28/08/2026
The mulberry is one reason Mt Jukes Eco Retreat exists today.
Long before there was a retreat here, I came to Mt Jukes for one reason — to grow food and live off-grid.
I remembered what fruit tasted like when I was a kid — picked straight from the tree and eaten there and then. Mulberries were one of those things I never forgot. That incredible flavour, completely fresh, and probably stained hands by the time you were finished.
I wanted that again.
I wanted to grow my own food, know where it came from and experience the simple pleasure of eating something straight from the tree.
So that's what I came to Mt Jukes to do.
I started planting fruit trees.
One became another, and another.
Today, more than 350 fruit trees and around 50 different varieties from around the world grow here.
And somewhere along the way, something else happened.
Mt Jukes Eco Retreat evolved around it.
The accommodation, the retreats, the gardens, the food and the connection people now have with this land — none of that was the original plan.
The original plan was much simpler.
Grow food. Live off-grid.
And the mulberry was one of those childhood memories that helped bring me here.
Seeing them fruiting today takes me right back to being a kid.
It's funny where a simple idea can take you.
Always feeling blessed
Dave
Off-grid. A world away.
