The Tanglewood Sign welcoming you to the permaculture internship at Tanglewood Farm. Visitors, students, and interns are invited by Leonie-Ruth and David Acland's permaculture farm.

Welcome to the….

Tanglewood Permaculture Internship

Are you an enthusiastic gardener/permaculture/organic/food security/sustainability community-minded nature-loving type? We are excited to be setting up the opportunity for interns to live and learn with us at Tanglewood and we would love to hear from you if our internship sparks your interest.

*Applications Open April 2024*

Who Are We?

We are Leonie-Ruth and Dave. We have been co-creating space for the healing and regeneration of soil, soul and society, so that all can flourish at Tanglewood, for the past twenty years. Read More Here

Over this time, we have enjoyed the reciprocal richness and mutual benefits of co-creating relationships with people who have visited and worked alongside us, and with the broader local community (read what they have to say about their experience with us under testimonial section below).

The Tanglewood motto is ‘growing learning caring sharing’ which is the lens through which we make our decisions and live our lives. We have wide experience in different living situations in Australia, PNG, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Tanzania.

We deeply care for people and the earth. We are musicians, and met through music. We are keen organic gardeners, with areas on our property Tanglewood set aside for fruit and vegies, firewood harvesting, and areas for personal enjoyment.

For Leonie-Ruth’s bio Read More

David is a country boy, who worked for many years for government agencies in Australia and PNG as a geologist, specialising in near surface earth materials (including soil, subsoil and groundwater) and their relationships to landforms. He also ran a handyman/gardener/music teacher business for 9 years during a period of professional “time out”. He has owner-built three houses and an array of studios/cabins/sheds, and is always on the lookout for useful recycled building materials for garden structures. He is trying to single-handedly solve the earth’s carbon store problem by using woodchip mulch by the truckload.

The People of Tanglewood Permaculture Farm. Leonie-Ruth and David Acland teach farming sustainably, permaculture agriculture, and chare their homesteading garden

Where Are We?

We have been lovingly treading and tending Tanglewood which is on Ngambri, Ngunnawal, Ngarigu land for twenty-five years. Tanglewood is located a few kilometers from the well-equipped, small rural town of Bungendore, NSW, just outside Canberra, Australia.

What Are We Looking For?

We are looking for a keen person or people to live, work, experience and contribute to the daily running of our permaculture inspired garden.

We offer accommodation that suits a couple; work pair, or single, but is not particularly child friendly.

The role will be an internship model, which will allow you to contribute to the direction and content of the daily tasks and vision of Tanglewood, with mentoring and space for you to develop your skills.

A reasonable level of physical fitness is required for the variety of garden tasks we share.

Our hospitality is warm, generous, and genuine. 

The opportunities to learn are extensive and include permaculture practice, regolith geology and its application to permaculture, building structures of all sizes and functions, drawing plans and last but not by any means least, upcycling with creativity and flare.

Starting Date

Applications accepted for any time from April 2024 onwards. The ideal time frame for an internship for most people will be 2-3 months, but time frames can be negotiated prior to taking up an internship.

 The Setting

The setting is idyllic and your accommodation is in a brand-new cottage (Woodland Cottage) nestled amongst established gardens and adjacent to the planted coppicing woodland.

Scenes Across Tanglewood Permaculture Farm.

Our Vision

It is our hope that the experience will be one of mutual, non-monetary benefits, giving you as an intern, a taste of what is involved in keeping a permaculture smallholding thriving. You will be working synergistically and generatively with the land and people at Tanglewood. With our networks, there is the potential to create ongoing opportunities for you. Read about some of our community engagement here

You will have an initial taste of small-scale community living, and the expanded opportunity to continue to engage with others day to day, in a regenerative environment, so that all flourish.

What we offer :

Woodland Cottage on Tanglewood Permaculture Farm. Accommodations for those here for learning farming, permaculture agriculture, companion growing, and organic farming.
Accommodation in Woodland Cottage
  • Ready for occupancy April 2024
  • New, carefully designed, solar passive build that is double glazed and eco friendly
  • Set in mature planted woodland with a private courtyard garden 
  • Fully furnished 
  • A well-equipped kitchen/diner; laundry/bathroom; and sitting room
  • Bedrooms: one large, one small
  • Heated by a Morso wood burning stove (wood and an ample supply of kindling is sourced from our coppicing woodland)
  • Water is rain water (with separate tap for drinking water)
  • Mains electricity with solar input
  • Woodland Cottage can accommodate two singles or a couple
  • Numerous vegetable gardens
  • A polytunnel
  • An orchard-apples, pears, stone fruit, a few citruses, fig, pomegranate, persimmon and mulberry trees
  • Chooks and ducks
  • A young hazelnut grove
  • Planted coppicing woodland
  • Seasonally
  • Includes home preserves as available
  • Reading the land
  • Designing and building structures
  • Seed collection 
  • Pruning
  • Planning/planting
  • Propagating
  • Rotating/resting garden beds
  • Companion planting
  • Composting
  • Worm farming
  • Ideal timing if you have completed a PDC and now want to know if the working with the land is the life for you
  • Ideal opportunity if you love gardening and want to know more about Permaculture
  • Join Leonie-Ruth in the kitchen for next level ‘garden cooking’ including
    • Options to learn how to cook directly from the garden with the fresh harvest of the day
    • Balancing meals to optimise bioavailability of nutrients
    • Unleashing your kitchen creativity
    • Cooking with colour and texture for fabulous taste
  • Enjoy refreshments and a mid-day meal on the days you work
  • Seasonal opportunities to participate and explore the myriad ways of preserving surplus produce and live abundantly
  • Let’s co-create and collaborate and see what unfolds…

Organic Harvest from Tanglewood's Permaculture Farm

The organic produce from Tanglewood's homesteading garden. The Acland's companion growing and permaculture agriculture.

