Come and help at our permaculture sanctuary in Kangaroo Valley, Australia

Details

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  Description

  *Please read our full profile before applying - Make sure you include the date you want to arrive, length of stay and something about yourself*
  
  IMPORTANT - ONLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR STAYS OF:
  6 MONTHS OR LONGER
  
  The Farm is an experimental project encompassing regenerative agriculture, bush regeneration, permaculture, sustainability, and community living. Our farm is set on 810 acres of stunning wilderness and farmland on the east coast of Australia. We aim to embody the permaculture principle of “we are nature working” and develop a deep understanding and respect for the land we steward, all the time aiming to regenerate the earth and learn from her and each other.
  
  We highly encourage you to visit our Instagram or Facebook page to see our projects of past and present - please message me for the name of the account as we're unable to publish it on our Workaway profile. We update our social media every week so you can see what the farm looks like now and get a taste of what to expect if you join us!
  
  We have a large veggie garden that provides all our vegetables, an orchard, herb garden, native food forest and silvopasture area. Animals that call the farm home include beef and dairy cattle, chickens, worms, bees, 2 dogs called Misty and Milo and lots of wombats and kangaroos! Some projects we are working on include bush regeneration, securing our water, solar, roads, fencing, designing new infrastructure, timber mill and house fit out. We're hoping to start a few earth building projects this year using materials sourced entirely from the property.
  
  We aim to live simply and in harmony with nature. We aim to source as much of our food as we can from the farm. This means that if something is abundant in our garden, we may eat a lot of it! We care for our animals as humanely as we can, giving them the best lives possible, valuing their input into the ecosystem we are creating, their companionship, their contribution to our farm family and the nutrition that they provide us at the end of their lives.
  
  One of our passions is processing and preserving the abundance we receive, both from the garden and foraging, into delicious products which we can store for future enjoyment or sell at the monthly Kangaroo Valley Market. There is always plenty of fermenting, drying, pickling, and processing to be done. We have 4 beautiful dairy cows that provide us with delicious milk that we then turn into butter, kefir cream, yogurt, feta and gelato! You won’t find much, if any, processed food in our pantry. If you stay with us, you will eat real food. Weekday lunch preparation is rostered and depending on how many people are living here, dinner cooking may also be rostered to allow everyone to have a chance to feed and be fed in an efficient and stress-free way. Breakfast is made independently, and you can help yourself to as much food as you need throughout the day. You will learn how to cook with seasonal veggies, an organic wholefood-based pantry and animal products sourced from the farm.
  
  The farm is set on the beautiful land of the Dharawal Nation and we pay our deepest respects to the Traditional Custodians of this country. The property is bordered on 3 sides by National Park, with a pristine, energizing creek running through the centre of it, with numerous large, clean swimming holes and waterfalls. We have wonderful hiking on our property and through into the surrounding national park. Our water for drinking and other purposes comes from a spring-fed waterfall in the forest and our power is mostly sourced via solar.
  
  Volunteers will initially spend up to 3 mornings in the garden. Other mornings will include bush regeneration, cooking creations (food preservation) and general property maintenance and tidying, depending on your interests. We generally work five mornings a week, between 8:30 and 12:30. Then there are some other small daily tasks to be done at other times, like feeding animals. After work, you’re free to do whatever you like, such as bushwalking, baking, cycling, yoga, swimming in the creek, reading a book from our incredible library or creative projects. Communal activities include weekly yoga, movie nights, monthly Crop Swaps, dinner parties/bonfires and workshops.
  
  We have only had the property for around 4 years, so it’s still in its infancy. Currently there are 4 people living on the farm full-time doing both volunteer and paid hours, 5 people who live off the farm that work Monday to Friday, and between 2-6 short and long term volunteers. The community is still learning and growing every day - about the land, the animals and community living. These can present challenges both big and small, rewarding, and difficult. We are looking for people who are open to growing with us and want to help the farm evolve and thrive.
  
  Our minimum stay is 6 weeks, but we prefer to have people stay 3 months or even longer if all is going well. There is always something new to do and learn, new people to meet and each season brings its own lessons so if you want the most out of your experience here, we recommend a longer stay (especially as the first few weeks are usually spent adjusting to a new space and way of life). If possible, for long term volunteers we prefer you come for a week or so to see if the place is for you. There may be paid work opportunities down the track for long term volunteers who are engaged, responsible and hard working.
  
