Peta

Australia
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Profile information

Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
My next destination:
Spain
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Description
Hi, G'day, Hola, Aloha, Bon Jour!

My name is Peta. I am a nature / ocean / garden-loving chica.

I love to surf, hike, camp, explore, learn new languages, yoga, dance and eat good food, but most of all I live to garden! My ultimate passion is growing veggies and making compost. Happiness to me is having my hands in the dirt, sunshine on my back and sweat on my brow.

I have spent the last 4 years on a remote island of Australia working in Bush Regeneration (yep, that means I am a professional at weeding!) and running a farmers market stall.

Before that I spent a number of years travelling abroad volunteering on different farms and managing eco-resorts in Canada (Remote lodge Manager, Hiking Guide, Kitchen Garden coordinator, Market Gardening, House sitting), Sri Lanka (Coconut plantation), South Africa (Permaculture property & Plant nursery), Central & South America (Manage Permaculture & Surf resort) and Hawaii (Permaculture property). Along the way I studied my Permaculture Design Certificate in Costa Rica and have continued to apply the principles in my garden projects.

My professional background is in Tourism Management and Event Coordinating, so I come with strong organisational, communication and problem-solving skills.

I'm seeking opportunities on farms or eco-properties where I can share my knowledge and grow my skills in different areas of farm life. I'm interested to learn more about animal husbandry, natural building, aquaponics, soil conservation, biodynamics and all facets of homesteading. And I desperately want to become fluent in Spanish!

I am a happy, fit and independent woman, keen to connect with like-minded people. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you think I'd be a good fit for your projects. I plan to be Europe for the Summer of 2023, beyond which I am open to opportunities anywhere.

Thanks :)

(Please note, that all of my reviews from previous volunteer placements are from a partner profile from a former relationship - I'm now flying solo)
Interests
Animals
Fitness
DIY & crafts
Drawing & painting
Music
Mountain
Languages
Nature
Sailing / Boating
Yoga / Wellness
Winter sports
Water sports
Sustainability
Plant care
Beach
Cooking & food
Culture
Books
Outdoor activities
Camping

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Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Beginner
More details about my language interests
I am very interested in learning Spanish to become fluent. I am happy to help with English language skills.
Find a language buddy
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
Languages
Some knowledge of:
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Life at a Farmstay
Helping around the house
Animal Care
Charity Work
Helping with Computers/ Internet
Teaching
Able to teach about:
Gardening
Eco Projects
Hospitality/Tourism
More details about your skills
Building
Renovating
Gardening
Permaculture
Landscaping
Cooking
Tourism/hospitality
Guiding
Marketing
Management
Event Coordination
House Sitting
Animal Care
Age
36
What else ...
We are experienced and responsible house sitters and capable of taking care of off-grid properties, animals, or your accommodation business.
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements
  Gluten free (I am very resourceful and can happily live off simple options of meat and vegetables)

Feedback

17 Feb 2024

Left by host (Help build superadobe igloos ...) for Workawayer (Peta)

Peta, was an absolute pleasure in hosting, her knowledge and practice were amazing but the best was her attitude, she was always ready to be helpful, and sometimes not even telling her what you need, she was always one step ahead! Thank you Peta for coming and helping us at our goat farm! We only regret it was for such a small period, looking… read more

(Excellent )

17 Jan 2024

Left by host (Tend permaculture gardens, ...) for Workawayer (Peta)

Peta was such a joy to have here! She is extremely knowledgable about growing food, gardening and composting and revamped our entire gardens and seed trays on her own! She takes initiative, offers suggestions, and clearly loves being with and improving the landscape. She has a beautiful, grounded, positive way about her which made her a wonderful… read more

(Excellent )

16 Dec 2023

Left by Workawayer (Peta) for host (Tend permaculture gardens, ...)

I had a truely special 3 weeks at Kenzie's place. I immediately felt at home and welcomed in to a family of incredible volunteers and local workers.
I was lucky to arrive towards the end of the construction of the guest house so I got to stay in a brand new guest suite with incredible views over the lake and volcanoes. However, for future… read more

(Excellent )

13 Jan 2024

Left by host (Help with natural building ...) for Workawayer (Peta)

Peta was an absolute pleasure to host!
Her knowledge towards anything garden related was incredible. She actually helped us design our garden for the upcoming rainy season.

