Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
8 Apr 2025
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 1 day
Feedback
3
Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
We are a family of three adults, Ken & Robyn plus Robyn’s sister Barbara, living in Olinda in the lovely Dandenong Ranges Victoria, about 50km from the centre of the city of Melbourne. We have been members of help exchange programs for 21 years and have welcomed people from all over the world. We enjoy meeting people from different cultural backgrounds, exchanging experiences & information, enhancing all our lives.
Our home in Olinda is very peaceful & quiet, close to the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Gardens and a few minutes walk from the village. We have a huge garden, separate self-contained accommodation for helpers, and a very flexible approach to life.
Two of us (Robyn & Ken) spend half the year living in our house in SW France and the other half in Olinda. We are in Olinda now!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We enjoy meeting new people, hearing about their lives, their country, their travels, hopes & dreams. We also like to offer assistance to young travellers - we have benefitted from other’s kindness around the world and like to give back.
Between us we have had lots of experiences - in the workforce (nursing, debriefing, travel, environment, science) and have all travelled widely. Ken speaks English, Cantonese & reasonable Mandarin; Robyn speaks English & tries very hard to speak French!
Help
We ask for 3 hours help per day, 5 days per week, days & times are usually flexible & negotiable. We appreciate help in our garden - raking, weeding, clearing bark for burning, planting, pruning, sweeping etc.
Our home is large, always in need of ongoing maintenance - painting, small repairs, fixit tasks, some carpentry.
Indoors & outdoors, there are always windows to clean, cobwebs to clear, verandas to sweep.
And indoors, there is occasionally cleaning, vacuuming, dusting to do.
We always appreciate workers with specific skills and will try to utilise them. Carpentry skills are always very welcome!
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Chinese (Cantonese): Fluent
Chinese (Mandarin): Intermediate
French: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
Would love to improve my French & help you with English.
Accommodation
We provide accommodation only. We do provide dinner on our first night together, and a few other nights during your stay. We will also have tea/coffee together each day, share a drink/wine/beer sometimes. You will be expected to provide all your other meals yourself - we can take you shopping - or you can walk to the shops.
We can accommodate a couple or a single person. Our accommodation in the “ Cubby” has a double bed so is not suitable for two friends although you can share if you wish. It is private & self-contained with a fridge & simple cooking facilities, bathroom, heating etc. BBQ available. We provide all bed linen, duvets, towels, cups, glasses, cutlery, plates, cooking pots & pans etc.
Wifi is good in the Cubby. You can access a washing machine (we mostly use the sun for drying but have a dryer if really necessary). Easy parking on the property if you have a vehicle.
What else ...
Some great walks nearby, places to run & exercise. There are huge Mountain Ash forests, National Parks, Botanic Gardens, all within walking distance, all free entry. There are buses to the train station (25 minute trip); plus trains to Melbourne CBD 45-50 minutes. Local swimming pool within walking distance (summer), plus cafes, restaurants, pubs, also an easy walk.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Our internet connection is good in the Cubby. We can also offer to print documents.
Space for parking camper vans
We have room to park a motor home or caravan but it cannot be connected to electricity, water or internet. Be aware that we are surrounded by large Mountain Ash trees and cannot prevent, or be responsible for, the occasional falling branch.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (3)
This was our first couple's experience and Ken, Robyn, and Barbara always treated us very well.
The tasks they assigned to us were enjoyable and never too challenging; everything was explained in detail and if we needed information, we could ask on Ken, who was very kind and helpful. We never worked more than 3 hours and we… read more
We stayed two weeks with Robyn, Ken and Barbara and it's was just perfect !
They was very welcoming, they provided us everything we need and we felt like home instantly.
We slept in the cute cubby next to them house and give a hand in the beautiful garden.
The work was not hard, we worked just 3 hours per day, so we had… read more
We couldn't expect anything better! They've welcomed us with warmth, ready to help us with all our question and doubts about our… read more
Photos
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
This was our first couple's experience and Ken, Robyn, and Barbara always treated us very well.
The tasks they assigned to us were enjoyable and never too challenging; everything was explained in detail and if we needed information, we could ask on Ken, who was very kind and helpful. We never worked more than 3 hours and we… read more
We stayed two weeks with Robyn, Ken and Barbara and it's was just perfect !
They was very welcoming, they provided us everything we need and we felt like home instantly.
We slept in the cute cubby next to them house and give a hand in the beautiful garden.
The work was not hard, we worked just 3 hours per day, so we had… read more
We couldn't expect anything better! They've welcomed us with warmth, ready to help us with all our question and doubts about our… read more
