Join us for two weeks of deep design learning and doing!

Oct 4th – 16th, 2026, Nipaluna/Hobart

This Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) has been structured so you get to design your own property of choice, plus a local landscape. This provides you the opportunity to test and practice permaculture designing in a range of contexts with the support of experienced designers and practitioners right at your side to step you through it all.

SOLD OUT: Pop your name here and we’ll be in touch if a place opens up

This is a non-residential course with full catering. Classes run from 9am – 5pm each day with some optional evening homework. There’s one rest day on Saturday 10th October.

I loved this course. It hasn’t just changed my outlook on life – it’s changed my life (Anita).

THIS COURSE COVERS…

• Permaculture ethics & principles
• Design theory and practical application
• Systems thinking
• Patterns understanding
• Water management, in the home and in the land
• Soil health: How to improve and maintain it
• Cropping systems: food production, seed saving and integrated pest management
• Alternative economics
• Energy systems
• Social permaculture
• Food forests
• Sustainable building design
• Plus more!

Just wonderfully fun. So well coordinated (always on time, always organised), experience of a lifetime, truly life changing. Thank you so much (Nysha).

WHO IS THIS PDC FOR?

This PDC is for farmers, perennial renters, community development workers, sustainability officers, university students, students of life, market gardeners and big thinkers. Permaculture is relevant and useful to you whether you’re working in the paddock or in the office, you’ll become equipped with thinking tools to design properties *and* the life you’ve always wanted!

WHAT THE PDC IS NOT…

First and foremost, the PDC is a design course. It is not a hands on course where you actively get to grow food/garden, build a house or ferment food… This means that while we will touch on the above topics, we will not focus on teaching you the practical skills for each one. Rather, we’re committed to teaching you foundation knowledge for each topic so you can create designs which are integrated, appropriate and darn clever.

STUDENTS RECEIVE…

• Delicious and nutritious vegetarian catering from FoodKind
• Course resources
• Field trips to local properties featuring clever design in action
• A one year membership to Permaculture Australia
• A whole bunch of new permaculture friends and networks

YOUR CORE TEACHING TEAM

Brenna Quinlan who’s regarded as one of the country’s leading sustainability educators, and she can often be found speaking and teaching at Australia’s biggest sustainability festivals and events. She has ridden a second-hand bicycle from Canada to Panama and taught permaculture across South America and Australia. Brenna is the paintbrush behind the Costa’s Garden series of children’s books with Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis. She also draws for the likes of the United Nations, the Australian Red Cross, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program, and CSIRO. Brenna co-runs Grow Do It Permaculture Education, a project focused on bringing climate solutions to kids (and their grown ups) through art, music and creativity. Brenna lives in a strawbale house that she built from reclaimed materials on Bibbulmun Menang boodja, in an intentional community in Denmark, Western Australia.

..

Jonathan Cooper is a professional market garden, permaculture designer and doer. Based in  Meanjin/Brisbane, he’s lived, gardened and farmed both in the subtropics and cool temperate Lutruwita/Tasmania – meaning he’s got lots of experience to offer! In particular he’s a whiz at designing, implementing and maintaining edible landscapes. With training and a background in teaching and small business management and just being an all round top bloke, he offers a holistic and unique perspective to working with people and landscapes – he’s a wonder to learn from. You can spy on what he’s up to over here.

.

Plus a stella line up of guest teachers! 

• Please note, Hannah Moloney is not teaching, however she will be present on day one of the course to help welcome you and you get to go to her garden on the field trip day :-). 

Thanks for being awesome! Thanks also for the shared life-experiences/knowledge of the teachers. One thing that really stood-out for me was the “people care” of the students, and everyone really, throughout the two weeks. I have never before experienced this in the many workshops, courses and places of learning/study that I have attended. My wish is that such a thing becomes the “normal” way of being – YEAH!

VENUE

We’re holding this course at the Sustainability Learning Centre at 50 Olinda Grove, Mt Nelson, Hobart. Please note, there is no camping allowed onsite.

ONE FULL SCHOLARSHIP ON OFFER!

In the spirit of fair share, we’re offering one full scholarship to a lucky someone. The person we give this scholarship to will be someone who doesn’t have spare cash to do the course and who plans on using the PDC to build community resilience in their region – not just their personal home. This has now closed. 

CATERING

We have the wonderful FoodKind providing nutritious and delicious vegetarian food throughout the course. These folks cater for a large range of dietary needs with their wholesome, locally sourced and organic food where possible.

ACCOMODATION

If you’re travelling from interstate please note there is no camping allowed onsite. You’re best to look for options through Airbnb.

WHY STUDY WITH US?

We are Tasmania’s expert permaculture education provider, committed to facilitating meaningful and high quality learning processes for our students. We have REALLY applied our heads, hearts and hands to create this course to be one of the best permaculture adult education experiences available.

Our teachers are amongst the most experienced and passionate in Australia. You will always have at least one professional permaculture designer/practitioner on site at all times.

We are committed to ensuring our students are equipped with the best start possible to being competent and effective designers and practitioners.

We feed your mind with a huge array of top quality content. We also feed your body with delicious and nutritious food for the whole course. Where possible we source local and organic foods to support Tasmanian growers and producers.

Upon completion of the course, you’ll be on your way to gaining the skills to being a professional permaculture designer (if this interests you) and continue studying towards your permaculture diploma, anywhere in the world. Cool hey!

PAYMENT PLAN OPTION

If you’d like to establish a payment plan so you can pay the course fee over a period of months we’re very happy to work with you to create that. We ask that people purchase the non-refundable “Deposit” option below and then contact us to set up this plan prior to the course so that the fee is paid in full before the PDC commences. Please contact us to organise details.

CANCELLATION POLICY & COVID-19

We ask that you give us two weeks notice if you choose to step out of the course; we’ll provide a refund, minus the deposit fee. Alternatively, you can pass your place onto a friend or family member or choose to use this as credit towards one of our future courses.

Please note, this workshop will be run in accordance to Covid-19 guidelines recommended at the time. If you are unwell with flu like symptoms we ask you to please not attend the workshop – contact us beforehand to discuss options.

If we have to cancel the course before it starts due to Covid-19 or any other reason, we’ll provide a refund, minus the deposit fee which will be used towards covering unavoidable costs.

SOLD OUT: Pop your name here and we’ll be in touch if a place opens up