“to co-ordinate a community of persons living and working co-operatively on common property in a total creation environment of discovering, learning and perfecting modes of living, works of art, forms of communication, methods of awareness and skills of cultivation, craft and construction and sharing responsibility for the quality of all life”…
The Cultural Shift in 1973
In the Western world, the post WW2 generation grew up in peace & plenty despite a strong social undercurrent of conservatism, the USA-USSR Cold War and the threat of nuclear annihilation.
Then, in 1964, the USA became directly involved in Vietnam and military draft began of young men, who did not yet even have the right to vote. Australia followed suit.
Concurrently, many Australian young people also followed the example of American hippies in a back-to-the-land movement, experimenting with new and old building styles, as well as with marijuana, LSD and a host of new ideas for living and being.
At the end of 1972, the Whitlam government was elected, ending Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War and abolishing conscription.
In the atmosphere of change and hope that followed this, in May 1973 the Australian Union of Students held the Aquarius festival at the quaint rural village of Nimbin, which was then very run-down following the collapse of the dairy & banana industries and the cutting out of saw logs.
Aquarius Festival & The Birth of an Idea
The festival was an exposition of many of the new ideas attracting young people. There was a strong attraction for many to the ways of the pioneers and our grandparents, and a simpler, more sustainable, lifestyle.
New ideas about communal living and new building styles also abounded. These included everything from domes to grass huts and many more weird and wonderful structures.
Col James from Sydney Uni was an influential mainstream pioneer architect and supporter of new and radical buildings who provided inspiration to young architecture students – and we all had the wonderful inspiration provided by American publications ‘The Whole Earth Catalogue’ and ‘Shelter’.
Securing the Land
At the end of the festival Richard Neville chaired a workshop on starting ‘new communities’.
At the urging of Basil Hayter the baker, Tuntable Falls had already been inspected as a potential place to form a community.
A verbal option for $98,000, valid til September and witnessed by Basil, was given by the owner Sam McKay to Terry McGee, who then told others.
A meeting was organised on the hill overlooking the valley, where it was agreed that a co-operative be registered and that shares cost the famous $200 (equivalent to a 2020 value of approx $2,000).
Many future members were at that meeting including Gary Moore, Harry “Trucker” Anning and Paul Josef who led a musical group to tour universities to recruit more members.
Other people went to work to save their $200 and Terry went to the Sydney Registrar of Co-operatives to start an application. The Registrar’s office was amused, saying they’d heard stories about new ‘co-operatives’ and been ‘wondering when someone would come in”.
Forming the Co-operative
As Terry worked on the Co-op’s model Rules, including writing the “The Objects” quoted above, the Registrar recommended Vivienne Abrahams as a pro bono solicitor.
Vivienne was a Quaker & peace activist (who happened to live next to Terry’s grandmother) and she agreed to help.
There was soon a Formation Meeting in Sydney at the Bay Street studio of Bush Video, who had filmed the festival.
Terry, Michael Jacob, Tom Zubrisky, Vivienne, Vernon Treweeke & Rina Ioannou were there. Offices were set up in Sydney and Melbourne and the Nimbin Karavan spruiked the sale of shares as it travelled the country.
There was extensive advertising and articles in alternative magazines nationwide.
Council Approval & Negotiations
However the Registrar said he would not approve a co-op unless he had a strong indication that Terania Shire Council would approve its development.
So an application was made to the council and, with extra help from Basil, Sam & John Axtens, it was approved ‘in principle’ during August or September 73.
The Health Inspector, Wal Duckering, was crucial in assuring the Council that any housing issues could be dealt with, and was later part of the discussions that led to the ‘50 yard setback from a creek’ rule.
He also supported the hamlet and SROB concepts: Special Residency Occupancy Buildings, or ‘exploded houses’, which enabled separate small bedrooms to be built around a shared kitchen and bathroom facilities.
Purchase & Settlement
The Council approval made it seem a bit more real and Sam McKay came under pressure to break the (verbal) contract, which was about to expire.
With Basil’s honest broker support at another meeting, with Terry, Sam agreed to issue a formal contract but now wanted $104,000 (with more time to pay) and to keep his house and 50 acres until he died.