The best thing about Peta was her down to earth nature, her humour, and she is an absolute wizz in the kitchen.

She initially only wanted to stay for a week, but in the end… read more

(Excellent )

8 Jan 2024

Left by Workawayer (Peta) for host (Help with natural building ...)

I spent an incredible 3 weeks here in December 2023. I arrived intending to only stay for a week but I knew as soon as I arrived that I was going to stay longer.
The whole atmosphere of the place is so peaceful with awesome naturally built cabanas, communal palapa and incredible yoga shala.
The location feels remote even though you're only… read more

(Excellent )

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Friends

Photos

The last of my produce after a busy Summer of maintaining this extensive kitchen garden in Canada's far north

The Igloo that Scott built

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Feedback

17 Feb 2024

Left by host (Help build superadobe igloos ...) for Workawayer (Peta)

(Excellent )

17 Jan 2024

Left by host (Tend permaculture gardens, ...) for Workawayer (Peta)

(Excellent )

16 Dec 2023

Left by Workawayer (Peta) for host (Tend permaculture gardens, ...)

(Excellent )

13 Jan 2024

Left by host (Help with natural building ...) for Workawayer (Peta)

(Excellent )

8 Jan 2024

Left by Workawayer (Peta) for host (Help with natural building ...)

(Excellent )

30 Nov 2023

Left by host for Workawayer (Peta)

Stayed only one night. A tarantella at the door as well as the room did not feel correct , that was a loss for me. She did give one days good work. Very nice person to have.

(Excellent )

7 Oct 2018

Left by Workawayer (Peta) for host (Learn about local wildlife ...)

We feel incredibly blessed to have been welcomed into the home and community of Bonnie and Curtis. They are an enormously genuine and generous couple with a lifetime of experience living on the land, adventuring in the wilderness and travelling abroad.
We had a lot of fun getting to know the two of them over wonderful meals and delicious home… read more

(Excellent )

6 Oct 2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Peta)

we have had good to excellent helpers on our farm but these two rate above excellent , we feel we were very lucky to have them stay and help here... they can do all and more that is on their profile. we could go on and on about their skills but reading their feedback tells it all. we would take them back anytime. they are highly recommended to… read more

(Excellent )

26 Jul 2018

Left by Workawayer (Peta) for host (Keen to go off grid? Help at ...)

We had a really fun 2 weeks with Una and Ernest. There is a lot of variety of tasks to be done at the farm from tending the fruit and vegetable gardens, taking care of animals, building and preparing for markets.. we were never bored, nor overworked.
We appreciated the autonomy of the work, feeling free to get stuck into whatever projects… read more

(Excellent )

5 Jun 2018

Left by host (Country living in sountern ...) for Workawayer (Peta)

Peta and Scott are a truly remarkable couple who house/ dog sat for me for about a month. They came in the middle of winter and took on all the challenges of country living during one of the snowiest winters ever, which included lots of snow shoveling to keeping the house warm with wood heat. I enjoyed them so much, I asked them to stay on, which… read more

(Excellent )

8 Apr 2018

Left by Workawayer (Peta) for host (Country living in sountern ...)

When we initially commited to volunteer with Camille it was for a delightful 6 week winter house and dog sitting role. However, after meeting Camille and staying in contact during her vacation we developed a friendship that resulted in us staying on to volunteer with her for an additional 2 months.

Camille is an incredibly kind and generous… read more

(Excellent )

13 Apr 2018

Left by host (Join our team at our remote ...) for Workawayer (Peta)

Scott and Peta were a real asset to our team. Their willingness to work hard, ability to learn new skills and great personalities were very much valued. Peta took over our garden and was one of the lead hiking guides for our tourists. Scott was our fishing guide with the guests, and lead a crew to completely build our new heated outdoor comfort… read more

(Excellent )

7 Jan 2018

Left by Workawayer (Peta) for host (Join our team at our remote ...)

