Gain sustainable living skills and yoga experience at our coastal town urban home in Inverloch, Victoria, Australia

Details

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  Description

  Hello
  > Seeking one mature person or one steady couple.
  - You can gain practical insights into ecological design, adaptive carpentry, permaculture approach/design, yoga and more.
  - free time each week to explore our town and area - with lakes, parks, tracks, many varied beaches , and much more ..
  - Helps if you avoid seeking paid work for same time period that you wish to be a volunteer at our place . This avoids distractions on both sides :-)
  - Since Workaway blocks all web links, please write out any useful references in full, inside this online space, or send in this inside this Workaway site.
  
  Hello conscious people, likers of yoga / conscious living / permaculture approaches / cooking with local ingredients .. . Your main host is myself - Dominic. I have been manager of a well-vegetated 'regional urban' space in a fairly idyllic coast town where residents are:
  - myself (0.8 time) , 30 years experience in management/design/advice for sustainable living, organic horticulture, traditional and adaptive Yoga, and more recently - Carbon capture and climate change adaption
  - Co-owners (investors since 2017) - stay sometimes (not this year)
  - Sometimes domestic birds (depends on surviving the predators)
  - A gazillion wild, diverse lifeforms - birds aplenty; reptiles increasing; lots of mammals - Possums, Koala, Echidna, Roos, Wallaby ...
  
  The focus of this place is : sustainable living, yoga (more than just stretching) - "healthy landscapes supporting healthy residents and guests, who create healthy communities, which create healthy landscapes [and humour and beach fun, and artsy-crafty things] "
  
  We are especially inviting those who have or wish to have, a daily pre-breakfast breakfast short walk + yoga practices.
  Daily cleaning makes space management workable.
  
  We host both volunteers like yourselves , and (decreasingly) holiday makers, at our high-rated coastal micro-retreat on the edge of our town, near beaches, beach lakes, huge estuary, bluffs, and National, State and local Parks.
  
  Volunteers help myself to maintain the site / the house.
  
  Typical daily rhythm: early morning stroll-cycle / some yoga practices then 8 - 8 30 AM 'brekky'; current project(s) . Late lunch; Either keep helping out or explore (5 day / 2 day system) ; Dinner ; Quiet time / bed.
  
  2023 Projects: (All involve creativity to some degree) > Improvements to West side house, sort Northside garden beds; Tiling/painting; Carpentry (finish outbuilding roof) ; ongoing tree management .
  
  Your food preparation skills are highly valued - we usually build meals around what's available from our gardens / local places , and stored from previous season .
  (Sorry, we cant host vegans unless you take over the cooking)
  
  - Arrival. The hardest parts for us hosts dealing with travellers from afar are: Young travellers may change their mind with short notice, making it hard for hosts - so please do us all a favour - make a plan and stick to it unless there is an emergency. . so commit to your host to arrive same (day or close to the day) as agreed - Thanks :-)
  
  - Are you open minded about how to do things ? - e g - there are many ways to 'cook an egg' / cut a piece of wood - and its good to experience several ways / learn new ways .
  
  Our place deals with sustainable living (low ecological footprint with high home based self-reliance) in a hands-on way for residents (us) and volunteers like you, in our immersive learning way . We are lucky to be in an ideal coast town in the South Gippsland Coast, two hours South East from central Melbourne. We are on at the junction of an estuary (huge coastal 'lake') aside ocean with many varied beaches and water activity opportunities.
  
  You can gain practical insights into ecological design, adaptive carpentry, permaculture design, yoga practices and more. There may be some customer accommodation tasks (room keeping).
  The main thing is that as a volunteers you can avoid seeking paid work for same time period that you wish to be a volunteer at our place . This avoids disappointments on both sides :-)
  
  These UN SDG's are of close relevance - 3, 5, 11, 12, 13.
  