"Garden Cooking" with Leonie-Ruth from Tanglewood's Harvest

Meals and preserves made from the homesteading garden at Tanglewood permaculture farm

What We Expect:

  • For a couple or working pair: 4 days (total between two people) per week engagement and participation with the management and care of Tanglewood. Single, three days per week
  • Hours roughly 9 to 4 with a break for morning tea and lunch, seasonally adjusted as necessary
  • You will need your own transport (sadly cycling/walking into town is not advised due to safety issues) 
  • A desire to learn, grow, and share
  • Good work and community ethic
  • Appropriate clothing including strong work boots, wet weather gear
  • Sun protection
  • A respect for the principles of earth care, people care, fair share
  • A large dose of curiosity and a dash humour
  • Non-smoker(s)/vaper(s)

The Animals and Pets of Tanglewood Farm

The Animals you will meet during the permaculture internship at Tanglewood Farm.

Applications

Applications accepted now for a in late April 2024 and ongoing thereafter into 2025 (Initially 2–3-month internships offered). Apply Here …

Leonie-Ruth and David Acland playing a violin and guitar on their permaculture farm, Tanglewood.

Testimonials

Emily and Yoann (Burgandy, France)

Our relationship with Leonie-Ruth and David began when we house sat Tanglewood and its animals. Then, we were invited to stay on guests for the remaining of our stay in Bungendore. During that time, we did a permaculture design for their house (our first and only, so far!!). We have since returned to France but continue our friendship by email. Tanglewood is always in our hearts!

We have a very good feeling about all our discussions while we stayed with Leonie-Ruth and David. They are people who really want to do well, with this unconditional love that, to me, is the only thing that can make life better for everyone. I don’t remember all our chats, but I know we all learned from each other and there was no ego war, it was all about going in the same direction of a caring for the Earth, caring for the people, and a good deal of fair share…

At Bungendore in general, I got involved in this community of people fighting for the power to have good and healthy food, with the Bungendore Farmer’s market, the Food Sovereignty Alliance that had a meeting in the area at the time, and all the people we’ve met. Leonie-Ruth and David are definitely going in this direction as well, so spending time at Tanglewood was for me part of this project of getting food right back in our gardens rather than in the supermarkets.

My partner and I were very touched when Leonie-Ruth and David invited us to share the Christmas meal with their families, although we still did not know them very well. It was important to them that everyone could share Christmas as a party with a community. I still have the beautiful handkerchiefs that I received that day and thus think of Leonie-Ruth very often.

What would you say to someone thinking about spending time there? I hope you will have as much fun as we did, as much pleasure as we did being part of Tanglewood. We could talk about all topics with them, there was no moment I was ill-at-ease. To us, they are beautiful human beings who really have an understanding of what community means, and who are definitely involved in making a better world.

Tanglewood is a place that we really enjoyed, and it has a human size, compared with a lot of places that I have seen… Which is, I find, reassuring, when one has a good team to work together, to have this feeling of  “yes, we can do it!” 

I particularly love the different rooms that Leonie-Ruth has created in the garden (I secretly hope I can manage to do that at my place someday…). And the trees, all these trees that are already very big… The landscape at Tanglewood is beautiful to me, which is also very important.

Also, I find that having animals around is always nice, not too many, but enough to have this feeling of being part of a whole (now that there are chickens and ducks!).

Are you ready to get involved now? Go! 🙂

Merren (Canberra, Australia)

The time spent at Tanglewood with Leonie-Ruth and David has been a great learning, collaborative, and social experience for me. They are resourceful, creative and hard working. They use permaculture principles to create and maintain their beautiful property.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent at Tanglewood, through the changing seasons, with something always going on, and the sense of freedom it gave me.  I’ve shared many delicious meals that have been prepared with produce grown on site, and enjoyed the culinary creativeness of Leonie-Ruth. I have an ongoing friendship with Leonie-Ruth and David and get back for visits to Tanglewood whenever I can.

Maple (Bungendore, Australia)

I found out about Tanglewood from a mutual friend who was volunteering there. Small communities are good for word of mouth! I started out as a gardener working for mutual benefit but very quickly became friends with Leonie-Ruth and David. 

Tanglewood is about building community and giving back to nature. It gave me the opportunity to spend time working in the garden alongside beautiful people. Meeting Leonie-Ruth and David has given me the courage to grow within myself and to understand what I am passionate about. I learnt about cooking from garden to plate and have fond memories of simultaneously chatting and cutting apples and plums with Leonie-Ruth.

