Wombat's OFF THE GRID “I have to go to the toilet in a hole!”
- 7 Aug 2017

You live in a shipping container in the bush, right?
I do - I live off the grid.
What exactly does that entail?
It depends. It can mean a lot of different things. It means I’m not connected to normal town amenities. So for me, there’s no power, and no septic system.
Hang on - how do you go to the toilet?!
I dig a hole! I will go compostable [and use a compostable toilet], eventually. But at the moment, I just go, well…
Why don’t you have anything connected? Is it a conscious decision?
I found this block of land, and it was out of the way. It’s only a house block, but it’s in a rural area, so there was power to the front, but I never connected it. That said, I do have basic solar power - I run a 12-volt solar [system], which actually only means I can run a fridge and lights…
So, no TV?
Yeah - I don’t have a TV. I got to Stick’ place if I want to watch it.
Not a TV fan?
Well, I lived with Sticks’ brother a couple of years ago, and we watched it pretty solid. Also, Sticks and his wife love reality TV, and every time I go to his house, I’ll just zone in. But I’ve got used to not having one. Although I do get to work sometimes and everyone will be like, ‘Did you see The Block last night?’
Do you think you’ll ever connect to the power?
It’s interesting - but actually, I’d like to take it to the next level. I’d like to finish the container off, but keep it off the grid...
/media/blog/IMG_0666.jpgDo you take your indoor loo for granted?How do you get your water if you’re not connected?
At the moment I have to take my water in. So I fill up some buckets at work, bang a lid on them, and take them back out there. I have got an outdoor shower, so I’ll heat the kettle - one kettle of hot to three kettles of cole - and that’s about the right ratio.
Do you also grow your own food?
I’m starting to look at it all now. I’m running a couple of cows, but on a separate property. I like to know where my food comes from. I say that to people, and they’re like, ‘Ew.’ But I know where they've been, and what they’ve been feeding on for the past six months.
What does your son think of the way you live?
Jake loves it. For him it’s like camping - four days a week!