Local business Pilliga Pottery has made a complete transition to solar power and is investigating further renewable energy options.
Maria Rickert has been running her pottery tourist attraction in the Pilliga forest for the last 30 years and was one of the first in the district to go off the grid. The eco-friendly nature of the business and lower energy costs have allowed Pilliga Pottery to expand over the years.
“To begin with we just made some pottery and sold it to Sydney, and then more people started coming to browse so we stopped selling wholesale and started catering for the local market where people bought pottery directly from us,” Maria Rickert explained.
“People were then wanting to stay a bit longer, have a cup of coffee so we developed the café, and that was running well so we built up accommodation which can now take 60 people a night.
“We have five guest houses and they’re all built with alternative building materials such as mud brick and sawdust bricks.”
Pilliga Pottery now caters for up to 7000 visitors each year, and the solar power infrastructure is holding up despite the increasing tourism activity.
“We have one of the biggest privately owned solar systems in Australia, we live off the grid, we’re not connected to any electricity,” he said.
“Because we came from Europe we were so much more aware of the new technology and the options available.
“Our own business is proof that we can run the café, the machinery shed, five guest houses and six private cottages on solar power with a generator as back up and we don’t use the generator often.
“It is absolutely possible to do and I think renewable energy is the future.”
Pilliga Pottery is also currently trialling the capture of thermal energy through buildings, a practice already being used in Germany to heat houses. Maria is also focusing on organic, locally produced food and has installed a greenhouse to grow fruit and vegetables for the restaurant.
“It’s a lifestyle that more people are choosing, to live organically, to support local products, it’s a strong movement and people are aware of good food, wine and alternatives,” Maria said.
“People from the cities often feel enriched by the bush and realise that it is a big part of Australia and part of their being.”