Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
17 Apr 2024
Reply rate
85.7 %
Usually responds within 5 days
Feedback
10
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Details
Description
Hello, we are Sheree and Matt, and we have recently moved to our rural property in Wellington Mill, in the southwest of Western Australia with our 1 year old girl Ailish. We have 10 acres of quite bare land (for now) that is adjacent to National Park. Nearby we have wineries, micro-breweries, walk/hike trails and mountain bike trails. In terms of global standards however, please note that we are remote! I will list the distance to everything further down so that you are aware.
Sheree has undertaken a Permaculture Design course and is super passionate about building our property utilising these principles. We spent the last 2 years building a passive house and are enjoying living in our low energy use building.
Our own journey with Workaway started on a year-long adventure around the world in 2016. We did a couple of great workaway stints in Northern Spain and the Black Forest Mountains of Germany. It was at the latter where our interest in Passivehaus formed as the host couple inspired us with their own work in that space. We had such an amazing experience there, and ever since we have dreamt of being able to share a similarly beautiful and inclusive environment with other travellers in Western Australia! And now that we have our own slice of land, we can do it!
As mentioned earlier, there are numerous boutique wineries nearby (the nearest cellar door is 500m down the hill) and we are surrounded by National Park, with the Collie River a 10-15 minute drive away. For clarity please find below the distance to nearby towns/attractions:
TOWNS:
- Bunbury (nearest regional city) - 34 km (35 min drive)
- Dardanup (small village has post office, bakery, pub) - 20 km (18 min drive)
- Donnybrook (small town, most amenities incl good grocery store) - 28 km (22 min drive)
- Collie (larger town, coles and woolworths, river and cycle tours) - 32 km (28 minute drive)
ATTRACTIONS:
- Collie River (swimming, kayak, rapids, falls) - 11 km (10-15 minute drive)
- Most vinyards, wineries and microbreweries are within a 15 minute drive.
- Popular hiking trails all within 10 minute drive (though if you dont need a trail we have beautiful forest on our doorstep!)
- Gnomesville - 2km
As you can see above, having own transport for this area is is almost a must. We will consider stays who don't have their own transport, but we really want people to understand how far we are from the above. If no car, but you are keen to just sit and stay in one beautiful place and get lost in nature then enquire away, we would love to have you.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We would love to share our place with anyone interested in sustainable living, what a passive house is like, permaculture design, gardening, farming and nature/wildlife. We have resident kangaroos on our property plus a whole number of birds such as robins, wrens, black cockatoos and even a couple of peregrine falcons who sometimes drop by in the morning! We love travelling and meeting new people and learning about different places so we would love to learn all about where you are from.
Help
Our place really is a blank slate, with most of our property paddock and needs some love/work and decision making. This offers us the opportunity for some creative thinking! We would love your input and ideas to help us grow our property. Also, Sheree is well versed in Permaculture design and so we think the learning can be reciprocal.
Work will include odd jobs that are typical of a hobby farm (digging, moving dirt, weeding, spreading mulch, planting shrubs and trees etc), as well as gardening/permaculture projects once we get things growing. If you enjoy cooking we would also love you to cook some meals, as well as help with the odd job around the house. None of the jobs will have a time pressure and you can work at your own pace. The number of hours work per day are flexible depending on the jobs that need doing.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
Accommodation is a self-renovated caravan (during winter it can be inside a large shed for extra protection or outside under a carport subject to weather) with a comfy queen sized bed.
Inside the shed is a some basic cooking equipment and kettle (though you will have access to our main kitchen and living area as well) and there is an outside compost toilet and gas instant hot water shower (where you can shower under the stars). Although the caravan is outside you are of course also welcome to use the guest bathroom (shower/toilet) inside as well during the day.
What else ...
There are a lot of things to do nearby - bush walks, mountain biking, kayaking, wineries, breweries, gnomesville, visiting towns of the southwest or head into Bunbury (30 minute drive). Have a look on the net for things to do in the Ferguson Valley for more or we can make some suggestions!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (5)
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.8)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
This was our first workaway as hosts (having previously been the workawayers!) and we couldn't have asked for a better start. From the moment these two awesome people walked through our doors, to the day they left, they did not stop helping. On their first day, I came home from work, expecting them to be settling in and… read more
We have stayed for 11 days, filled with activities and fun!
For us (62 & 57), it's like visiting our kids to help out as much as we could, a sneak preview of what's… read more
