In our new sustainability series, we talk to Byron hinterland locals doing great things for our planet.  

Hemp Collective, run by Mullumbimby locals Maxine and Mike Shea, produce hemp hair, body and pet care products.

Their business is growing and it’s all down to changing consumer preferences. As Maxine explains, there's an increasing awareness of the benefits of hemp as well as growing consumer support for sustainable products and business practices.  

It was when Maxine was diagnosed with a pituitary brain tumour nearly nine years ago, the couple stumbled across hemp. 

“It’s a non-cancerous tumour but it sits on my pituitary gland.  It was causing depression, severe headaches, fluid retention and terrible fatigue. I just knew something wasn’t right,” Maxine said. 

“Long story short, within three months I had brain surgery. Once the mass was out, I was a hundred times better, but unfortunately it grew back quickly. Mike started researching natural therapies and we kept coming across hemp. We thought, 'what an amazing plant, it actually has the potential to heal me' and it was from there our journey with hemp really started. 

“We’d been living in Mike’s home country of New Zealand and holidaying in Mullum and Bruns for years. We wanted some downtime so I could focus on my health and thought it would be great to live in Mullum - we’ve always found it a really healing place. The move all happened really quickly with a rental and my son getting into school straight away. 

“I’ve changed a lot of different things with lifestyle, stress levels and diet but I’ve had very marginal tumour growth during that time. It has definitely been a tool for my health journey. Ultimately, I know my own body and it has worked for me.

“We just fell in love with hemp and thought there was a real market opportunity for good quality products. Not just internally but also externally, so we started with hair and body care. I’ve come from an education, sustainability and zero waste background and wanted to thread that through the business,” she said. 

Hemp Collective doesn’t just say they have a commitment to sustainability. They offer very little plastic across their product range and can demonstrate a sustainable and transparent supply chain.  

“The only plastic we use is on our labels for our tins and droppers, but we are in the process of looking at ways to change that. The Pet Shampoo Bar is enclosed in a thick cardboard tube and the human shampoo and conditioners are sold in refillable tins,” Maxine said. 

“We’ve really thought about our ingredients, packaging and supply chains. It has been both time consuming and challenging. For example, with our conditioners, we thought we were palm oil free, but after checking with all our suppliers and going through all their ingredients a small component used to make the product contained palm oil. That’s when we ended up moving to a certified sustainable palm oil supplier,” she said. 

To understand why hemp is so misunderstood, you have to look at United States' history. Before the early 1900s, cannabis was available in pharmacies across the United States to treat a variety of medical ailments. But when a global opium crisis broke out in the early 1900s, governments around the world started to crack down on drugs and cannabis and indirectly hemp were caught up in it. There’s a great summary here. 

Basically, hemp just gets a bad wrap because of it’s cousin THC, but hemp contains very low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), less than 0.3%.

Hemp is both versatile and eco-friendly. Hemp fibre is used in the production of paper, textiles, rope, sails, clothing, plastics, insulation, dry wall, fibre board and other construction materials. Hemp seed oil is used as a lubricant and base for paints and varnishes, as well as in cooking and beauty products. 

“With the hemp seed, we press it and get hemp seed oil as well as protein and flour for baking,” Maxine said. 

In the Hemp Collective's pet range, they've combined Australian hemp seed oil and chia seed oil together, which can help as a supplement adding magnesium, calcium and all the goodies that come in with the hemp seed oil Omegas into your pet's diet.

“We definitely need to be doing more hemp education and having mainstream products such as the shampoo bars made of hemp, we’ve had amazing results with general awareness. People are starting to realise it’s so nourishing and hydrating and it can be made into loads of different things,” said Maxine. 

“For the past half century, many people around this area tried to get hemp off the ground. We’ve seen locals who invested lots of money into hemp, but they were just too early to the market and failed. I feel like we’re starting to get over that hump now and there’s now much more openness to hemp products. 

“Awareness isn't hard in the Northern rivers. You have so many open minded people here who genuinely think differently and that’s why we’ve had such strong local support for our hemp products.

“Gen Z is definitely more aware of the impact of their purchases and want to support more purposed brands with sustainable ethics,” Maxine said. 

