Well as Christmas enveloped the shores of Eco Beach this December 25th, there wasn’t a snowman in sight.  Like most other celebratory Australians though, we did hang up some of the rather incongruous snowy decorations – snowflakes, sleighs and snow covered angels!  But the Kimberley bush flora and ocean flotsam and jetsam which adorned our tables, somehow seemed more fitting.  After all, Eco Beach, on the edge of WA’s coast, really is closer to Mother Nature than Santa and his sleigh ……and far far removed from the mayhem of the pre-Christmas craziness that engulfs our cities.  As one who has braved this materialistic madness, let me tell you, I know where I’d rather be.

To reflect on the true meaning of Christmas – birth, renewal, love and giving, a time when miracles happen – you really need the head space.  Yes, we ate a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, but we were also able to gaze out to sea and marvel at the small natural wonders that Mother Nature ‘presents’ us -  two new Osprey chicks learning to fly, a colourful family of Harlequin beetles resting in a joyous cluster on a nearby leaf, the prospect of turtles nesting on our shores on Christmas night…maybe even some hatchlings emerging the next morning…….

We laughed a lot and reflected on another great year at Eco Beach, in contrast to the rather turbulent year experienced by the wider world.  Tucked away in a very safe, untainted corner of the world, we counted our blessings.

The next morning, as we began to “batten down the hatches” for the cyclone season ahead, I had a quiet word with Mother Nature to please spare our beautiful resort from wild wet season winds.  I think I heard her whisper back her reassurances – you could call it a little Christmas magic!

Eco Beach will be closed from January 9, 2012 until April 1 2012.  But not before a New Year’s Eve celebration with a theme to honour Mother Nature and her gift to us of the stunning Cape Villaret coastline – “When the land meets the sea”.  Happy New Year fellow Eco Beach lovers. We look forward to seeing you in 2012.

My inspiration for this blog came from an article written by Michael Leunig for The Age newspaper.  Follow the link: http://www.theage.com.au/national/bush-christmas-with-butterflies-and-child-20111223-1p8pf.html#ixzz1hjLvUVJf

It’s always good for business to get some ‘high flyers’ come and stay at your resort or dine at your restaurant .  Eco Beach was graced with the eminent presence of the Eagles football team for 3 nights last week.  The entire playing squad and coaching staff ‘flew’ in to nest in our Eco Villas, train on our endless stretches of white sand beach and attend leadership and ‘game style’ workshops in our ‘Dragonfly Sanctuary’ conference room.   With no-one else to disturb them, they achieved their goals of some close team bonding, intensive, uninterrupted training and some well-earned respite.

Now, football teams…well some players of football teams…. can suffer some bad media wraps, but Eco Beach staff were more than impressed with the conduct of these young men.  They reported (amongst ‘hot bods’) – beautiful manners, friendly dispositions and said the boys were so dedicated to their sport and form that they even declined the croissants and other pastries at breakfast!  Such will power.  Oh and no alcohol to boot!

The boys were allowed to play a little too!  They enjoyed a fishing competition (won by Mark LeCras), kayaking, stand-up paddle-boarding, bush walking and even yoga!  I mean surely they’d have to stretch those (lovely) hammies!  The team completed their stay with some “Mud ‘n Fun” (no “Mud ‘n Bubbles” for these elite athletes!) – a therapeutic, team bonding experience, which saw them cover themselves in healing mangrove mud, then close their eyes and be wooed by the sounds of the ocean and nature.  Can you picture them – covered in mud laying in a circle (heads in) on a remote stretch of beach on the edge of the Indian Ocean, on the edge of Australia?  Quite a sight to behold. You’d never see a Sea Eagle take time away from the nest and fishing to chill like this.  Well done West Coast Eagles.

As always, Eco Beach is all about giving guests – high flyers or not – a holiday with a difference.   I think the Eagles left with a few good stories to tell.

In the last few months we’ve been bombarded with campaigns with strong messages to help conserve our planet – National Recycling Week, Conservation Week, Great Northern Clean Up Weekend, WA Beach Clean Up Weekend…….

