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Host rating
90 %
Last replied
7 Jan 2025
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100.0 %
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Description
If you love wildlife, the outdoors, great views and good food, send us an email (only emails from this site will be responded to). This is very much a cultural exchange (for us and for you) as you will be in our family home sharing our lifestyle.
NO SMOKERS OR VEGETARIANS PLEASE. We prefer our helpers to stay 2 weeks or more. Work outside is a major part of what we do so expect to be outside on a rural property as part of the experience.
The property is located 60km South of Brisbane and 20km West of the Gold Coast on the upper North slope of Mt Tamborine, 320m above sea level. We are surrounded by National Parks and abundant wildlife. The property is 6Ha with a sub-tropical climate and has great country views to the North up to 140km on a clear day.
We also have a tennis court (I will always give preference to tennis players who love to cook and eat great food), an outdoor cob pizza oven, chooks/ducks, two Rhodesian ridgeback dogs a vegetable garden, about 300 fruit trees and a large aquaponics fish farm with Australian native fish and another property that is a Redclaw crayfish farm that is new and very interesting.
The design of both properties has been along Permaculture principles. This includes rainwater collection, composting waste disposal, integration of animals and gardens, integrated pest management and the use of limited chemicals is done in a sustainable manner.
The house is designed and built by us. It is large and modern and has been constructed using high mass walls and floors, good insulation in the roof, walls and double glazing throughout. Careful attention has been paid to window shading to minimise solar gain in summer and allow some heating in Winter. Hot water is provided by an evacuated glass tube solar array, and we have a 32kW solar grid tied electricity collector with 75kWh lithium batteries, plus a backup generator.
We have had over 800 volunteer guests on the property that have shared our family home and we have enjoyed the cultural exchange of food and ideas.
We ask our guest helpers to help 6 days a week for 4-5 hours a day. The tasks are varied and includes things such as: construction, wood working, harvesting, weeding, brush cutting, painting, planting, cleaning and cooking. We usually do tasks early in the morning and late in the afternoon to avoid the hottest part of the day.
We transport our helpers on their day off to Tamborine mountain (a major tourist attraction) or the nearest transport centre so that they can explore the area. The internet is made available to all our helpers.
We pick up our helpers from the Beenleigh Bus Transit Centre, under the big roof of the centre. This is in Beenleigh, approximately 25km South of Brisbane and is next to the Beenleigh Train station.
We get a lot of requests from helpers to come to our property!
If you want to be considered, please include a reasonable amount of detail about yourself and your interests (skills are not that important, but passions are!) and make sure you include photos. We put a lot of information about ourselves online and we expect a similar courtesy if not online then in your email to us. Initial contact should be through the web site.
We are postcode 4270 which is a registered disaster recovery postcode, so we can sign for your second year visa for your volunteer work .Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practiceHelp with Eco ProjectsGardeningDIY and building projectsAnimal CareFarmstay helpCreating/ Cooking family mealsHelp around the houseGeneral MaintenanceUN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We love lamb roasts, cuisine from different lands and good wine. Come and share the experience with us.
Help
We have had over 800 volunteer guests on the property and the family has enjoyed the cultural exchange of food and ideas. We ask our guest helpers to help 5 days a week for 4-5 hours a day. The tasks are varied and includes things such as: construction, wood working, harvesting, weeding, brush cutting, painting, planting, cheese making, beer making, black smithing, cleaning and cooking. We usually start early in the morning and late in the afternoon to avoid the hottest part of the day.
No smokers or vegetarians thank you. (If you are a smoker, you will be asked to leave!) We prefer our helpers to stay 2 weeks or more. Work outside is a major part of what we do so expect to be outside on a rural property as part of the experience.Languages
Languages spoken
English: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
I want to learn French and teach EnglishAccommodation
In the family home in a bedroom by yourself or as a couple.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have a great Starlink internet connection and workawayers have their own room
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (53)
would recommend him for an addition to your farm or house.
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.8)
Cultural exchange:
(4.7)
Communication:
(4.8)
would recommend him for an addition to your farm or house.
