Digging getting back to nature
GREEN thumbs with bare bums will be celebrating nature and naturism this morning as they strip back to the bare essentials for World Naked Gardening Day.
Valley View Naturist Bush Retreat caretakers Ruth and Rod Pegg are well versed in the joys of being in the buff, having operated the naturist camping ground in Koah for the past five years.
“It’s the freedom of being yourself – of not being restricted in clothes and fashion and expectations,” Ms Pegg said.
“It’s a great leveller. We’re all in the same uniform, which is nothing.
“You respect each other for who you are, not how much money or possessions you hold.”
World Naked Gardening Day is held annually on the first Saturday of May, with the official website describing it as an opportunity to “develop a sense of community among people of every stripe”.
Ms Pegg explained naturism was not about sex – far from it. Nudists from across the globe, including families, head to Valley View to get back to nature.
“A lot of people have that perception but it is very non-sexual,” Ms Pegg said.
“If anybody comes with that expectation, they will get sent out to the gate very quickly.
“The community of naturists is very small in Australia so everybody knows everybody.”
A keen gardener, Ms Pegg had a few tips for the uninitiated.
Chief among them were to do your weeding in the morning; to slip, slop, slap and to wear a comfortable hat.
“We’re very respectful of the sun,” she said.
She was more than happy to help out anyone looking to try naturism for the first time.
“Just give me a call and I’ll talk you through it,” she said.