Animal lovers welcome on our sanctuary for farmed animals near York, Australia

Details

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  Description

  We are a registered not-for-profit animal rescue organisation / farm stay located near York, Western Australia. Our beautiful 200-acre property is the forever home to around 140 rescued animals - including pigs, sheep, alpacas, goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, rabbits, horses and cows! Many of our residents were rescued from cases of abuse or neglect, and many have special care needs (e.g. regular medication, mobility issues or vision impairment).
  
  We are looking for animal lovers - who are passionate about animal care and don't mind getting their hands dirty - to help us provide day-to-day care for our resident animals, and to help keep the sanctuary runnning. This includes feeding the animals twice a day, as well as general maintenance around the sanctuary and spending quality time with the animals to keep them used to human touch & interaction!
  
  If you are someone who loves and respects animals, and are able to commit to ensuring the safety, happiness and well-being of our non-human residents, please reach out to us. Your dedication can have a significant impact on the lives of these beautiful creatures at our sanctuary💙

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Gardening

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Books

  

  Culture

  

  Events & social

  

  Politics / Social justice

  

  LGBTQ

  

  Farming

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Pets

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Hiking

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Charity work

  

  Plant care

  

  Animals

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Nature

  

  Fitness
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  In return for your help, you will get to experience a quiet rural country lifestyle, away from big towns and cities - surrounded by gorgeous natural landscapes.
  Staying here, you will have the opportunity to learn & experience:
  
  Animal Care:
  - You will learn about the everyday care of our animals, as well as the nutritional and emotional requirements of the animals. Over time you will form special bonds with some of our animals and get to know them as individuals, as they slowly learn to read your body language and behaviour in order to trust you - and vice versa.
  
  . Cultural Exchange & Community:
  - We usually will have at least two live-in volunteers at any given time, so your stay here will more than likely coincide with at least one other international volunteer. This makes a great opportunity for cultural exchange, as well as the chance to make friends from around the world! We have had several of our past volunteers become close friends, and even go off traveling together after their stay with us ended.
  - There are also several local volunteers who come stay at the sanctuary semi-regularly, who you will get the opportunity to meet, share meals and work on projects with (if you wish).
  
  Native Plants & Animals:
  - Fiona (your co-host) is very knowledgeable about Australian native flora & fauna, and is also very savvy with plants and gardening. If you wanted to learn about any of the local plants, wildlife, or growing food - Fiona is your gal!
  
  Handy Skills:
  - You will also have the opportunity to learn some handy skills if you wish to help out with tasks such as building & maintaining shelters & fencing etc.

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  Help

  We are looking for volunteers who are interested in helping with the day-to-day care of our resident animals, as well as helping out around the sanctuary to keep things running smoothly.
  
  Basic tasks include:
  - feeding the animals (both in the morning and the evening)
  - cleaning water troughs and living areas (lots of poop clearing involved)
  - paddock maintenance (e.g. making sure animal living areas are safe and well-maintained)
  
  These responsibilities would be shared between you and any other volunteers who are currently staying (we aim to have at least two volunteers staying at any given time).
  
  Additional projects include helping with constructing and repairing shelters, implementing animal enrichment projects and establishing and maintaining pasture on our 200-acre property with the help of our regular 'Busy Bee' volunteers (who come up monthly in a large group, but some will come visit more frequently to help out around the place).
  
  We encourage the volunteers to learn as much as they can about the daily routines so that they can take on some responsibility and work independently.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  Accommodation is available in the main house with 3 bedrooms. The house is air conditioned and there is a fast Starlink internet connection throughout the house.
  
  Weekly basic plant-based food is provided for all volunteers. Basic food includes frozen vegetables, canned fruits, bread, margarine, spreads, pasta, rice, instant noodles, cereal, soy milk.
  
  Our sanctuary is run by mostly Brad (caretaker & founder), Fiona (co-caretaker), and Em (all-rounder, admin, volunteer management). We all monitor this account, but you can assume you're speaking to Brad unless we sign off as Fiona or Em :). Fiona and Brad take turns being present at the sanctuary and working in Perth, and they will be the ones who train you. Em comes up semi-regularly to help with general fixing, maintenance, odd jobs and to run volunteer busy bees. You will have your own private room in the shared house, and the sanctuary is 200+ acres with beautiful natural landscape for you to explore - so you can choose when and if you want to be around people or have some alone time!
  
  Some pics of the house & property here - ask us for the link

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  What else ...

  Since the animals take time to gain trust, and training is time consuming for management - priority will be given to volunteers who can commit to longer stays. A minimum of 2 weeks is required but one month + is preferred and it would be great for you to build connections and feel the rewards of your work.
  
  Getting Here:
  
  Public transport is limited in this area, but with your own vehicle you can visit local towns such as York and Northam, Wave Rock, Hyden, or drive 90 minutes to Perth CBD. There are plenty of festivals and events in York and surrounding towns.
  
  For those that do not have their own vehicle, we have volunteers up and back from the sanctuary (days vary), who you are always welcome to get a lift with.
  
  If that doesn't suit, there is a limited bus service between York and Perth and you can book tickets here: Click on 'Book Tickets' and then click on 'One Way' then for 'From' it is 'East Perth Terminal' if you are staying in the city or 'Midland' if you are closer to Midland. 'To' is 'York' and then put in the date that you want and it will tell you if there is a service that day and what time it leaves and what time it arrives in to York. The cost is around 20 AUD. Please check with us before you book your tickets as we will need to pick you up from York to drive you to the sanctuary.

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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

  We have a fast Starlink internet connection and there is time to work between the morning and evening feed shifts.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  There is space under a high roofed carport to park a van

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Pets may be possible on a case by case basis. They must be good around other animals - including free ranging chickens, cats and dogs.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  

  Mark

  

  Rex

  

  Buzz

  

  Mama Cat

  

  Jessiecat

  

  Maria

  

  GinGin

  

  Victor

  

  Woody

  

  Rocky

  

  Zorro

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