What an incredible experience. We set out to spend 8 weeks at the lodge and ended up staying for 5 months!
We were lucky to experience the peak of summer when the sun never sets and there is endless water activities to keep you awake until dawn, followed by the beautiful Fall with fantastic hikes through pristine wilderness, and then the start of… read more

(Excellent )

11 Oct 2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Peta)

11/10/2017

Deffinately too short a stay. Mike is a great carpenter, so I was told, so I put him to the test.....he's a great carpenter! Peta was able for anything, she cooked and cleaned and I could leave her on her own in the nursery knowing that she would look after everything as though it were her own. Peta and Mike were perfect workawayers.… read more

(Excellent )

8 Jul 2017

Left by Workawayer (Peta) for host (Come and help on a remote ...)

Yvonne and her family were exceptionally welcoming and we felt very at ease in their home.
We were able to do a good variety of tasks while we were there including helping with Chilli sauces, gardening, housework and handyman jobs.
The work hours were fairly flexible and we were able to do some exploring of the property and area in our spare… read more

(Very good )

11 Jun 2017

Left by host (Help create a sustainable ...) for Workawayer (Peta)

Peta & Scott were with us for a couple of weeks and it was a really nice experience.

Both of them are focussed on doing tasks - Scott being a carpenter single-handedly made a great basic cupboard and along with the estate staff carried out a lot of valuable tasks some very physical. Peta also enthusiastically got into the physical labour side and… read more

(Excellent )

26 May 2017

Left by Workawayer (Peta) for host (Help create a sustainable ...)

This was a truly unique volunteering experience that gave us an invaluable insight into Sri Lankan life and culture. From the moment we were collected at the airport by our gracious host Tilak the lessons began in how to conduct ourselves respectfully in Sri Lanka, from appropriate dress and conversation to how to eat like a local. Arriving at the… read more estate we felt a great sense of ease being in a beautiful remote location untouched by tourism, which soon felt like home.

At the estate our volunteering work was largely autonomous. Tilak provided some general direction and ideas of tasks that could be undertaken; mainly minor maintenance jobs like repairing borders of walking paths or landscaping. However, it soon became apparent that the main objective of our time there was to explore the local area and identify unique activities and sights that would be of interest to future tourists, and secondly to interact with the local community who are not used to having foreigners in their region.

We chose to spend the majority of our time helping out the small team of friendly labourers at the estate. It was hot and sweaty work labouring on the plantation; filling trenches, repairing irrigation lines, and we even got to experience plucking day where we helped chop down and collect the coconuts. We reveled in the physical work, enjoying learning about the agriculture of coconuts and had fun exchanging language and culture lessons with the local lads.

My favourite part of our time at the estate was helping out in the kitchen, which I did on an almost daily basis. Despite the lovely cook not speaking any English I would arrive at her door at odd hours each day and request to come in and help. Through much sign language she would teach me the methods and recipes for all her delicious dishes. Meal times were always a highlight of the day as we would join Tilak at his house to enjoy the most incredibly tasty and generous meals we ate in all of Sri Lanka, and listen to Tilak’s entertaining stories of life in Sri Lanka and around the world.

When we weren’t ‘working’ we would go out exploring, typically kayaking in the early morning on the peaceful lagoon, waving and chatting to fisherman or children on their way to school. When the weather cooled down again in the afternoons we would go walking around the expansive estate or cycling around the surrounding villages, often being invited in for tea at any random local’s house and proudly shown wedding albums and baby photos.

My partner being an avid fisherman was soon directed by locals to some hot spots to catch a fish. With the rod and lures he had brought from home he was a great attraction and talk of the town for the locals who practice traditional netting techniques. Each night he would have a following of local lads willing him to catch bigger and bigger fish from the lakes. He was even invited out on the lagoon one evening with a village fisherman to help set nets and retrieve crab pots.

Our 2 weeks at the estate went by much too quickly and we would have really loved to have stayed on longer if we had the time available. This experience taught us a lot and gave us a great respect for Sri Lankan life and culture which helped immensely for our following two weeks holiday around the country. We will always fondly remember our time at the estate and the friendships we made.

(Excellent )

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