Check out the Hemp Collective range. 

Know of a sustainability superstar in the Byron hinterland? Let us know! 

SUNDAY 6 JUNE

Join us for a three course lunch at Nightcap Ridge created by Secret Chef Catering. Table d'hôte is a series of events at The Argory showcasing the best food of the Byron hinterland. 

Previous Longrain Head Chef, Kaine Hunt and his wife Jade, joined the Sydney exodus and set up their own business, Secret Chef Catering. Kaine and his team will serve French-inspired canapes, main and dessert using local produce from the Northern Rivers. 

Relax in the grounds at Nightcap Ridge with a cocktail before dining in our spectacular event space, The Argory. 

We are responsible servers of alcohol and have transport available so you can enjoy a few drinks. Book Transport.

• DATE:   Sunday 6 June
• TIME:   Grounds open from 12 pm. Lunch from 1 - 3:30 pm 
• TICKETS:  Book Here
• COST:   3 courses $95 (Fully licensed no BYO).
• ADDRESS:   416 Nightcap Range Road, Dorroughby.
• TRANSPORT:   $25 return trip. Book Here.

Menu

Canapes

Smoked mushroom arancini
Brookies slow gin gravlax
Half shell scallop, finger lime

Shared Mains 

Slow roasted lamb shoulder, green sauce
Braised duck, cauliflower puree, wild mushrooms
Truffle hasselback potatoes
Rocket and parmesan salad with roasted macadamia nuts

Dessert 

Vanilla panna cotta, rhubarb, pecan crumble.

Book Now. 

In our new sustainability series, we talk to Byron hinterland locals doing great things for our planet.  

Aussie households spend on average $140 per week on groceries with much of that going to the likes of Coles, Woolies and Aldi.

As Organic Gardener Magazine notes, non-organic fruit and vegetables have been sprayed with insecticides, herbicides and fungicides for the control of insects, weeds and fungi.

These chemicals have been linked to cancer, neurological conditions and a range of other health issues.

Last year when Coronavirus hit, sales of certified organic lines jumped more than 50 per cent.

Anna Sokol runs online grocery store Rider. They stock sustainable, spray-free wholefoods, organics and ethically produced household goods. Rider delivers locally across the Northern Rivers and also ship across Australia. 

“When COVID started Rider really took off,” Anna said.

The Rider website is clean, stylish and easy to navigate. And it’s no wonder, Anna spent years living in New York and working as an managing director for a not-for-profit art organisation running a huge gallery and performance space in Brooklyn in an area now known as Dumbo. 

“The real estate agent gave us the building and said put Dumbo on the map and you can stay here rent free for as long as you want.

The now upscale Dumbo, an acronym for “down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass”, sits between the Brooklyn Bridge, Bridge Street, York Street and the East River. Image: Melisa Figueroa

“We did some amazing stuff. I met Matt, my husband, and we eventually moved back to Australia and quickly realised how much we missed the authentic Mexican food in the States. So we opened our own, above the legendary indie rock venue Hopetoun Hotel in Sydney. It was a huge success. However, the pub shut its doors unexpectedly one day so we shifted our food business to a large loft warehouse apartment we were renting in Redfern and started hosting private functions. 

“We threw amazing events and loved the lifestyle. I was also working as event manager at the Open Air Cinema, which was intense 16-hour days for 3 months of the year. 

“When pregnant with our first child, we seriously thought about making the move to the Northern Rivers as Matt was from the area. At the time I was moving towards organic products and was horrified at the cost of them.

"Bulk food shops were buying the same products as I was, but they were marking up products by 300 per cent or more. It didn’t make sense that you could only afford spray-free food if you were well off and this is where the seeds of the Rider bulk-food business grew from.

“It started as a spreadsheet I shared with our friends outlining the products I bought in bulk. They would tick items and quantities on the spreadsheet and email it back to me. 

“When we finally made the move to Rosebank a couple of years later it instantly took off. We quickly connected with a community of like-minded people and I would coordinate with them to deliver their box in Mullum, South Golden, Brunswick, Lismore, Ballina and everywhere in between.  

