Meet the off-grid family who let their baby set their bed time, use the waste from their drop toilet to fertilise their plants and bathe in the river – because it’s more efficient than using a camp shower.
Lucie Novakova and Pavel Raso live ‘in harmony’ with nature – an hour’s car ride away from the nearest supermarket, on a rough dirt track, in bush so isolated the internet, running hot water and reliable electricity are non-existent.
And their drop-toilet doubles as a worm farm and compost heap which they use to keep their fruit and vegetable gardens well fed.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the couple explained they left their ‘high powered jobs’ in the city when they found out they were going to have a baby.
Lucie Novakova and Pavel Raso live off the grid with their one-year-old daughter after deciding to ditch the rat race for a ‘useful’ self-sustainable life in the hills
The couple run an eco-lodge on the Six Foot Track – her Eliska and mum Lucie are pictured in the outside kitchen they share with their guests
The kitchen is where Pavel, pictured cooks for his family and campers using gad, but they also cook on the open fire
The couple also have chickens which produce enough eggs for the family who consider themselves self-sufficient
Now they live in sync with the 13-month-old, Eliska, who decides for herself when it is time to sleep and eat.
‘I wake up when she wakes up and we all go to bed together at night, it is a really natural way to live, and we are all in rhythm with baby,’ Lucie said.
‘This means we are never tired and grumpy because we aren’t sitting up all night on the internet or watching mindless television.’
The dangers of wild dogs, rats and isolation are no concern to her parents.
‘Here when Eliska was small we had to worry about foxes and wild dogs taking her but we didn’t have to worry about fast cars, traffic, all those city dangers.
‘We have vaccinated her, but it was a big decision because out here you don’t need to because your not coming up against the diseases.
Eliska likes the chickens, mum Lucie, who is due to give birth to her second child soon loves bringing her up off the grid
The couple bathe in the river in the warmer months as there is no permanent shower in their home
Pavel takes care of part of the popular walking track which includes this swinging bridge
Pavel and his young daughter walking toward the toilet – past the family’s open-air vanity
‘But we do go overseas sometimes, or to the city, and we want her to go to school so we did it.
‘After all we were vaccinated and we are okay.’
The couple are expecting another baby in a few weeks – and are aware living so far away could mean it is born ‘in the car’.
‘We aren’t nervous about it, this is our second baby and if we don’t get to the hospital in time it is okay.
‘Worst case scenario we have a tracking beacon here and a helicopter can get us quickly.’
The couple have not looked back since making the lifestyle switch.
‘In the city you go to work and worry about bills, we didn’t want that life for ourselves anymore or for our baby,’ Lucie explained.
The toilet doubles as a worm farm compost, with the waste being used on the family fruit trees
Lucie washing her hands in the vanity – one of the two working taps on the property
The couple’s living quarters are small but they are outside most of the time – and usually go to sleep at the same time as their young daughter at night
The permanent structures belong to the campers – who pay to stay the night whilst doing the long trek through the hills
‘Before moving away from Sydney, I worked as a management consultant for one of the big four firms and Pavel did bush regeneration and working on native gardens in the northern beaches,’ she said.
‘My friends thought I was crazy to be moving out here – and blamed Pavel for taking me away from the city – but after a month out here we were used to it and we want to have this place forever.’
The family use solar electricity and have enough to ‘charge a computer and run a blender’ during the day. They cook with gas or on the open fire, which also doubles as their entertainment.
The couple don’t have television reception and have to walk to their neighbour’s property if they want to use the internet or make good-quality phone calls.
But they are not completely stranded – they run an eco-lodge on their property which runs close to the popular Six Foot Track between Jenolan Caves and Katoomba.
They offer bunk accommodation, an open fire and home-cooked meals for their guests who generally trudge into the property on Satirday afternoon after a full day of hiking.
Lucie washing up in the family’s kitchen which is on the deck and open to the wild animals
The drop toilet which also doubles as the compost heap – the family throw scraps down the toilet after dinner
The drop-toilet bathroom has a large window overlooking some of the property – this helps with ventilation
The couple have been living the off-grid lifestyle for two years after escaping the city
The couple enjoy being able to live and work together every day – with Pavel popping in from his duties five or six times a day
The couple’s caravan bedroom is almost dwarfed by the water tanks
If they didn’t need to ‘go to town’ to wash their guests sheets or buy specialised ingredients they would ‘never need to leave’ and would be happy to live entirely in the bush.
‘There are plenty of wild pigs and cows to hunt here and we would use our own fruit and vegetables.
‘There is always fish in the river and we have a few chickens which give us our eggs.
‘We already have something available all year round.’
And being detached from society wouldn’t bother them.
‘We find out all the news we need to know eventually – usually during our trips to town.’ ‘And we can always go and find reception to call our family who live overseas.’
They don’t miss anything from their formal life, not even running water, their dishwasher or being able to drop in on friends at any time. In fact not being able to drop in on their friends suits them.
Most of their water comes from the river and tanks – so working the land can be a physical job
Pavel chops wood to keep the fires at the home going – this is their main source of entertainment as there is no television or internet
The couple have trees which feed them all-year round. They also use plants found in the bush
Pavel walks past the worm farm toilet which is the only toilet available on the block
The couple have solar panels to provide some electricity – it is enough to charge a computer and run a blender
‘In the city we were always rushing around going from work to birthday parties to see friends. But now no one makes us feel bad if we can’t make it to something because we are so far away which means we can be selective.
‘We make our own schedule now.’
The couple aren’t sure what they will do for schooling but have ‘a few years before that happens’.
‘Maybe more children will move into the area and the school in the old church will open again – or we will just have to make more children to fill the class,’ Lucie said.
Pavel, who is passionate about the environment, is happy for new neighbours if they respect the environment and don’t develop the area.
‘The worst thing about going off grid is seeing bulldozers in the area making the way for roads and homes and wrecking the bush.’
The couple hope to build a wounded animals sanctuary on their property and are already happy to share their open-air kitchen and amenities with their furry neighbours.
Eliska feeding her chickens some greenery – the chiskens are a vital part of the house hold
The family would never need to leave the property if they didn’t have campers and claim there is enough food available to them all year long
The small batteries store the energy from the solar panels, allowing the family some electricity
A mop with a very bushy handle – the family like to make do with what they have naturally available to them
The shower, pictured, is a camp style shower – the family only use this in the winter months when the river is too cold
Pavel is able to boost his phone reception using his car – otherwise the family would have to drive for reception or walk to a neighbouring property
The lodgings the family rents out to walkers, they have to go into town to wash the bedding as they would otherwise have to do it in the river
The lodgings provide the couple with income so they can continue to make improvements to their off-grid patch
Pavel doesn’t agree with vaccinations but decided to vaccinate his daughter so she wouldn’t have a problem going to school and so they could travel overseas