  Volunteers work under the guidance of a coordinator. We try to accommodate volunteers interests whenever possible and are often complimented on the diversity of work we offer to volunteers. We want to host people who are really engaged and interested in permaculture and self-sufficiency. We prefer people who ask questions, take notes and are self-responsible and reliable. You will be given responsibilities, such as feeding an animal or emptying the compost bucket when it’s full, and we expect that these things are done without us needing to give constant reminders. We really value open communication, questions, and feedback as we want to know that people are engaged in their work and their role in the community.
  
  Accommodation for volunteers is in fitted out buses. Usually there is one couple to a bus or 2 singles sharing a bus which has been split in the middle with a wall to enable more privacy. The busses are equipped with a bed (and all necessary bedding), desk space, big windows which open for ventilation, curtains for privacy, long lasting portable batteries for power, WIFI and a portable toilet. The kitchen and bathroom are shared in the main house and the loungeroom is also available for recreational use. If you have a van you’re living out of, we also have space for you to park if you want to keep using that as accommodation. If you have a tiny house and are looking for a long-term living arrangement within a community, please reach out!
  
  We have a strict no smoking, no drug policy. Any breech of this and you will be required to leave.
  
  Our farm has a small-scale business endeavour to sell our regenerative beef cattle as meat however the people we host from Workaway will not contribute to this business in any way. Our main goal in hosting people is to provide education through experience and possibilities for personal growth. Your time and labour go into maintaining everyday life on the farm with no connection to our separate business endeavours.
  
  When applying, please tell us the date you want to arrive, how long you want to stay and why you are interested in our place.
  
  *Please note that some reviews are from our prior property of ours in Sydney.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  A lot of travellers enjoy our lifestyle and admire the beauty of the land we live on. They realise how easy it is to grow your own food, to live healthily, simply and more sustainably. There are many opportunities to spend time in nature, including bushwalking, swimming in the creek, star gazing (no light pollution), bird watching, native animal spotting and generally enjoying a beautiful piece of very peaceful wilderness. We usually host a range of people from all around the world so it's a great place to make new friends and learn from their stories, skills and interests.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  The main kind of volunteering help we need is:
  Growing fruit and vegetables
  Taking care of seedlings
  Looking after chickens
  Making compost
  Preparing garden beds
  Watering plants
  Helping take care of bees and harvesting honey
  Preserving food
  Cooking food
  Landcare/bush regeneration
  Fencing and livestock moving for holistically managed dairy cows
  Property maintenance
  
  The people we host from Workaway will not contribute to our farm business in any way.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate
  Hindi: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  Accommodation for volunteers is in fitted out buses. Usually there is one couple to a bus or 2 singles sharing a bus which has been split in the middle with a wall to enable more privacy. The busses are equipped with a bed (and all necessary bedding), desk space, big windows which open for ventilation, curtains for privacy, long lasting portable batteries for power, WIFI and a portable toilet. The kitchen and bathrooms are shared in the main house and the loungeroom is also available for recreational use.
  The location of our farm is incredibly beautiful and peaceful. We allow you to borrow the farm car once a week for an outing. Aside from that there is some awesome hiking on our property and lots to explore.

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  What else ...

  We are looking for helpers who are genuinely interested in a healthy lifestyle, particularly permaculture and are enthusiastic about growing their own food or raising their own animals. We are happy to host people who are reliable, self responsible, ask questions, take notes, remember to do their tasks without being reminded, take initiative and get really involved with the projects going on at our properties. You need to be happy to get your hands dirty (clean up animal manure, dig in the worm farm etc) and are easy going and friendly.

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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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  Can host digital nomads

  Our internet connection is very reliable and reaches all accommodation. There are spaces where you can work uninterrupted.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Most size vans or caravans would be fine. TINY HOUSES - If you have a tiny house and think you'd like to move into a community like ours, feel free to contact us so that we can discuss possible arrangements.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  4 to 5 hours a day 5 days a week

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