Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
1 May 2025
Reply rate
97.2 %
Usually responds within 3 days
Feedback
22
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Badges (4)
Details
Description
Hi!
We live on a large hobby farm in the middle of the bush- about an hour from Melbourne. We have dogs, horses, and chickens, and a veg garden/ orchard.
We mainly do a lot of maintenance, and always have new plans for things to build. We eat together, ( all meals, we love coffee) and chat a lot. Help in the kitchen is not work, but part of life.
We work hard, and make long days- which you can join in or not. (most do)
We like to have a phone call before committing.
The coming weeks we will need lots of weeding, and wippersnipping- making the bush fire safe- and general maintenance.
We CAN sign off on working holiday visa, you need to tell us so we can adjust work.
Then;
We are building a helper hub (wwoof town) :-)
We have a caravan that we are doing up- only thing it needs is finishing a kitchenette, and finish building a roof over it :-)
The second caravan needs a bit of refining- And the area needs making nice and fun. (landscaping/ creating a fence)
Finishing the bathroom and the toilet in the cubby house (mainly decorating)
This could be a very cool project for some handy people ! and- it will be where you sleep.
For most jobs we are hoping for Tool handling experience. We don't have time to teach from scratch- but if you are handy, you will learn a lot of skills- depending on length of stay :-) .
There is also animal care ( we have 3 dogs, 3 horses, no pigs, lots of chickens ,guinea fowl, indoor birds, .and we are currently fostering rescue puppies that need love and training to learn about life, so they can go to a home . .. I think that is it, but it varies from week to week) This will NOT take up a large part of the day.
in general there is always FENCING, CONSTRUCTION of a little shed,PLUMBING, LANDSCAPING, shovelling and gardening, etc etc. (and as always, joint cooking, chatting,, swimming in nice weather, etc etc)
We don't want you to do the same for days on end- it gets very boring... This is why we vary jobs.
ABOUT US:
We are Dutchies, We both work at home; outside, and we both have a workshop- Arthur ( mechanical design engineer) works with wood, Aukje (sculptor) with clay , both with metal, and of course; we ride our horses. There will be plenty of time to work together, or learn things, there will also be lots of work on your own time. . We are both very practical people. - But also busy with a million things!
We like to share stories, jokes, and thoughts about the deeper meaning of life- accompanied by a glass of beer or wine, or not- and also sometimes need some family time. We like to talk about what works well for you and us.
LGBTI+ welcome, as is neurodivergence.
We both are visual and creative thinkers, but also very practical. We work hard. We think out of the box, We have lots of life experience, and are happy to share our thoughts.
Many walk away here with a better idea on what they want to do after, in the long term. so, if you are confused on what you want , with study, or life- we somehow seem to help people. Now sure how- but we get that as messages a lot from our former helpers :-)
BEFORE CONTACTING US:
Because of our personal approach -
NO AI GENERATED MESSAGES.
Reasonable ENGLISH is NECESSARY to improve your and our experience .
We expect you to have appropriate insurance.
If you email us; tell us about your skills. Its nice to know what you want, BUT its easier for us to know what you can do around here :-)
Always include a PHONE NUMBER, as this makes contact so much easier and faster. Whatsapp is fine.
Diets;
Gluten intolerance is manageable here.
We eat meat, and like very good food.
Vegetarians can try to convince us that it is a good life style ( but it won’t be easy!!) , cooking vegan is just not practical and causes too much thinking after long days. Sorry- our kitchen contents are not geared towards vegans. We will not accept vegans for this reason.
Hope to see you soon!!!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
House sitting
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We have dinner together 5 nights a week, and most helpers feel they become are part of our family. As immigrants we have our own view on Australia, and have learnt a lot through the years.
Because we come from Europe, we also understand more about the culture you (often) come from- and for example, don't think french backpackers are rude. (apparently this myth is going around) We have also traveled all of Australia- so know a lot of areas.
You can learn plenty of skills here, depending on how busy we are, but a lot of our helpers go away with something they take to a paid job- and I am writing plenty of references for people after they have left when they apply to paid jobs !
We seem to have a knack to give life advice, and help figure out what it is people are looking for :-)
Help
Help required varies, as our project are always varying- we can't plan very well, as things come up, change, are re-thought, influenced by weather, etc. In general there is weeding, brush cutting, horse, dog, chicken and/or duck care, building, tree chopping, planting, fencing,, swimming, trampoline jumping, bushwalking, cooking and baking etc etc.
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️We love people who are interested and/or take initiative - we are open to a lot- if you talk about your plans first :-)
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️We love good food- if you can cook or bake, we love to give you a chance to show us!
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️We generally work 5 ( or more if you want) days a week- depending on what comes up. Sunday is always off, and we will often take you somewhere that is cool - depending on our schedule as well. (horseriding is fun, but takes up a lot of time :-) )
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ this place is in a beautiful area, with national parks, and tiny towns close by. We have a few bicycles to use- or can bring you to the bus if needed. You can also walk out straight from our property.