I got very welcomed when I arrived and it felt like home straight away.
I spent 2 weeks there and learnt a lot we had so many interesting projects like cheese making, brewing beer, making Liceur, plasma cutting and Started with forging Knifes.
They a both amazing chefs and the food was always… read more
They made us feel very welcome in their beautiful home and shared their delicious food and extensive wisdom with us. We learned lots of interesting things and enjoyed many fantastic meals together.
We had our own room (with loads of interesting books to read) and because we were the only workers, we… read more
I had a great time, I especially enjoyed processing the products from the garden into delicious dishes. your lovely manner and that no question was too much really made my trip through Australia a nice experience.
Thank you mate. We miss you.
Peter's master classes is something you cannot get anywhere else, I feel that staying with Peter and Ann is an opportunity to have a real cultural exchange, get to feel part of an Australian family, laugh… read more
We stayed for 20 days with ann and peter, they made us feel at home. They were very willing and patient to teach us the chores and help us with the language. They have a great vibe and were always in a good mood for us. The place they have is incredible, and we took with us excellent memories and… read more
If you like the outdoors, country living and sustainable agriculture, then there are loads for you to do at their hillside estate.
They are living the dream… read more
Of course with workaway, there is the expectation that you are not… read more
We worked every morning (3-4h) outside: brush cutting, wooding, weeding, cleaning, gardening, harvesting... or inside to clean the house. There is also some animals to take care: duck, chicken,… read more
I helped feeding animals: Max(the dog), fish and chicken and ducks(chooks). Every day can be different type of work (brush cutting, choap the… read more
I would like to tell you all that this is a great place to spend time at. I worked hard but there was no pressure too. I laughed with the family and had quality time with them. I enjoyed my breakfast every morning out on the balcony. The view was breathtaking and the sounds of the birds was music to me. Peter and Ann treated me as… read more
They are funny nice and smart. They speak slowly with people who don't really understand english. They can teatch you a lot of things. Their house is really cosy and quiete with a nice view and excellent meals everyday. We recommend this place for workaway without hesitation. With the hope to see Ann and Peter… read more
There were totally six volunteers. Peter allocated work according to our personal skills. We co-operated happily! In addition to weeding, watering, fertilizing and harvesting, I sometimes… read more
It was a real pleasure to be like a member of your family during 3weeks. I learnt a lot of engineering things thanks to Peter who was also very patient with my frenglish ! I did something different everyday in the garden, in the kitchen, and I learnt how to cook some delicious meals thanks to my Japanese… read more
I had a lot of things that I can't experience in Japan, like "Irrigation". Fixing all sprinklers in the garden was good and unforgettable job.
The most memorable experience in my stay was the Peter's birthday party. I was very happy to celebrate his birthday and to get the… read more
I was surprised by the view from this house. I really love the view.
Your family is an ideal family for me. You are very good terms. There are a lot of laughs at home. Ann is a good chef. The property of Peter is very fascinating.
The work is a little bit tough for me but it makes me thank food… read more
Dear Peter
It was a great experience to stay in your beautiful home during 2 weeks!!
The view is incredible and perfect to see sunsets.
The accomodation is comfort and spacious.
The work is varied and sometimes very intéressant.
Thank you for your hospitality and your patience to help us to improve our English
PS: Sorry Peter, I lost… read more
It's a really lovely place to stay and I learned new skills like how to clean the fish farm pumps, how to collect honey, how to properly plant a plant and even how to remove the guts from a duck!
I had a great time… read more
Ann and… read more
If as a host you have the opportunity to have Nina stay with you, invite her into your home. Lovely personality, good work ethic and proactive around the house.
Good luck Nina
As I have made my journey up the East Coast it was a great alternation to stay on their farm for two weeks. Although the work was hard sometimes, it was definitely worth it. I really enjoyed the delicious food, good conversations and the family life.
I really… read more
They really know what workaway exchange means! The work is light, the food is excellent. You'll never feel lonely because you'lĺ stay with many others helpers from all over the world. You'll learn so much new things while you'll stay there. Highly recommend. Thank you A, P and… read more
Peter