Cape Trib Farm is the epitome of inter-generational farming.
in the 1970s, Colin and Dawn Gray established a thriving tropical and exotic fruits orchard on 35 hectare disused cattle property, which abuts two national parks and is a short distance from the Great Barrier Reef, at Cape Tribulation, north of Cairns.
Their four daughters tagged along on the Grays journey to seek out and find little known exotic tropical fruits from Southeast Asia for commercial propagation. They battled natural disasters but rebuilt and diversified into tourism, offering accommodation and fruit taste testing.
As part of succession planning, the Gray's daughter Merran and her husband Jeremy Blockey purchased the property eight years ago.
It signified a change to more than just ownership, with the Blockeys deciding to shift to regenerative agriculture.
The Blockleys shared their journey with 100 farmers at the Soil to Food 2023 Conference in Atherton at the weekend.
"For us it was a matter of looking for something new," Mr Blockey said.
"The challenge was we didn't have a map to follow; there wasn't a course out there which told us where we should be going.
"We learnt from other people and other industry sectors, and exposure to like minded people wanting to learn the same things.
Today, Cape Trib Farm is run on a number of regenerative farming practices including compost, companion planting of cover crops like tumeric and ginger which are then used for value-added products, native bee hives and all but complete reduction in the use of chemical herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.
Read, also:
The orchard covers 12 ha of the property, with the remaining privately listed as World Heritage. They grow over 80 different varieties including breadfruit, durian, mangosteen, rambutan and jackfruit, offer exotic fruit tasting tours and accommodation.
While the regenerative farming practices have improved fruit quality, production is difficult to gauge, given the farm has endured three La Nina years - overcast, wet conditions during the traditional dry periods; the dry weather needed for flowering.
Mrs Blockey said despite their difference of opinions regarding farming practices, her father, who at 87 years of age still helps in the orchard, was proud.
"While he doesn't agree with regenerative agriculture and the direction we have taken, he is proud that things are changing," Mrs Blockey said.
"That the very old orchard and very old vision of his is coming to fruition with a different way and with a different generation.
"He taught us resilience - bouncing back when things go wrong.
"Risk taking and rule breaking.
"So often the people that make changes are the ones that are prepared to break the rules."