  A new project is emerging - looking for dedicated participant(s):
  Urban Carbon Capture and Storage (Home based Sequestration)
  > Low cost measurement of Carbon retention at urban house blocks.
  > Urban plants and in situ Carbon capture - using low-oxygen charring (pyrolysis); creation and protection of high value timber products; and other researched possibilities.
  
  Recreational: learn to bodysurf / surf with surfboards and wetsuits; Try beach golf, bocce, beach forest meditation. National Parks. State Reserves. Snorkel (byo gear) walks and wildlife sunset chasing. Outdoor fireplace cookups.
  
  Helping on: finishing new shelter; finish small side room; making creative gates; tiling (wall / floor ceramic tiles); improvements in gardens.
  
  General stuff we do: harvesting/preparing for planting/planting, managing grass / trees in lush food forest, painting / oiling (protect timbers). We teach/demonstate skills for sustaining people, wildlife and pets - at home/small business /street community
  
  Usually, you will have a double bed, a small desk, in a space of your own, plus opportunities for: yoga sessions with Dom or other instructors, surfing / beach swims / local park walks / cycles with views; local aboriginal history walk., access to Dom's excellent Library (needs shifting to another room , and maybe classifying all material - can you do the Dewy system ? )
  
  Food we eat is mostly vegetarian (90%) with lots of home-grown / local organic foods. Sorry - we cant accommodate plant-only diets (veganism) .
  
  - Thanks for reading - please see the facebook page and ask us for other pages to get more insights - many reviews, many pictures.
  
  - Comm's: mobile phone, email, Signal.
  [We avoid dodgy channels esp. anything Meta - Messenger/WhatsApp/Instagram]
  
  Thanks
  Dom G
  manager - resident - educator

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Opportunity to gain experience and insights into carpentry, integrated design and management (Permaculture approach) maybe bee keeping, maybe fowl management, definitely organic gardening, and some urban forestry. Various Yoga practices. English language and Australian vernacular ("Aussie lingo")
  
  Other fun stuff: Swim in many different spots around here with or without waves. Observe large Rays (massive fish) at Jetty. Learn to surf (access to surf gear). Beach golf/beach forest meditation. Outdoor Bowls and beer (warm season).
  - mini-home library on sustainable/conscious/adaptive living ; cooking with home/ local foods; mend things with our sewing gear / other tools;
  - Spacious town library with wifi, SUP / surfboards - with local artists spaces , free tourist help centre ,and the Bunnerong Environment Centre , some best weekend markets.
  
  Our place deals with sustainable living (home as production emphasis rather than consumption emphasis, low ecological 'footprint', high community engagement ) in a hands on way for owners and volunteers like you ( or as immersive education for holidaymaker customers - not many now because of Covid shutdown).
  
  We are lucky to be located in a premier coast holiday town in the South Gippsland Coast, two hours South East from central Melbourne. We are on at the junction of a multi lake estuary and the ocean (Bass Straight) - lots of possible beach and water activities.
  
  - Opportunity for yoga sessions; close access to surfing/beach swims, cycling, aboriginal history, weekend markets .
  - local , State and National Parks.
  - Food we eat is mostly vegetarian with of home-grown and other foods. Food prep. (and cleaning) is deffinitely part of daily time as volunteers. We can work out a schedule that suits us both.
  - We choose our own/local produce to eat as a starting point - looking at what needs to be eaten / stored from gardens. Local and organic foods from shops are also used.
  - Get creative in kitchen with Australian / pacific foods .

