Blue Tongue Berries: Off grid living coming in handy throughout coronavirus

A Seymour couple who have been living off the grid for the last two decades say it has prepared them well for the pandemic. Here’s why.

Solar flair: Nick Bray and Cynthia Lim from Blue Tongue Berries near Seymour are self-sufficient for power, food and water.

LIVING off the grid has prepared Cynthia Lim and Nick Bray well for the coronavirus pandemic.

The couple, who run Blue Tongue Berries outside of Seymour, have been producing their own power, water and food on their property for the last 20 years.

“We could survive not leaving our property because of all the food we have here. We rarely have to go into town,” Ms Lim said.

The property runs off 23 290-watt solar panels and a 1kw wind generator, with a straw bale house specifically designed to require little heating and cooling.

But being off grid hasn’t meant they have been exempt from the impacts of coronavirus, with their farmstay accommodation and cafe businesses feeling the pinch.

“It’s been devastating — everything that we do is food related.

“But we’ve enjoyed the downtime. We’ve used the time effectively to do renovations and upgrades to things we wouldn’t have been able to get to,” Ms Lim said.

The farm is on track for a good blueberry season, following two of the worst years due to drought.

Ms Lim said they were looking forward to welcoming visitors, which she says has been a real eye opener into how much power other people use.

“You get the benefit of other people coming and sharing our space and to see how other people are living, because you forget what it’s like,” she said.

“The most satisfying thing is to be able to share with people what we’ve learnt about off-grid living — good and bad,” she said.

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