Kirra Community Plan & Map

The Kirra plan is a two-part plan. Initially a short transitional plan creating the basic accommodation and services to a long-term permanent local and national community focused plan.

Phase 2, the long term plan has now commenced. See the Power and Water plan together with biodigester gas collection infrastructure with road surfacing to start the next phase of the project.

Short Transitional Plan

The essential services and accommodation requirement was immediate from day-one. However, this was just the first step. All the essential services were established in the first 14-days. The water needs were met gradually over the first 90-days. All essential services had been completed as initial projects within the first 100-days.

KIRRAutility (Ku) have completed the initial solar farm installation. The solar farm is producing ample energy for the provision of lighting, refrigeration, computing and other necessities that we as modern humans have come to take for granted. The production is around 8 kWh  - 10 kWh per day and there is existing storage for 19.44 kWh (405 Ah at 48 v) with another 13.44 kWh (280 Ah at 48 v) coming on-line before the end of summer, for a total of 32.88 kWh of storage. This cumulative storage is to allow the community to continue operations during extended inclement weather events or a string of poor solar production days.

The initial 9,600-litre water storage and rainwater capture systems are in place and functioning. As at the 2nd of December 2022, all the tanks are full to overflowing after the recent 35.4 mm of rain that poured down over a 30-hour period. This is great as it provides a degree of water security as summer approaches. The captured water is broken into 2 categories, fresh and recycled. There are 7,600 litres of fresh and 2,000 litres of recycled water storage which is used on the gardens and for the toilet.

By the end of February 2023, this had been expended by another 10,000 litres. Bringing the total water storage capacity for fresh harvested rainwater to 17,000 litres.

By the end of February 2024, the entire community space had its road accesses defined and created, together with the community spaces, gardens and special features like lake, food forest, and animal areas marked out. All the plots had been defined and marked out and the majority of roads had been built.

During this process we were fortunate to discover a seasonal creek on the property which leads directly to the lake through plot #9. We kept this feature and highlighted it as a boundary to the community space, and built bridges to span the creek. Very exciting. :-)  Check it out!

Long-Term Community Plan 

The Long-Term community plan is the creation of two hamlets one to the north, and one to the south of the main farm area which is shaped like a "Boomerang" and faces due East, at the apex of the farm is a centralised community space called the "Town Centre". The Town Centre will house the main community facilities such as toilets, bathing and laundry together with the KIRRAmaker (Km) space complex encompassing KIRRAkitchen (Kk) and other community spaces all under one 324 square metre enclosed roofed area. This Town Centre complex will demonstrate passive solar design and the various natural building techniques, such as rammed earth, earth bag, log and timber (post and beam), straw bale and other techniques.

The North and South hamlets are comprised up to 18 quarter acre living blocks (for a total of four acres) surround 2 three-quarter acre of vegetable, herb and other apothecary gardens (for a total of one and a half acres), and to the left of the living spaces is a 2-acre lake, the animal area and a 2-acre food forest and orchard. The food forest is significant for two reasons, the first is the food it provides, but it also provides a place for a community project called "The Garden of Memories". Community members will be able to celebrate the lives of people, both living and deceased, that have shaped their lives, in either positively and negatively ways to enable them to remember and deal with those traumas or issues or lost loves, family, friends or life in general. Each food forest tree is memorialized with a plaque and given the name of the person to remember.

Some of the living blocks are reserved for community visitors and guests. These are highlighted in the plan below as blue. The yellow blocks are for full-time community members.

3 years later... - updated 24/06/2025

As the 3 year anniversary approaches, there has been a flurry of ongoing activity which has seen the plan for the community space come to fruition.

What was once just a dream, has happened. The two hamlets are now defined with roads and some plots fenced. Members are moving in. 

North Hamlet Garden (NHG)

The North Hamlet Garden (NHG) is about 1/2 cleared, and the Amenities block for Plots #2, #3, #3a, #4, #6 has started and is progressing along nicely. Designed with a full bathroom, and another separate toilet we have also added a pet wash station, and a veggie wash station to either side of the amenities block on either side. The bathroom has a shower, vanity, toilet, laundry tub, washing machine and an 8-stage drinking water filter system with UV purification.

