FRENCH backpacker Aurelia Szczepocki has left her mark on Australian soil before flying out next week.
She has designed a cartoon mural to brighten the backyard of her host’s Sheldon home.
Property owner Ranee Zeller said she was amazed at the work of her guest, who donated her skills and time to paint the 50-metre fence.
“Oh my goodness, she is whipping up a storm,” Ms Zeller said.
“To be honest, I’ve not seen anyone so talented and fast at what she does.”
The fence, made from steel sheeting, forms a rodent barrier around the Zellers’ prized vegetable garden.
Ms Zeller said she and her husband set up the organic patch eight years ago but felt there was something missing.
Paint was needed to cover the sheeting’s reflective surface, but why not add something with flair?
Ms Zeller said she had asked several others for their creative input before Aurelia raised her hand to help.
The pair quickly got to work, with Aurelia making rough drafts of her designs on paper before copying them onto the wall.
The colouring-in was easy for Ms Zeller and her team of friends – simply paint within the lines.
“With the aid of Aurelia’s guidance on what to do and how to do it, we fill in the gaps,” Ms Zeller said.
Ms Zeller hosts backpackers for country getaways at her five acre property, which is also base to her business, Bayside Kinesiology.
She grows organic green vegetables and carrots in wicking beds and has set up a jungle filled with exotic Asian plants.
“They are so full of nutrients,” Ms Zeller said.
An open day with Redlands Organic Growers will be hosted at Ms Zeller’s Sheldon property in September.
Ms Zeller said anyone, even those without a lawn, could grown their own veggies.
She said old bathtubs could be used as wicking beds.
Plants are kept hydrated by water poured into pierced piping, which is buried at the bottom.
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