The Elder Tree - Herbal Education & Healing Centre
Donation protected
The Elder Tree is a not-for profit, non-government organisation with a core vision to empower people through grassroots herbal education and earth skills. In 2022 The Elder Tree will be building a herbal education centre and healing sanctuary on the Atherton Tablelands, Far North QLD.
We have started this crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds needed for setting up the not-for-profit business structure, putting a deposit down on land and for creating the initial infrastructure on the land.
The Elder Tree will offer:
Medicinal botanical gardens
Treatment rooms for herbalists, naturopaths, and other healing modalities
A temple space for ceremonies and circles
Extensive herbal gardens and a herbal nursery
A herbal apothecary and medicine-making space
Small cabins for hire for those attending retreats
Camping facilities
A primitive skills school
A herbal dispensary
The Elder Tree will have many zones that are available for hire for functions and events that align with the core vision.
There will be cottage businesses operating from the space, though all income generated by The Elder Tree is not-for-profit.
The Elder Tree will have a medicinal botanical garden, home to hundreds of medicinal plant species including native and rare plants. This will assist in securing the future availability of plants for healing in Australia.
Environmental impact:
Every step of the way will be done with consideration for environmental impact. We will have a zero tolerance policy for toxic substances and destructive chemicals. There will be a strong focus on sourcing and supplying materials and food locally and organically.
The Elder Tree will be self-sufficient in many ways. We will have bee hives for honey and beeswax, fruit and nut trees, vegetable garden and of course, an extensive medicinal herb nursery and gardens. We will harvest our own water from the earth; we will eventually be fully powered by renewable energy sources. We will promote custodianship and care for the earth, with full respect to and involvement with local indigenous folk.
Classes/Courses/Workshops:
At The Elder Tree, there will be the following education (and much more):
- Herbal self-sufficiency- how to grow and harvest herbal medicine
- Primitive skills- tanning, survival skills, wild plant identification etc
- Making herbal medicine
- Energetic/spiritual connection with the plants
- Ceremonies- eg cacao ceremonies
- Dance and music events
- An annual plant medicine national gathering
- Ongoing natural building workshops
- Other earth-based skills and natural lifestyle workshops, eg. fermentation, food, etc
- We will bring in herbal educators and life skills educators from around Australia, though we will always value local knowledge first.
There will be the opportunity for those attending these workshops etc, to camp on the land or rent small cabins. There will also be the opportunity to have 'herbalists in residence' and ongoing residential apprenticeships.
Who is this for?
The Elder Tree will be a place for people of all ages and all walks of life. We see it particularly suited for:
-Post-grad university students who have done their herbalism and naturopathy degrees and want to integrate the teachings with hands-on experience with the plants
-Those who want to connect to plant medicine from seed to harvest, to medicinal preparations
-Those wanting practical earth skills
-Those seeking to connect with a community that is centered around plant medicine
-Anyone seeking to deepen their connection to and knowledge of the earth and all her virtues
This dream is being brought to life by Laura Zhang and Tatiana Lustre Dawn (Twiggy), two herbalists on the Atherton Tablelands who have visioned this for many years. Laura has been a herbal practitioner for 12 years and Twiggy runs Alchemilla Herbals and is a herbal educator. We also have behind us a small team of dedicated folk and this team will grow over time. If you would like to be involved then please get in touch.
Our first step is to secure the land purchase with a deposit. Your donation will help greatly with this vital first step. For every $100 donation, you will receive a voucher of equal amount for future workshops and events at The Elder Tree. Thank you very much for your support for this unique and important creation. We intend for this to be a legacy for many generations to come.
If you would like to get involved with the project then email Twiggy and Laura on:
If you would like to contribute a monthly amount to this project you can do so here (even $5 per month would be wonderful):
Follow our journey on Facebook:
Organizer
Tatiana Lustre Dawn
Organizer
Evelyn QLD