“We created the website and e-store and then when COVID started orders went crazy and I formalised the delivery schedule to the homes of our customers. We now deliver twice a week, Tuesday and Friday.

The Rider website is beautiful and functional

"Most of our customers are mothers who choose to be conscious of what their family are eating. They’re awakened to the idea of organics but they’re also the ones who struggle to go into bulk health food stores because little hands will just get into everything in the shop. It’s nice to know I can help them save time, money and the hassle of going into town. Not to mention they can order when they have time, often in the evenings, and then have it delivered right to their homes.

Rider’s products are reasonably priced and they have a strong focus on making their supply chain ethical and sustainable. 

“We’re constantly swapping out products when we find local suppliers to reduce food miles. The rain-fed brown rice for example, is from Casino so I’ll drive out there to pick it up and it also gives me a chance to meet the farmers and learn about their brilliant farming practices.

"The macadamias and pecans are from local farmers as well. And it’s not just about the food miles, it’s about sustaining the economy in our local area and supporting our local producers. Buying direct from them means they get more of that money. 

“We also love supporting the small producers in the region. There are so many exciting, nutritious and ethically produced goodies being made in our region. It really is one of the reasons I love living here so much.

Some of the best selling local products are the Crack Fox Hot Sauce, the Pancakes with Purpose made with rescued green bananas the big supermarkets reject and the soap, shampoo and conditioner bars from Hemp Collective.

Some of Rider's local products 

“One of the Australian products flying off the shelves is Wakame Seaweed by Kai Ho. It’s produced from wild grown and hand harvested Undaria found in the clean waters of Tasmania’s south-east coast. Adding seaweed to our daily diet is an easy way to get all those valuable trace minerals and elements, and a natural way to get iodine into the system - essential for healthy brain and thyroid function. Steer clear of iodized table salt which is full of toxins and anti-caking agents.

“I think it’s so popular because a lot of the world’s seaweed products tend to be from Japan and after the Fukushima disaster people want to purchase their seaweed from elsewhere. We sell a lot of this, it’s delicious and flaky and goes really well in salads and soups. I ship this all over Australia, from the Northern Territory to the furthest corners of Western Australia," Anna said. 

Nightcap Ridge just added Rider’s Toasted Muesli as an optional extra for their guests along with a wide range of milks. 

Got a story tip for the Hinterland Post? Let us know.

Suvira explains heat work during the firing process

We visited well-known ceramicist and sculptor Suvira McDonald who was gearing up for this weekend’s North Coast Mud Trail

Suvira’s studio in Goonengerry is set on a steep hill surrounded by rainforest. You wind down stairs to the circular, wooden studio which has big windows looking onto the sunny garden.

Suvira expects more than 400 art lovers through his doors during this weekend’s North Coast Mud Trail.

One of the many beautiful nooks in Suvira's studio

As one of the founding members of the Mud Trail in 2012, he’s thrilled the annual event has brought so much to the region. 

“When the Australian Ceramics Association said they wanted to do an open studio day across Australia, there were nine of us local potters who took part. We decided to promote ourselves collectively and it was an instant hit.

This year, more than 20 ceramic artists and sculptors are opening their studio doors for the Mud Trail which has you winding through the stunning scenery of the Byron hinterland.

“The increasing popularity of the Mud Trail really mirrors the huge surge in demand for the handmade.

“A few years ago, restaurants got sick of anonymous white plates. Now there is a strong dialogue between the potter and the chef in terms of how they want to present their food. It’s a similar story in the home, people are now much more likely now to have a handmade teapot or serving platter.

Suvira’s ceramics practice has a focus on domestic dinnerware as well as landscape interpretations and sculpture formed in low relief and free standing modalities.

The rough textures and earthy colours of Suvira's work

“Sculpture in low relief implies it’s a wall mounted concept, when it’s quite flattened whereas high relief is where there are protruding forms from the wall. However, as a sculpture it’s not like a painting, it has texture and undulation and the images protrude from the surface.

