permaculture

[<flickwright@ozemail.com.au>]

Hi everyone, I tried a posting months ago, but it never appeared so will try 
again.

My partner and I are in the process of designing a house for a fairly flat 
site on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia that has a fair amount of wind 
exposure. We are wondering whether anyone has experience or knowledge of 
designing or using swales/mounds/earth around a house and garden for wind 
protection/deflection. We are not looking at earth berming the house, but 
protecting the zones 1- 3 as much as possible.

OUr climate is semi-arid with only 500 mm of rainfall and a massive 
evaporation rate due to hot summers (35 - 45 degrees Celcius) and most rain 
falling Autumn - Spring (only one month rainfall exceeds evaporation). We 
both have studied PDCs and note some references to mounding earth in the wind 
sectors to create microclimates, but are curious to know of practical 
examples.

In the meantime we have direct seeded significant windbreaks of native, fire 
retardant species (another major risk in our climate) but they will take at 
least four years to begin to create and effect.

cheers
flick wright

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