At Eco Beach we rate ourselves as pretty good recyclers, but there are people out there taking recycling to a whole new level.  I mean they are making whole houses out of recycled materials.  Take for example the ‘Earthship’ – a radically sustainable home built mostly from old tyres, powered by the sun and wind.  The tyres are filled with compacted earth to form rammed-earth brick walls.  Aluminium can and glass bottle walls also feature in Earthship homes.   Earthship “biotecture” makes use of the by-products of modern civilisation that are accessible to common people (e.g. bottles, cans, tyres) – products that require minimal energy to be transformed into usable building materials.  Check out these homes that work in harmony with the earth.

Oh, and then there’s the creative art of “upcycling”, where trash-obsessed artists create inspiring art from rubbish.  Artist HA Schult’s “trash people”, created from crushed cans, computer parts and other significant refuse, offer a powerful message.  They are designed to be a reflection of human beings – as humans, we create trash and therefore are becoming trash.  These “trash people” travel the world to prominent world cities in places as far-flung as the Arctic.  They invite us to take a look at ourselves and reflect on how we can reduce our ecological footprint.

Now this invention will strike a chord with most people, just  because it’s SO whacky! Theo Jansen, a physicist, turned artist in the Netherlands, is creating wind-powered beach animals that roam Holland’s sand dunes.  One of his creations –  Animaris Percipiere – has a stomach made out of recycled plastic bottles containing air that can be pumped up to a high pressure by the wind.  This whacky innovation really deserves a look.

On our own shores, we have clever companies like The Flat Bottle Company,  founded in Broome, making clocks and cheese platters from flattened recycled bottles.  Bring out the Brie please!

Of course we can’t forget our own original Eco Beach.  70% of the original retreat was built from recycled materials such as old railway sleepers and telegraph poles.  All timber for the walkways was recycled, salvaged from Lord McAlpine’s former Pearl Coast Zoo in Broome.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.

I just love the quote ” You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” (Mahatma Gandhi – pre-eminent leader  of Indian nationalism).  We could all do with being more environmentally conscious  locally, to make a difference globally.

Now I know statistics can be boring, but you have to admit, they’re always good for putting things into perspective.  Listen up – you’re in for a quick lesson.  ”Clean Up the World 2011″ took place in September 2011.  This simple, effective environmental campaign  is the largest annual worldwide volunteer event.  It  attracts 35 million volunteers in 130 countries each year!  The idea was brought to life by Australian Yachtsman, Ian Kiernan and began in Australia’s most famous backyard, Sydney Harbour, in 1989.  Kiernan made it a national event in 1990 and a world event in 1993.  Top effort!

Eco Beach joined the event this year with a coastal clean up focus.   Our world oceans contain 97% of all living matter and produce 45% of Earth’s oxygen.  Worth caring for wouldn’t you say.  After all, it’s ” Our Place, Our Planet, Our Responsibility” ( the 2011 theme for “Clean Up the World”).  In Australia alone, 77 of our marine species are regularly impacted by marine debris – 20 of which are already listed as “endangered”!

Now this would have to be the ultimate test of character – you’re on holiday and the retreat you’re staying at asks if you want to help clean up the beach.  Mmmm…..you take in the question, pause and silently debate – “should I recline on my beach deck chair this afternoon with cocktail in hand or should I collect rubbish?”

Well, 4 guests dedicated to making an environmental difference, put down their cocktails for 1 hour and collected over 6 bags full of rubbish, including over 40 plastic bottles!  A truly self-sacrificing act for Eco Beach and indeed the planet wouldn’t you agree?!

Eco Beach has an ongoing commitment to clean beaches with a weekly  “Coastal Care Walk” open to guests and staff who don’t mind spending  an hour collecting coastal rubbish.  All refuse data is sent to Tangaroa Blue Ocean Care Society and debris is sorted into recyclable and returnable items.

“Making a Difference” – isn’t that what it’s all about these days?  Whether it be putting a smile on someone’s face via a small act of kindness, recycling paper or going for the extreme act of collecting rubbish on holiday…..if we all contribute, imagine what a happier, cleaner world we could live in.   Go on – make a difference.

Interested to find out more? Click to find out more information about our eco credentials and eco accommodation.