These pieces are reminiscent of an aerial view of the Australian landscape with its rugged shapes and earthy colours. Suvira begins work on a flat surface and then builds up the image before firing it in the kiln.

It is apparent Suvira enjoys the technical aspects of ceramics and the intricacies of construction, having been a teacher of ceramics and sculpture for 20 years at Southern Cross University. More recently, he has finished a long project involving the construction of a traditional anagama, Japanese-style wood fire kiln.

“Anagama in Japanese means excavated kiln. Traditionally the side of a hill was excavated and the kiln was built inside the hill and the earth was covered back over. When kilns heat up they expand and then when they cool they settle so unless the whole thing is compressed and held it will expand to a point of collapse.

“We’ve taken that kiln design and appropriated it in the West and have found other ways to contain the expansion with buttressing or metal frames," Suvira said. 

Suvira starts placing the pieces for firing at the back of the anagama and keeps placing items in until full. He will then light the wood fire and seal it up. To gauge the progress, Suvira uses little pyrometric cones  which measure ‘heat work’ - melting at a specific point and providing a more valuable indicator than a simple temperature reading.

Inside the Anagama - the brick walls on the inside are glazed from when the ash from the wood fire rises and melts on the wall  

Some of the results from this kiln were exhibited at ‘Smoke on the Water’ National Woodfire Conference 2017. His exhibition Vestigial Vessels was a solo showing of wood fired works at Makers Gallery Brisbane in 2018. Suvira also recently showcased his work at ‘Silhouette, the Body of Nature’ at Rochfort Gallery, North Sydney

Visit Studio Suvira this weekend at 3/300 Mafeking Rd, Goonengerry.

Mud Trail map.

Got a story for the Hinterland Post? Let us know.

There will be new ways to experience the region’s World Heritage-listed rainforests thanks to an exciting new trails project in our national parks.

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will spend $7 million to develop sustainable recreation experiences in the Wollumbin, Mount Jerusalem and Nightcap National Parks and Whian Whian State Conservation area.

The Tweed Byron Hinterland Trails Project will link Mount Jerusalem National Park and Minyon Falls in Nightcap National Park with world class hiking trails and lookouts. There will also be an upgrade to the current visitor facilities at the Minyon Falls day use area.

This is expected it to boost the regional economy by attracting new visitors to local communities and encouraging them to stay longer.

A key part of the project is 4-day walk from near Uki to Minyon Falls, offering bushwalkers the ultimate rainforest experience. Bush camps will be built at two remote locations along the walking track network in both Mount Jerusalem and Nightcap National Parks.

Taking a minimal impact approach, natural elements will determine the route reducing the need for extensive trail construction. Most of the multi-day walking track network will be of a Class 4 standard, which means the hiking tracks are best-suited to self-reliant bushwalkers with basic directional signage provided.

The network will however include higher grade walking tracks where required due to greater levels of foot traffic, such as the Boggy Creek Walk adjacent to the Minyon Falls day-use area.

Increasing demand for Aboriginal tourism experiences from both Australian and international visitors is driving a strong focus on Aboriginal culture and storytelling. Engaging interpretation, including opportunities for local Aboriginal-guided experiences, will be a key focus with the aim of immersing the walker in the natural and cultural landscape creating a strong connection and sense of place.

This project is certainly on trend, with nature-based tourism currently surging worldwide. According to an Ecotourism Australia report, there has been significant growth in the number of international visitors to Australia’s state and national parks and the potential of nature-based tourism is yet to be fully realised.

Globally, immersive experiences in nature are one of the fastest growth areas and Australia needs to continue to focus on tourism products and experiences that appeal to both international and domestic travellers, rather than relying on passive viewing of nature.

The Northern Rivers region is internationally renowned for its World Heritage-listed subtropical rainforests which are home to the highest concentration of marsupial, bird, snake and frog species in Australia. The region also holds large areas of wet and dry sclerophyll forest and pockets of sub-montane heath, which provide habitat for a large number of threatened plant and animal species such as the Albert’s lyrebird and Fleay’s barred frog.  

The $7.35 million project will be delivered in stages with completion expected in 2022. 

You can have your say on the plan with submissions closing on 11 March 2019.