Natural Building: Cob Fire Pit

Cob Building Workshop
Build a Hearth for Fire, Ceremony & Community

1-Day Hands-On Natural Building Workshop
Barkers Creek | Limited to 6 participants
 

Come and get your hands in the earth for a day of learning the beautiful, ancient craft of cob building.

Together, we'll learn the fundamentals of natural building while creating a purpose-built cob fire pit and hearth, designed for fire cooking, ceremony, song circles, seasonal gatherings and the children who gather here each week to learn through nature, community and connection.

This is a small, intimate workshop with a maximum of 6 people, giving everyone plenty of opportunity to get stuck in, ask questions, experiment and actually build. Facilitation run by Kat Ryder and supported by Nectar Connector.

Mud mixing

Learn how to combine clay, sand, water and straw to create a strong, workable cob mix and understand how the different materials work together.

Foundations & wall building

Get your hands in the soil and learn the basics of laying, stacking, shaping and sculpting earthen material into a stable structure.

Theory & local material sourcing

Learn how to identify and source local earth materials, where to look for clay and sand, how to safely collect materials and some simple ways to test your soil composition.

Design & shaping

Explore the practical and creative possibilities of cob as we shape a functional hearth designed specifically for fire cooking and gathering.

Finishing & natural plasters

We'll introduce the basics of natural plasters and earth rendering but because of drying times we will offer a second optional workshop day to complete the finishing work (date TBA, no extra charge).

Kat Ryder is a building designer and natural builder with a deep passion for connecting with earth and place through creating sanctuaries from the ground beneath our feet.

Her natural building journey has taken her across Australia and deep into natural building communities and craft in the U.S. Kat is endlessly curious about natural materials, their qualities, their relationships and the many possibilities that emerge when we take the time to understand them deeply.

Nectar will be catering lunch, bringing the same earthy, generous approach to food that sits at the heart of The Nectar Connection.

Expect wholesome, seasonal food made with care, drawing on local, organic and homegrown ingredients wherever possible. Food is part of the gathering, part of the learning and part of the connection to place.

There'll also be a delicious morning tea, tea and coffee to keep you fuelled while we work.

The hearth we build together will become a permanent part of the Punk Caterpillar space which is a local bush school.

It will be used by children each week for fire cooking, bushcraft, storytelling and gathering, as well as during seasonal celebrations, song circles, ceremonies and community events.

So while you're learning skills that you can take home and apply to your own fire pit, garden structures, ovens, walls or other natural building projects, you're also contributing something tangible to a space where local children are learning through nature and community.

If time and materials allow, we may even get started on another little cob creation while we're at it.