Australia
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Hi! I'm Debbie.
I'm a teacher, originally from Sydney, but for the last 12years have enjoyed the country life in rural NSW. I moved here with my partner and three kids just for a couple of years but we can't see ourselves moving away any time soon - we love it!
Three years spent overseas, beginning with Michael's secondment to the UK and then to the Netherlands was followed with a year's travel which continued to inspire. In 2016 we decided to spend twelve months with our children completing distance education and traveling through Europe which was absolutely fantastic.
I love all things cultural from museums and art galleries to festivals and mardi gras as well as discovering and exploring new places. I have undertaken various volunteer roles including raising money for our local schools, assembling Christmas hampers for the homeless and working for Mercy Refugee Service.
We look forward to hosting you!
Gardening
General Maintenance
Animal Care
We'll happily share our newly-acquired knowledge of organic and permaculture practices and learn from you if you have experience in this area. We'll share with you great places to visit in the area and answer your questions on anything and everything - to the best of our knowledge ;-)
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
We are looking for one or two people (e.g. a single, couple or two friends, etc) to help us with light work on our small farm. The upcoming stay is 16th September till the 12th October with flexibility of a few days.
Tasks include:
- Watering and weeding our veggie patch and orchards (1-2 hours each day)
- Ensuring food and water are always available to our sheep, chickens and two cats, Monti and Miko who like quite a bit of affection :)
(10-15 minutes each day)
We are looking for people who can commit to the full 3 weeks+ as our cats love to be outside each day but need to come inside at dusk for their own safety
English: Fluent
You will stay in separate accommodation in a converted building which was originally used as eight separate cabins for the workers on the Snowy Mountains scheme and now offers a modern, fully equipped open-plan kitchen, lounge & dining with two bedrooms (one with a double bed and the other two bunk beds) and a bathroom. There is an open fire for winter and a swimming pool and pool house to use year-round. Our house is separate and next door.
The first photo is of our house and the others are of your cottage :)
We rely on rainwater and would appreciate people being water conscious (having short showers) as well as turning off power (eg lights) when not in use. Please be aware, our previous summer workawayers experienced mosquitoes, sunburn, bugs on the lights and a frog in the toilet!
Help yourself to our veggie garden, orchard and chickens' eggs. Unfortunately, however, we are unable to provide meals as we will mostly not be around. Our apologies!
You would need a car for this stay. There are train connections from Harden, 15 minutes' drive from us, which is on the Sydney to Melbourne rail link and includes the towns of Mossvale, Goulburn, Yass, Cootamundra, Junee, Wagga Wagga and Albury. You can also go to Canberra.
We are a 20 minute drive from Cootamundra and Young, the Cherry Capital of Australia. The Cherry Festival is held annually in December. You can also visit the local history museum, the Chinese Tribute Gardens, local parks and Art of Espresso, home of the best coffee in regional NSW.
Jugiong and its renowned pub, the Sir George and cafe, The Long Track Pantry as well as the Murray River are within a 35 minute drive. Visit Junee and its fantastic Chocolate & Licorice factory as well as the Round House train museum and historic Monte Christo. Wagga Wagga and Canberra are just over an hour and a half away and Sydney is a three and a half hour drive.
We have bikes you can borrow to explore the area including the small town of Wallendbeen, about 8 kilometers away where you can enjoy a pint at the local pub or take a picnic.
If you're interested, fruit picking work may be available around Young prior to or after your stay with us (depending on the time of year).
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Two
Maximum 25 hours / week