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ we will try to show you the area in the weekend or after work! sometimes life gets too busy though :-(
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️If you don't like animals- there is NO reason to be here.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
German: Intermediate
French: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
spanish :-) any language really...
Accommodation
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ phone reception its very good here. Internet is at our house, guesthouse and caravan. (starlink)
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️We provide 1-2 beers or glasses of wine after work/ during dinner. If you like more, you are welcome to bring your own. within reason.
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ Most people rave about the food, we like to cook! we like to eat food that is cooked for me too :-) (cleaning not so much- so we do that together)
What else ...
Our place (in Cockatoo) is in Victoria's most beautiful area's, with main attractions like large national state park (s!) close by, old steam train (puffing billy) , Yarra valley wineries very close (by car) and many other attractions. so a bit of everything. Most people hang around our house though as it is so tranquil here, and go for a walk in our own bush. _ or go for a bike ride :-) (bikes provided)
We have had 160 helpers so far- so we're quite experienced in having people here, and explaining work etc etc. it means we can be reasonably clear to you, but if there would be questions, we are happy to answer them. We try to go out in the weekends, if we can, and show you some of the surrounds. We do have lots of activities in the weekends so this is not always possible. Happy to transport you to bus though!
We do drink alcohol, and love sharing a beer after work, and a glass of wine at dinner. After that its up to you!
we don't love smoke nor cigarette butts anywhere- except for in our bin.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have good internet connection (STARLINK) - in both caravans and in the house-
Space for parking camper vans
Plenty of space! This makes it possible to host more people.
Can possibly accept pets
Dogs- no cats- they need to be socialised, play well, fully vacced, because we get rescue pups who are not... Your dog could die if not vaccinated.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (9)
He is super nice, extremely polite, very willing, and likes exchanging stories, and explanations about Japan and his life. It is a lot of fun learning about him , his country, and customs. He is extremely good value and a huge pleasure to have around. We have many laughs, and despite this going against… read more
He is a super hard worker, and does his very best to do all jobs to the best standard possible- which we really appreciated. He did way more than what we asked. He got along well with our other helper.
He was upfront about what his aims were, which made expectations on both sides clear.… read more
Becouse wisdom open minded, they likes to have a good time with people comes around, and they… read more
He did not lie.
We were extremely happy that he convinced us we were not full up- he talks and works with a smile. He works hard, and keeps going until the job is done. he was determined to finish the… read more
Photos
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(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
He is super nice, extremely polite, very willing, and likes exchanging stories, and explanations about Japan and his life. It is a lot of fun learning about him , his country, and customs. He is extremely good value and a huge pleasure to have around. We have many laughs, and despite this going against… read more
He is a super hard worker, and does his very best to do all jobs to the best standard possible- which we really appreciated. He did way more than what we asked. He got along well with our other helper.
He was upfront about what his aims were, which made expectations on both sides clear.… read more
Becouse wisdom open minded, they likes to have a good time with people comes around, and they… read more
He did not lie.
We were extremely happy that he convinced us we were not full up- he talks and works with a smile. He works hard, and keeps going until the job is done. he was determined to finish the… read more
She still has things to learn, as she doesn't have… read more
He is not exuberant, but very nice when talking in a more quiet setting.
it is a pity he only stayed a week, we were very busy, so he worked mainly on his own, and he does love the social side of things as well.
He did a lot of carpentry work for us-… read more
She has an amazing work ethic, and is smart, she grasps all jobs fast and has a common sense that is rare. Klara is positive, funny ( her english is amazing) has a sense for the absurd, is full of stories, and therefore lovely to have around and have chats with. It’s like having a… read more
Dinner was always delicious! :)
We had interesting conversations about their life in Australia and the difference to the Netherlands.
They life really in harmony with all their animals (e.g.… read more
They left our accommodation super clean (thanks!) and I am sure our pigs will miss their daily baths!
She is very smart- so understands the jobs quick- but more important, she is very good for nice conversations, it is like have a year long friend at the dinner table.
Her first day with us was a… read more
Their English is not super yet (yet!) but Kevin is constantly looking to improve himself by asking questions and telling stories, and he likes to be pointed to what he doesnt say right, and why.
Malik is a bit quieter, but once he is comfortable he is also happy to tell things and both are very interested in… read more
:)
The area is stunning and the whole family (and of course the animals) are lovely.
I stayed with them for 2 weeks and I really enjoyed the work in this beautiful environment. Me and another volunteer were staying in the beautiful guest house on their… read more
We had a few things ready for her, and then on the day she came, we heard we had to do an emergency dash to Europe, throwing our life upside down. Zoe stepped in and calmly (but actually energetic and indeed bubbly) took on jobs that needed to be done, and did… read more
The accommodation was a lovely guesthouse separate from the main home with everything you need to relax after a day's work, before joining the family again for delicious home cooked… read more
