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23 Apr 2024
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Description
Greetings! We are Colleen & Hector.
Together we own two 1/2 acre lots (1 acre in total) adjacent to one another on a Permaculture community located 5 minutes by car (25 minutes easy walking) to the town centre of Nimbin, in the northern rivers region of NSW, Australia. We manage several large fruit and vegetable gardens that provide much of our food, as well as some chickens. We are always in need of assistance around the gardens and house with various projects.
Hector, originally from Sydney, has a university degree in Botany & Biochemistry, was a Permaculture teacher for many years, is an avid gardener, and coffee exporter. Hector lived in Timor-Leste for over 20 years, where he built a local NGO, owned two restaurants, and continues to work as one of the country's leading interpreters and translators (Tetun, Portuguese, Spanish). Colleen, born in the USA, has a university degree in Dance, worked as a professional dancer in the USA for many years, and started Timor-Leste's only wellness studio which she ran for over 14 years, before moving to Nimbin. Colleen now runs an online wellness business teaching Pilates, yoga, meditation, and dance, is a founding member of a film company, a member of local band where she plays harp and trombone, and makes Screendance art.
Colleen is vegetarian and we eat exclusively vegetarian at home.
Types of help and learning opportunities
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
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We are keen to share our own language skills, and also to learn/improve our language skills. We are especially keen to have Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Japanese languages spoken around the house.
As Hector was a Permaculture teacher, he is happy to share his knowledge of plants, gardens, and sustainable human settlements with anyone interested. Hector also has a great library of books that he can share.
As Colleen is a dancer, yoga/Pilates/dance teacher, Screendance maker, and amateur musician, there are also sometimes possibilities to participate in classes, art projects, or music jams.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We always need assistance in our gardens...pruning, weeding, brush cutting, planting, making compost, mulching, watering, harvesting, seed saving & propagation, processing/preserving food, etc.
We sometimes appreciate assistance with other projects around our house and gardens...cleaning, fencing, small building projects, restoring furniture, tool/vehicle maintenance, etc.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Portuguese: Intermediate
Spanish: Beginner
French: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
English = fluent Tetun = fluent Portuguese = intermediate Spanish = beginner French = beginner Japanese = I want to learn!
Accommodation
We have two accommodation possibilities for guests: One is a cute recently renovated caravan (one of our many projects!) that is fully furnished and has it's own outdoor cooking and patio area; The other is a partially renovated, fully furnished, brand new shipping container with an amazing view of the mountains. Both of these guest accommodation options are located within 50 meters of our passive-solar house, where we have a shared bathroom/toilet facility.
Colleen is vegetarian and we eat exclusively vegetarian at home. We are happy to share meals with others, including meal preparation and clean-up responsibilities.
We exclusively use rainwater, which is filtered before it enters the taps in the house. We have a worm-composting wastewater treatment system that processes our grey and black water. Because of this, we exclusively use organic soaps and cleaning products down our drains.
What else ...
Guests can easily walk or bicycle (we have 3 bicycles) to nearby Nimbin where there is access to a grocery store, organic food cooperative, weekly farmers market, hospital and clinic, skate park, swimming pool, petrol station, post office, local art gallery, many shops, a pub, and a few cafes and restaurants. Nimbin is a small but vibrant town with regular music, art, and theatrical cultural activities.
Our Permaculture community has several trails winding through and around beautiful forests, dams, and an orchard. Additionally, we are about a 15 minute drive from a national park offering trails through old growth forest.
We are 1 hour and 15 minutes drive away from several gorgeous beaches, and two airports.
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Hector and Colleen have lived in several countries and have extensive international travel experience. We speak fluent English and Tetun, intermediate Portuguese, and a bit of Spanish and French. We endeavor to live sustainably and in harmony with the natural landscape we are a part of. We participate in the community on which we live and in the broader community we are a part of in various ways.
We are generally quiet and private people. We keep our house VERY clean and organized. We expect guests here to behave respectfully and take good care of the spaces.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
We have a cement driveway where a caravan can potentially be parked.
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