I am thankful for the opportunity to work with and connect with Tanglewood.

Josh (Canberra, Australia)

Tanglewood was a great opportunity to get experience in a larger garden and build some practical skills. I was also living in an apartment in the city at the time and Tanglewood was the perfect change of scenery.  I really enjoyed the time at Tanglewood. Tasks varied and included, building (the tool shed designed by David) learning skills from an expert; forging intergenerational friendships; planting veggies and general garden maintenance. Every time I went to Tanglewood it was a lovely mix of socialising, physical work and discussing future plans. I especially enjoyed the mornings I would get there early enough to have a cuppa and do the cross word with Grandma Audrey.

Our relationship has changed over time and remains strong. What began as a working relationship has developed into a trusted friendship (David let me borrow the ute!!). I now have a garden of my own. Leonie-Ruth and David have been very supportive, helping with advice and seeds etc. I do a lot of building around my house utilising the skills I developed at Tanglewood.

 I think it is really worthwhile to spend time at Tanglewood. Leonie-Ruth and David have great knowledge and skills and are very keen to share with others. I think Tanglewood and their connections with the wider community is also a great avenue to explore new skills and opportunities for work or leisure activities. 

Sage (Warburton, Australia)

My time at Tanglewood, though short, was very sweet. I was met warmly at the door, settled in with a bowl of home-made (and home grown!) crumble and a cuppa. We shared many laughs in the garden, over meals, local adventures and musical evenings. I had the opportunity to connect with the broader community at the Southern Harvest markets and visit the local op shop extraordinaire!

The land at Tanglewood is been beautifully and creatively tended and it was a privilege to get to learn from such skilled hands.

Tanglewood is a sanctuary for those of good honest earthbound hearts, interested in living in reciprocity. 

Emily M. (Canberra, Australia)

How did I get to be at Tanglewood? My partner worked there once a week after hearing about an opportunity for work through Southern Harvest. We were looking at ways to connect to a community of local producers as we were in an apartment and not able to grow much. I’d always loved my big backyard as a child and enjoyed the space and connection with nature which Tanglewood provides.

After a day’s work we came away with an eclectic variety of produce that we always enjoyed finding new ways to prepare without wasting any part. I loved every visit to the property and enjoyed the conversations and friendship that formed; talking about gardening; dogs; teaching; tea and cooking both out in the garden or around the kitchen or table for tea and lunch. The friendship we have with Leonie-Ruth and David is so treasured, they came to our engagement party.

I remember sitting at the table sorting lavender we had just harvested while David’s daughter and Leonie-Ruth were cooking in the kitchen and we chatted about bringing an appreciation for nature into schooling.  It is something that I, as a teacher now, have hoped to instil in my class and I think about discussions at Tanglewood often when considering it.

Tanglewood is a wonderfully diverse property run by two knowledgeable, kind and caring people. It is a very lovely place to be inspired and feel connected to nature. I would highly recommend spending time at Tanglewood.

Katie (Sydney, Australia)

My relationship with Tanglewood has been replenishing, educative, inspiring. Over my time there, I not only learnt practical skills (e.g. fruit tree pruning) but because of the low-fi face to face nature of daily life, I was able to engage in deep conversations while on long walks and also to enjoy wonderfully nourishing food, most of it straight from the garden at Tanglewood. 

During my time at Tanglewood I particularly cherished the opportunity to see nature change through the seasons, the ebbs and flows of life and relationships, fostering deep connections to a place and its people (and animals!) and having the opportunity to get to know two such amazing people who are a step ahead of me on life’s journey in terms of parenting and ageing.

I made a big leap in going to Tanglewood and that step reaffirmed my belief in leaning in to change. Because Leonie-Ruth and David were so welcoming and pleasant, I was able to really de-stress and slow down.

I have many fond memories of Tanglewood:  

  •   Coming into the drive on a late winter afternoon and seeing the light on
  •   Opening the door to Jester wagging her tail and the friendly welcome of the humans
  •   Being in front of the fire on a winter evening, daydreaming into the flickery flames, and of course the daily quiz at the big table.

I think if you want to experience a place where you can grow most of what you need and you want to slow down and learn or exchange ideas on doing this, Tanglewood is perfect. However, if you want to keep all the accoutrements of modern life such as 24-7 Wi-Fi and Netflix, this is probably not the place for you! Tanglewood invites you to slow down, stop and smell the (many) roses and untangle from the fast pace of modern convenience and consumerism with soulful people (and chooks – did I mention the chooks!! They are so divine).

Mark (Bungendore, Australia)

I have had a relationship with Tanglewood for over 10 years and seen it develop into the verdant productive small holding it now is. I initially started out doing specialised gardening activities such as pruning the orchard and building dry rock walls.

My time there has seen many changes in the property with the strong permaculture ethos running through all that is done there. I have enjoyed the community feel when at Tanglewood: working and teaching skills with others; sharing morning tea and occasional meals with volunteers and visitors alike. David and Leonie-Ruth have become firm friends.