When you pack your bags for Eco Beach, you can cast your shoes aside – you really won’t need them.  Especially for this weekend.  November 4th to 6th is  Barefoot Weekend.  Eco Beach is celebrating all its activities that can be done with barefeet.  And with a ‘back to nature’, ‘life stripped bare’  focus, that’s pretty much everything.

Have you tried Supping yet?  That’s Stand Up Paddle-boarding.  The Hawaiians started it back in the 1950s, modern Hawaiians have revived it and now it’s taking the aquatic sporting world by storm!   Some say it’s the biggest thing to hit our shores since surfboards 50 years ago.  And at Eco Beach, you don’t need to worry about a surfing ‘code of conduct’ either – you’ll have the Indian Ocean all to yourself.  I’m a barefoot windsurfer by trade, but I’m a supping convert now!  It’s an even more relaxing, peaceful way to enjoy the ocean. It’s a great way to get intimate with the marine life too.  You can sneak up on turtles, stingrays and fish before they even know you’re there. And if it’s a ’6 pack’ ab look you’re after, this is the sport for you! It demands core abdominal strength to balance and twist from side to side as you paddle.  It’s such a balanced package of kicking back and body toning all at the same time.  So serene, it’s almost spiritual.  If you prefer, you can explore the ocean sitting down -  in a sea kayak.  It’s an equally serene way to get around.

Other barefoot activities to tick off your list are: complimentary yoga each morning, sipping chilled sparkling champagne on your private deck or on the beach, swimming in the  signature infinity pool, beach fishing and meditation at the caves.  For a real blast of a barefoot experience, try the “Mud ‘n Bubbles” tour.  After a sand exfoliation, release your inner warrior as you cover yourself from top to toe in revitalising, healing mangrove mud.  Wash it off in the ocean and then wash down the experience with a glass of bubbly.  It’s all about letting your inhibitions go, bonding, pure fun and relaxation. Eco Beach guests rate this barefoot experience as their favourite.  I’d have to agree.

Maybe you want less action and a barefoot beach stroll, beach picnic and ocean swim will do just fine.   If you’re an Imelda Marcos type person, such wild abandonment will test your resolve to remain barefoot, but you can don a pair of special shoes to wear to dinner if you really have to!

For more details on the Barefoot Weekend at Eco Beach, follow the link to November Events http://www.ecobeach.com.au/events-calendar.php

In this changing world, it’s really important to take time out and work out who you are and where you’re heading.  It could be a spiritual journey with a pilgrimage up a sacred mountain or it might just be a reality check in your own backyard.  Eco Beach recently took some time out to “find itself”.  And let’s face it, it didn’t have to go far to find a stunning beach to lay on and do some quiet thinking on the journey to self discovery.  In fact, it got very clever and sent a couple of trusty envoys across the waters to Broome to conduct a customer survey.   The little eco retreat wanted an answer to the big life question “to change or not to change”?

The answer was quickly evident – “to change”.  Everyone – single, couple, family or group –  wants to holiday at “one of the world’s most remarkable destinations”, but more economically and with greater self-sufficiency.  So….drum roll……Eco Beach is very happy to announce to the tourism world that self-catering is now an option.  It’s all about choices.   As if we don’t have enough in today’s world!

Self catering accommodation in Broome is now an option for all our guests. All ‘Eco Villas‘ now have everything you need to cook up and eat a holiday storm: tableware, cooking utensils, microwave, toaster, kettle, bar fridge and shared barbeque.  If you’re in an Eco Tent, you can also play chef with an esky and the use of a shared self-catering tent. The ‘tent scullery’ has cooking utensils, microwave, single hotplate, kettle, fridge space and barbeque.  Picnic sets are also available.

And to top it off, you can choose to dine with others at the outdoor barbeque areas or dine alone in the comfort of your air-conditioned villa or if you’re in a tent – on your private deck, close up to Mother Nature.

And if you want a night (or a week!) off cooking, Eco Beach’s signature bar and restaurant, ‘Jack’s’ is still open, boasting the freshest seasonal ingredients, mostly from Chef Kenneth’s organic gardens.  Oh and beer, wine and cocktails to boot!

Eco Beach Broome is now about “something for everyone”.