The 6 Wadandi Seasons

Another part of our sustainability programme is our 6-season Wadandi Calendar of the Wadandi peoples, whom we acknowledge with respect to elders past and present.

Europe has 4 seasons revolving around dates for Summer, Autumn, Winter and spring. The indigenous calendar has six seasons is more fluid and revolves around the natural world and its awe-inspiring timing of activity, flora, fauna, birth and death. We have incorporated these six seasons with approval of Wadandi elders to use the more subtle changes in climate here in Wilyabrup Margaret River. With climate change being the existential crisis, we all face and being biodynamic where timing is critical for our operations, this practice is critical at Cullen.

This is the six season calendar implemented at Cullen Wines. This is also a strong biodynamic concept. Rudolph Steiner, the founder of biodynamics believed that every farmer needs to evolve her or his own individual methods for their own farm. We believe in the importance of looking back and seeing how the Wadandi people managed to sustainably look after the earth for 65,000 years and learn from them. 

book experience

Wadandi Fire Management

The Undalup (Busselton)  Association, have started a project of cultural burning on our native bush block at the back of The Cullen Homestead. This involves firstly, the Undalup Rangers working on the land to identify animal and biodiversity plant corridors. Then secondly, the slow process of cleaning up the land begins. Much like when the Wadandi peoples lived on the land, they constantly burnt dead wood for their fires, cooking and warming and as a result, kept the bush clean.
 
After the rainfall and before everything is too wet, the slow cool burning takes place. This means that the fire is slow and cool and no native animals or plants get harmed in the process.
It also means the carbon does not leave the land but floats back down to earth, hence carbon emissions are mitigated and most importantly the fire is controlled .We are grateful to the Undalup Rangers for their help in this important process of Cultural burning to help prevent bushfires and look after the land and its inhabitants, making us all safer.