of the Living Building Challenge, a rigorous, inspiring standard for housing developments.

 (1) Sense of community

Shared gardens

Abundant vegetable gardens, terraces, orchards and native landscapes will be created for the benefit of residents and their visitors. Footpaths winding between the gardens will connect people with their homes, neighbours and nature. There will be the opportunity for each household to grow their own in the community vegetable garden and enjoy delicious organically-grown produce. 

Community centre

The layout and features of the community centre were discussed at the Stage 1 workshops, helping the project team to integrate new expectations  and ideas. These included a meeting and leisure area and a laundry and kitchen for community events, all on the ground floor. 

Further ideas that have been incorporated from the workshops are
- The 2nd storey now operates as a B&B, independently with toilets, kitchenette and private access and is listed by Air b&B.
- the building has been extended to accommodate more people and it includes a disabled toilet and more storage space.
- the communal laundry has been relocated and is now connected to external clothes lines.

Electric vehicle charging

All houses will have EV charging connection to 15A power and a very fast charger is only a kilometre away..

Shared sheds 

Rather than each household needing to obtain and store their own gardening tools, a shared shed will be built and stocked with tools that everyone can use.
The shed will include workshop and storage space.  

Architectural diversity

The dwellings follow a natural curve in the shape of a semi-circle. House sizes are mixed, with four bedroom homes next to 2BR and 3BR ones, creating a sense of diversity and greater design interest.

An inclusive, welcoming lifestyle

Residents are free to live as they choose, engaging as much or as little, as they like with the community aspects of life at The Paddock. Due to the range of housing available, it is anticipated that The Paddock will attract everyone from young families and couples to single people, the disabled and the elderly. Pets will be welcome at The Paddock, as long as they are well-managed by their owners.  

Hassle-free maintenance

General day-to-day maintenance on shared buildings, gardens and facilities is being managed by residents, with occasional casual employment of a gardener. When solar export income and income from the B&B are taken into account, the cost of running the Owners Corporation is very low compared with most other Owners Corporations.

Owners Corporation rules

(2) Smarter living 

Architect-designed

Each home at The Paddock is architect-designed with the internal layout customised to meet the requirements of each homeowner, including those with a disability. The style is minimalist and contemporary, with lots of natural light and large windows overlooking the gardens and surrounding bushland. Natural construction materials including timber and recycled brick are used to create a consistent ‘look’ that reflects the bark of the native trees of the area.  

Building houses that ‘really work’ is what The Paddock is about. The result is beautiful light-filled homes that are individual, extremely comfortable, and make the best possible use of the available space. 

Energy efficient

The Paddock’s Stage 1 houses, on average, have an 8.1 energy star rating (varying from 7.9 to 8.3, depending on the number of windows, skylights etc). based on the National House Energy Rating Scheme. Compared to the average new home built in Victoria with a 6 star rating, houses at The Paddock require far less electricity for heating and cooling.  In fact, solar exports are exceeding actual energy consumption. (See Renew magazine #153 2020).

A comfortable temperature range is maintained in each home for much of the year using natural sources of heating and cooling, such as the sun and breezes. This has been achieved by orientating each home appropriately on its site, double glazing, insulation and careful design of the building envelope (i.e. roof, walls, windows and floors). The benefits are huge in terms of increased comfort, lower heating and cooling bills and reduced CO2 emissions. 

Solar on every home

Solar is big at The Paddock!  Each house – regardless of size – will have over 4kW of solar panels and the shared community building has the same. Clean energy powers all aspects of life. In fact, more electricity is produced annually than is used by residents (from grid and solar sources), with excess clean energy fed back into the grid. Hot water and space heating are powered by electric heat pumps. Each home has a split system for heating and cooling. There is no gas connection as The Paddock will be all-electric.  

Fast, reliable internet

Each home is connected to the National Broadband Network (NBN), making home working, or simply downloading a movie, fast and easy.

Minimal waste

Organic waste is re-used on site for composting and as poultry feed. Recycling facilities are provided to reduce the amount of rubbish going off-site. Currently the 8 houses in Stage 1 are putting out only one waste bin and one recycling bin per week. The early predictions of the local Council were that we would need one of each PER HOUSE.

Increased water self-sufficiency

Using six large water tanks, rainwater is collected to meet the majority of residents’ needs while respecting the water needs of neighbours and the site’s ecosystem. This reduces the running costs andwill provide greater resilience in the case of water shortages.  

Lower energy bills

The 16 panels of solar on each house is insulating people from rising electricity prices and is resulting in power bills being very low. On top of that, the decision to forego the direct use of all fossil fuels, will means that rapidly rising gas prices will are having no direct impact on residents. 

 (3) Healthy lifestyle

Community vegetable garden and orchards

Growing your own is becoming a much-loved way of life for everyone at The Paddock. Ultimately at least 30% of the total site area will be dedicated to food growing. Timber-framed wicking beds are being supplied for each home and located in a central area in the style of a community garden. Each household is able to use these beds to grow the vegetables, fruit and herbs they enjoy, whilst saving up to 90 percent of the water normally used on vegetable gardens. There will also be orchards planted with fruit trees known to do well locally, such as apples, plums, nectarines, quinces, cherries, figs and peaches.

Cars less dominant

Cars park on the outer perimeter of The Paddock, close to houses, creating an outdoor environment that will be safe for children to play, quieter and more relaxing for residents. Dedicated bike spaces are being built for each home and for visitors.  

Connected to bush

Nearby walking and cycling tracks, including through the rear of the adjacent property, provide a pleasant way to enjoy the nearby bushland and surroundings. A dirt track takes you down Crag Street and into light bush and, going the other way, a one kilometre walk or bike-ride down Reckleben St and Chapmans Rd takes you to a bush track beside the Castlemaine Maldon steam railway line. You can walk or ride to Maldon and catch the train home.

Close to town centre

The Paddock is 1.4 kilometres from the centre of Castlemaine, yet feels a world away due to its peaceful bush setting. The Castlemaine train station is also only 1.4 kilometres away, with regular services to Melbourne and Bendigo. The closest primary school is 1 kilometre away.

 (4) Beauty & spirit

Landscape-designed

Each home has a private front and back garden which is landscape architect-designed and includes a decking area made of natural hardwood timber. 

The shared gardens will also be landscape architect-designed with beautiful sloping terraces where the vegetable wicking beds will be situated. Winding pathways will meander between the gardens, orchards, the natural wetland area and the bush, connecting people with their neighbours and the natural beauty of the surroundings.

Connected to nature - biophilia

Bringing nature into human-made spaces is one of the fundamental design principles at The Paddock. Intuitively, we know we feel better when we are close to nature. This is backed by research showing that homes designed in this way lead to an increased sense of well-being.

Wherever possible, nature is being incorporated into the design of each home through:

• long views down the valley

• large windows overlooking gardens and bush

• clever use of natural light to ensure homes feel sunny and bright, even in winter

• well-thought-out airflows to control temperature variation

(5) Extending natural habitats

Planting program

To increase habitat diversity, an extensive planting program is being undertaken to reintroduce more native plants to the site, including grasses, wildflowers and indigenous herbs. Mini orchards of fruit trees will also be planted. 

More bushland

For each hectare of development, an equal amount of land away from the project site will be purchased and set aside in perpetuity via an approved land trust organisation. 

‘Green payback’ 

The CO2 emissions generated by the building work and materials will be offset by a one-off payment by the Barrett family to a carbon bank.