Welcoming volunteers to join us with daily life on Kangaroo Island, Australia

Details

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  Description

  We live on a bush block next to Pelican Lagoon. We have a variety of work to do depending on your skills or not! A positive attitude and willingness to learn is always helpful. We are ex teachers so language learning is a fun thing for us to do as well.
  We view this as much a cultural and social exchange as well as a working and skill experience.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We travel the world and Australia mainly by bicycle and we love to share our home and place with other travellers as well as learn from them. If you would like to improve your English speaking we are more than happy as we both taught English in schools....we generally work on a mixture of maintenance and learning tasks...and you will have the opportunity to learn a new skill usually in the building or construction area. Our house is solar powered and runs on cloud juice so if you want to find out more about that we are happy to share. Our large garden is based on organic principles and we could learn from each other! We have some knowledge of our local environment and are members of an active environmental group as well as birdwatching, walking, canoeing and dragon boating which you are invited to be part of. If you are visiting other parts of Australia or New Zealand you may be interested in our travels through those regions.

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  Help

  We would like people who could support home life while we work on some small projects….
  Or people who have some skills who might like to contribute to these projects..
  
  So people who could cook and keep a kitchen running for three or four people and generally look after the housework…we don’t have high standards and are not fussy!!
  
  And people who know how to work in a large veggie garden…we are redoing ours..re composting , irrigation system. Reorganising the seeding area, redoing the wire…etc, etc..
  The weather is moving into autumn and winter and we may do some indoor work like painting the bedrooms…or inside work..but we will play it by ear
  
  For autumn, winter we are specifically wanting help with the following projects below.
  
  If you don’t have these skills we always appreciate General garden work and willing helping hands, we are flexible and always happy to teach you new skills as well. So don’t hesitate to ask!
  
  If you have skills in any of the areas below please let us know where you think you could help when you apply and we will fit you with the work if we can.
  
  CLEANING of the main house. A couple of people who love house keeping and things clean! You will enjoy doing these tasks and it will be very much appreciated. This has been a year of the mouse and help includes cleaning cupboards and drawers as well as walls and ceilings, polishing pots, pans, glass, furniture and floors and getting into all those corners to wash and dust! Plus anything else that takes your fancy....this is a big area of work left. Patience and methodical attitude needed for this work! We will be focusing on this during summer...hope you can help.
  
  ROAD MAINTENANCE/VEGETATION Clearance for bushfire work/Shifting, stacking and cutting firewood.This is reasonably physical labour as it involves shovelling gravel and marl off the trailer to form a track surface, lifting and carrying wood, and removing acacia bushes,...some work still to be done.Also some tasks clearing weeds off the building block in penneshaw.
  
  PAINTING in the main house.possibly the lounge area or kitchen and the shack bathroom..this involves moving furniture under cover, cleaning, prepping walls and painting.
  
  BUILDING..the breezeway will be having a refit for outdoor cooking so we will be doing some painting re doors
  
  Possibly constructing some compost beds in the main garden
  
  BASIC WOODWORKING with Scott..preparing rough sawn timber.
  
  GARDEN Veggie..as usual and always appreciated...definitely in need of some weeding, ferilizing and watering,
  
  Help in a variety of areas and we are happy to teach you new skills....building and gardening are our main areas of work...just finished a pétanque area, stone wall area and a wood shed. We may be painting, doing rock work and building as well as work in the garden, mulching, compost tasks and planting.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  Accommodation is varied from a bedroom in the shack to substantial tents. Mostly people have a place to themselves. Comfortable bed and all linen provided. Meals are with us though breakfast you prepare and eat at the shack..
  All eating regimes generally catered for if you give us some notice.

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  What else ...

  PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY..Kangaroo Island is a tourist destination so there are many sites to see both on and off the beaten track. Unfortunately there is no public transport on the island though there are bus tours to the main attractions which are good value for the price. Please do not ask to borrow our car to tour the island or for us to provide a tour for you. There are both legal and insurance issues with this practise which may invalidate your travel and medical insurance if there was an accident involving you and or the car.
  We will pick up from the local ferry when you arrive and depart from the island. You will be invited to all our outings where possible and appropriate and after work we will drive you to the two nearest beaches for swimming and recreation. There is a pétanque area on the property as well as a double canoe though conditions aren’t always favourable to use it. We also book you a seat in the local dragon boating sessions and take you there. All of this we consider to be part of the exchange when you come to stay at our place.
  There is a range of wildlife on the property and you will not be disappointed. Koalas are an introduced species on the island and are causing considerable environmental damage in riverine environments. They are currently being controlled as a feral species. There are no koalas on this or surrounding properties. Plenty of marine and birdlife and the usual spiders, sharks and snakes. Wanda lives in the outside bathroom and is considered an endangered species.

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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 internet up at the house you are free to use. It’s not super fast but it is reasonable.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have a good camping pad very near the shack so you can level up and use your camper van as well as the facilities of our shack…which has a fridge, freezer, hot showers, long drop toilet, a small kitchen and wood heater as well as led lighting. Solar and gas powered. Also a good outdoor gas bbq.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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