Pelican,

Thank you for the references. I know Earth Garden has been around for a very long time. In one of its earlier issues, a clever person described how he created solar power from a bank of bottles. This was long, long before solar power was the "buzz."

Some groups which may/may not be of interest to readers here:

Landshare (connects people who like to grow their own food with those with land to share)
www.landshareaustralia.com.au

Freecycle Australia. Items no longer wanted, are offered at no cost to members.
www.freecycle.org/group/AU/

Barter groups. These groups use points system which are exchanged for produce, products, services and skills.

Many groups such as My Savings (http://www.mysavings.com) offer freebies, samples, discount coupons etc.

There are also home exchange/swaps for holidays - both in Australia and for those travelling overseas ... Google 'home exchange + australia' As I know nothing of these, I can’t ‘recommend’ them, but others here might be able to.

For cooks ...

Saffron is hellishly expensive to buy, but very easy to grow.

Truffle spores can be purchased and grown in Australia.