There are also 2 x 3 m X 3 m sheds at the top of the NHG, we use these to store materials and tools for use in the NHG and community space.

Plot #3 has been divided into 2 plots of 32 m x 16 m specifically for some tiny homes that we are building. With an exceptionally small foot print of just 4 m x 2 m and without designated wet areas as they will use the NHG amenities block for bathing washing and water. We are excited to welcome our first guests to use these facilities.

Solar Plant

The original solar plant has expanded to a total of 44 kW of storage in a mixed chemistry array. We have added more panels, and are generating sufficient energy to power the plots and community facilities that are fed from the original plant through over and underground cables. The second solar plant has commenced, and we have purchased enough solar panels to create around 85 kW of solar power each day, with a target of storing 100 kW. Situated at the bottom of the NHG closest to the site of the Community Town Centre, from here the power breaks out to each of the plots using buried very large and heavy 120 mm quad core cable weighing several tonnes.

Roads

Nearly all the roads in the plan are complete, the only remaining roads are those caravan bays for plot #8, plot #9 and the lower section of "Maddie Lane" (formally Michelle Street), which is now complete to the top of plot #6. This is an adjustment on the map below joining Kirra Common Bypass to the top of Plot #18, replacing the road at the top of Plot #18. Fencing from plot #6 to the outside of the Animals and Livestock area will extend right up to apex of Kirra Common Bypass and then follow Kirra Common Bypass and Community Drive South back to plot #6. This will nearly double the animal enclosure.

Kirra Recycling Centre

The Recycling Centre is now complete and in use. Located between plot #5 and Kirra Common, to the right, basically at the property line, this facility allows members and visitors to dump sorted waste into bays for Cardboard and Paper, Mixed Plastics, Polystyrene, Tin and Steel, Glass, returnable 10 cent containers and usable steel and other metals. This demonstrates that Kirra is indeed a zero-waste place, as all this is reused in a number of ways to produce new materials, fuel, water proofing paints and sprays and compressed paper logs for burning.

Outdoor Kitchen

Our new outdoor kitchen located in Kirra Common is in full swing. With a new 6-star energy rated Fridge (consuming about 27 watts per hour) and a new 6-star energy rated chest freezer (consuming about 22 watts per hour) together with our beautiful outdoor kitchen BBQ and dual gas stoves and burners. All with seating for about 20 people and a new 44 gallon drum open fire place to keep the winter chill at bay. To compliment the outdoor kitchen is the 3 m X 3 m enclosed kitchen with a microwave and dishwasher, together this heater, fridge and pantry.

Food forest and Orchard

The start of the food forest and orchard now has a number of trees that are producing fruit. Recently, I enjoyed a mandarin and an orange. We have had more limes, strawberries and figs than we can eat.

Automated Bush Fire System

We have acquired the resources needed for the 12 automated bush fire stations (3,000 litres each and a 40 m reach, covering 80 m of fire front) that will be strategically positioned around the community space offering a degree of bush fire protection for members and homes. Each of these systems has a sacrificial WiFi sensor located about 80 - 100 m ahead of each fire fighting station in the surrounding bush. If that sensor looses communication, while it is in active mode, the water turret station will automatically engage, starting the 50 mm pump and empty 3,000 litres ahead of the fire in an 80 m arc within 9 minutes. It does all of this unmanned and automatically.

Walking Trails

Plans are currently underway to put in some walking trails around the property perimeter for people and pets to enjoy the property and go for walks.

Governance Rules and By-Laws

Our Governance Rules have continued to evolve specifically to deal with situations that weren't originally envisioned. This is a living document and will continue to evolve to suits the needs of the community and its members over time. We have also introduced the Kirra By-Laws to help members meet their expectations while on community property. All these documents are written in plain English. Membership applicants must ensure that they have read and understand these rules as part of the application process. The application process also has changed. Applicants must now undertake a phased approach to a membership. They need to earn their stripes, so to speak. Kirra commits a "forever home" to its members, and we want to make sure they are providing the same value to the community.

This sketch demonstrates the community layout and facilities within the community and their locations relative to each other. This image replaced the planned map, with the actual map of the community as it is today.

The Kirra road network is now 1,380m in length.