Getting the contract in writing may have also been a Registrar requirement.
At any rate, Vivienne tabled the proposed approval document at the Co-Op’s October meeting, which agreed to Sam’s new terms for the contract.
Early Days on the Land (1973–1974)
Before the Co-operative was registered on October 19th, we had received some $20,000 in $200s, but by the end of the October meeting weekend held over $50,000.
Shares kept coming in, but there was still a shortfall. Vivienne said she had a lender to cover the balance, without disclosing who it was, and in early December 1973 deeds were transferred and Co-ordination Co-operative Ltd took possession of the property (excluding Sam’s house and 50 acres), just a few weeks before one of the biggest wet seasons (1974) on record.
People moved onto the land in December 1973, with dozens squashed into the White House (now preschool) and other existing farm buildings, as well as tents & caravans.
Building Experiments & Survival
From the start there were some who envisaged completely communal housing and others who wanted to build their own houses.
The slogan to “build a dome a day” was severely compromised by the big wet of ’74, when the domes leaked badly and only two or three were built.
We did have an ambitious methane digester approved by council and the whopping holes for it, near the present school gardens, was a major work project each day until dear Norm, the engineer, died of snake bite.
There was little social welfare available at this time; no unemployment dole was available in the area and many people did seasonal work picking fruit or cotton.
The Hamlet System
The hamlet concept was promoted to ease overcrowding and maximise use of resources, as well as to maintain standards for communal toilet and greywater facilities.
Nearly all the members of hamlets ate together every night for the first few years, but gradually over the next 5 or 6 years the communal kitchens were used less and less.
Expansion of the Land
In 1978 CoCo also purchased the neighbouring Bosels & Davies properties, another 700 acres, bringing our homelands to 1700 acres.
Since then we have also purchased Walkers and Waterpark and we now caretake 1800 acres (728 hectares).
Legal Milestones & Challenges
One of the big events to impact our collective psyche was the big police raid (some 40 officers) at dawn on 12-08-1976 when 42 people were arrested and taken to Lismore in cattle trucks.
In the Supreme Court of NSW, the legality of the police search warrant was successfully challenged.
Formal Planning & Population Limits
In 1981 Lismore City Council amended development consent to allow a total population of 545.
Under later planning frameworks, this translated to approximately 136 house sites.
Rules, Values & Governance
Rules were adopted from the very early days of the Co-op to prevent chaotic development prejudicing the environment and community values.
These rules are the basis for discussion and approval or rejection of any proposed building at the monthly Tribal Meetings, open to all members.
SEPP 15 & Broader Impact
The SEPP15 legislation enabled Multiple Occupancies across NSW — a revolutionary move that legitimised communities like Tuntable.
Building the Community
Community facilities gradually developed, including:
- White House Pre-School (1979)
- Primary School (1981)
- Community Centre (formerly the shop)
- The Hall (completed mid-1980s onward)
- Fire Shed (1995)
These were largely built through volunteer labour, fundraising and Co-op resources.
Housing Policies & Compliance
Rules were introduced to prevent speculation and limit resale values to the value of improvements.
Later, council regulations required formal sewage systems, leading to widespread upgrades and compliance work across the community.
Relationship with Council
The Co-op maintained a diplomatic relationship with Council, with building plans approved through both Tribal Meetings and Council processes.
Over time, approvals became more complex and costly, placing more responsibility on individual members.
Reflection – 50 Years On
Over the past 50 years, hundreds of people have had the triumph of building their own home here and many more, probably thousands, have been able to enjoy the fruits of the labour of others and stay happily in this beautiful valley.
Building our community buildings, for many of us, has been as essential to building our sense of community as the original experimental shelters at the 73 Aquarius Festival were.
The landslide disasters of 2022 destroyed or damaged many individual homes here, but our community buildings in the valley were untouched and bear lasting testament to 50 years of work and fun.
Acknowledgement
NB: This document has been collated by Meg using information from Terry McGee, Sue Bingham, Ian Dixon, David Spain and herself – and while we have all done our best, we make no claim to its absolute veracity.