Robyn Francis's Final PDC: Djanbung Gardens, April 2026
TL;DR: Master permaculture design and implementation at a renowned demonstration farm before a legendary instructor retires.
- Learn permaculture principles from a veteran instructor.
- Gain hands-on design experience at a 32-year-old farm.
- Apply permaculture to real-site challenges.
- Develop practical skills for subtropical contexts.
- Create a portfolio of actionable permaculture plans.
Why it matters: This course offers a rare opportunity to learn advanced permaculture techniques from a pioneer in the field, enabling you to design and implement resilient systems.
Do this next: Research Robyn Francis and Djanbung Gardens to understand the specific permaculture approach taught.
Recommended for: Experienced gardeners, aspiring permaculture designers, and land managers seeking advanced, practical training in subtropical permaculture systems.
This special in-person Permaculture Design Course (PDC) in April 2026 at Djanbung Gardens, Northern NSW, is taught by veteran instructor Robyn Francis during NSW school holidays, marking one of her final offerings before retirement. Held at a 32-year-old permaculture demonstration farm in the lush subtropical Byron Bay hinterland, the course provides intensive hands-on training in permaculture principles and design for property implementation. Participants immerse in a living education center, applying concepts to real-site challenges with documented results from decades of refinement. Core content spans ethics and principles, site analysis (observation, climate mapping), design methodologies (keyline, zoning), and practical installations like swales, contour dams, food forests, and integrated livestock systems. Francis's expertise—drawn from pioneering permaculture in Australia—imparts nuanced techniques for subtropical contexts, including pest-resistant polycultures, bio-intensive composting, and energy-efficient structures. Learners undertake group and individual design projects, critiqued for functionality, stack of values, and yield potential, yielding portfolios of actionable plans. The course's 90-hour format ensures mastery of tools like sector analysis diagrams, element-function matrices, and succession planning for long-term resilience. Graduates gain certification plus insider knowledge from the site's successes, such as self-sustaining orchards producing year-round and water systems minimizing inputs by 80%. This high-signal event offers practitioners concrete, replicable strategies for regenerative land management, emphasizing measurable outcomes like biodiversity increases and input reductions in challenging climates.