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  Help

  Ideally you would have some skills in building, or using electric tools, or using gardening tools .
  We prefer:
  - you are not strict vegan or have multiple food intolerances or are fasting more than two days in a row
  - You have already grounded and stabilised yourself in Australia for a week
  - Understand the purpose of these volunteer programs and volunteering in general
  - Have experience driving a regular vehicle - not essential but very helpful
  - You have a learning goal or two - we mentor travellers / youth with setting / adjusting such goals (help them be achievable and realistic)
  - Have a solid profile of your own including photos; provide one ( two pref. ) verbal or written reference , of some kind . Reviews in here or with or other platforms are good.
  - Can commit to staying 10 days or more. One solid week may be possible - if you are very well organised. This minimum is for your benefit as well as ours - it takes time to settle in, to unwind from any previous city living, to get the hang of how things operate here , and it takes two weeks stay to have enough time to do your outings of our region (using our place as a base) , to 'discover Nature' and what is your role(s) in Nature
  - The "five hours per day" (see section above) doesn't mean every day - since its a whole day trip (when the weather is right) to do the famous Wilsons Prom National Park or the Phillips Island reserves.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Italian: Intermediate
  Sanskrit: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  English language - from intermediate to advanced (Dom has a Diploma Education/Care for Children) to Sanskrit as window to yoga teachings. Italian becoz it is Dom's heritage. New - drawn / carved symbols - esp Australian indigenous .
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  Accommodation

  A bedroom with a king single or double bed; Spare clothes, wetsuit, bike. Signal strength to local Telstra and Optus towers is very good most of the time. (recommend you avoid Vodaphone )
  - If you prefer to use your camper-van, there may be a spare driveway space .
  - We take our shoes/boots of at the house door. (Shoe-free indoors is essential) .
  - Visitors do not need to use our waterless toilet room, however we encourage all toilet users to use water minimisation - the waterless toilet room has better garden views, and uses almost no water.

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  What else ...

  Swim / surf / SUP . Yoga studio / beach yoga / Home yoga. Wildlife spotting - like massive Rays at our Jetty.
  Beach / forest meditation. Outdoor bowls and drinks (warm season). BBQ - home or huts nearby ....
  - Mini-home library on sustainable/conscious/adaptive living / Yoga ; Experimental Cooking with home/ local foods;
  - Mend your stuff with our sewing gear / other tools;
  - Spacious town library has decent wifi, SUPs / surfboards . Artists spaces dotted around. Free quality no BS tourist help centre; Bunnerong Environment Centre, Weekend markets. ....Much more ...
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  - - - - - -
  These UN SDG's are of close relevance: 3, 5, 11, 12, 13. Describing the ways we are contributing to these goals (with diagrams) could be a project for a suitable volunteer. (Note: we do not agree with the UN's growth-based assumptions . GDP oriented 'growth economics' is not supported by evidence for being sustainable regards sustaining of biota, nor climate stability, nor longevity of finite resources (minerals, soils).
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  Occasional trip taken to local yoga studios.
  
  'We speak music' - esp ambient, jazz esp ambient jazz , mantra (yoga music to help with meditation ) Diversity =
  
  Internet
  • We try to keep internet usage to essentials at the house - so much beauty, many beaches and cliff walks so close to us - we discourage constant use of electronic devices.
  • For simple/short use (check email, book tickets) you can use the 4G WiFi our small house WiFi hub
  or
  • Use nearby town library : good WiFi , spacious, comfy, free surfboard bookings, special Australian books, colour printer, desk areas .
  - Cafes - with great local made coffee / cake / Italian icesreams in our town.
  
  Longer stays are welcomed after a three day trial.
  
  *️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️Advice for non-English speaking travellers who have never been to Australia / NZ : English can be a challenge to learn - so, before working/volunteering it is probably you become a 'tourist' in Australia for at least a few weeks to sort your phone SIM , improve your communication and get critical paper work sorted *️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
  
  - Note : 10 days minimum stay.
  - Your spacious timber filled cosy bedroom has: comfy double bed , small desk/chair , access to spare warm clothes and wetsuits, view to lush quiet garden (if its the ground floor) reading light plus other light .
  
  We can accommodate couples (or two mature friends) who can sleep in same room, esp. if one person can drive and is over 25 yrs old (for car insurance ) . Couples will often to do separate tasks.
  
  Available resources for helpers:
  - Bicycle
  - Spare clothes and shoes (for work or play)
  - Wetsuits - Surfboard
  - Home library - focused on sustainable home and community living / environmental and personal health / development .
  - Sewing gear

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Let ' s talk ...

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  5 hours / day

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