The Blue Mountains Steiner School Board, represented by Principal Martin Buckmaster are the owners of Blue Mountain Steiner School, a property situated in Hazelbrook, New South Wales. The property is a school that sits within bushland and backs onto Blue Mountains National Park and is unfenced. Around 70 percent of the land has native tree cover, with productive food gardens situated in the area around the classrooms. The children’s play areas are within bushland, and this is rotated every few years to allow regeneration from trampling and cubby making. Current work being carried out at the school includes native revegetation on the “knoll” which is the highest point of the school, with large rocks, and some erosion issues. This area has been recognised as being of importance to local indigenous people, and is revered within the school, and used mainly for meditation.
The property spans 2.5 hectares and is comprised of Dry Sclerophyll Forest predominantly the plant community types of Sydney Hinterland Yellow Bloodwood Woodland, Blue Mountains Low Heathy Woodland and Sydney Hinterland Peppermint Apple Forest.
Creekways also exist down the back of the property. Future intentions of the property are guided by the school board and wider school community’s deep commitment to conservation of the school’s land. The school teach the skills of land stewardship through gardening and revegetation projects starting in kindergarten, as well as appreciating indigenous wisdom, words, stories and practices relating to the land and its fauna and flora.
The property provides habitat for a range of species including bird life, snakes, lizards, frogs and even a long-neck turtle.
