Australia
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We are Mel, Penny and Naty and we run a vegan, multi-species, intentional community where humans live harmoniously with our non-human friends. We are a community of around 100 individuals including humans, cows, pigs, sheep, roosters, geese, horses, dogs and cats.
The helper will need to work for 5 hours per day, 5 days per week in exchange for accommodation (including internet and other utilities) and meals.
We ask for a minimum stay of two weeks for interstate of overseas visitors and a maximum of four weeks.
The helper(s) will stay in the house which has all amenities and WiFi internet. You will have the upstairs room which has a separate bathroom. You will be living with three dogs, six cats and up to four humans in the main house. Couples are welcome. LGBTIQA+ and SW friendly. We are open communicators and would like you to be open with us also.
We are located in farming country and the closest train to from Melbourne is 20 minutes away, in Warragul (Traralgon country V-Line train). We are happy to provide pick up and drop off at the Warragul station.
You can find out more by messaging us.
Gardening
Building
General Maintenance
Cooking / shopping
Farmstay
Help with Eco project
Help in the house
Animal care
Help with Computers / internet
The cultural exchange is about learning how to live and work within a small, emerging self-sufficient community along with non-human animals. You will learn all of the practical skill associated with animal care both physical and psycho-social. You will learn about the philosophy of eco-feminism and the ethics of care, which underpin our social framework. We hope to learn and grow from the experience and knowledge of travelers who may have much to contribute to said framework. We also provide an opportunity for language exchange. We are keen English teachers and always excited to learn new languages.
The help required is mostly hands on, physical work. Primarily, we need help with the day to day running of the animal sanctuary, which may include building projects, constructing and mending fencing, cleaning up after non-human residents and tending to their daily needs. There are also opportunities to help with other tasks depending on your skills. For example, website maintenance, blog writing, grant writing etc.
At the end of August 2019, Penny is having spinal surgery and will be out of action for around 3-6 months. This means, Mel is going to be carrying all sanctuary work on her own. We are looking for someone(s) so come and stay during that first couple of weeks after surgery (and possibly longer if it works for everyone) to help out with care work for both Penny and other community residents. If this sounds like something you're into, please get in touch.
English
Your accommodation is within our house but separately contained upstairs with own bathroom. It is quite a large space. All other amenities are shared, i.e. kitchen, laundry, shared living space etc. Alternatively you can stay in smaller room downstairs but you will share bathroom with us.
We like to eat communally and encourage our guests to cook, if that is something they like to do. Otherwise, we generally make most meals and share them together. We like to socialise and play board games in the evenings but are also just as happy to retire and have our own time after a hard day's work. Generally we are easy going.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We are a completely vegan community. You are not required to be vegan to come here but you must agree to be vegan during your stay and all animal food products are prohibited.
There are many bush walking tracks in the local area and some lovely national parks a short drive away. This would benefit travelers who have their own vehicle. We are 20 minutes away from the nearest town but Penny works in town 3 days / week so is able to pick up supplies on those trips. There is no public transport that services the community, however, there is possibility to borrow a vehicle if you have a driver's license.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
More than two
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
