Stay in a strawbale house with beautiful views near Riddells Creek, VIC, Australia

Details

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  Description

  (WE ARE UNABLE TO REPLY April-May 2026)
  Your own BR, bathroom & lounge. Flexible hours
  
  Riddells Creek is a semi-rural town in Victoria, only 1 hr by train or car to Melbourne city centre & 40 mins drive to Melbourne airport . We are a semi-retired couple in our 50's (Wayne and Michelle) who work part time, some days from home. See @5acresandabarn for photos of our everyday life here.
  We built our "farmhouse" style home with verandahs all around, 20 yeras ago, on 5.5 acres with beautiful views over our dam to the hills. The walls are strawbales, plastered in lime render.
  Our 2 daughters (29yo and 21yo) have moved out, so one end of the house is now available for workaway guests (1-2 bedrooms, main lounge with view, main bathroom with view, own entrance).
  We have a great lifestyle, enjoying relaxed meals on the deck in good weather.
  We enjoy cooking. Sometimes we make fresh pasta, gnocchi, foccacia.
  We love exploring - weekend drives locally, beach holidays or overseas (we'd d like to learn a little Italian).
  We enjoy having friends and family over to share good food and wine.
  There are many native animals and birds to see at our place (kangaroos and parrots often visit) and many outdoor activities you can do (bike rides, hikes). There are also incredible natural attractions to see in the area (waterfalls,mineral springs). The nearby towns are wonderful to visit and have great shops, galleries, bars, restaurants and local farmers markers. The Macedon Ranges is famous for nature, food, wine. We love showing people our area and if we have time, we will take you to our favourite places or help you plan daytrips nearby or to Melboune.

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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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  Interests

  

  Self development

  

  Events & social

  

  Sustainability

  

  Culture

  

  Movies & TV

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Gardening

  

  Blogging

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Photography

  

  Carpentry

  

  Books

  

  Architecture

  

  Nature
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  If you are interested in how we designed and owner-built our strawbale house, we would be happy to share our knowledge. We are very interested in passive house and sustainable building design.
  Wayne built our house, barn, pergola, chicken house, wood-fired pizza oven, garden structures, dining table etc so can share skills depending on projects happening.
  Michelle loves cooking, gardening and growing flowers (she ran a kitchen-garden program at the local primary school for 7 years) and you are welcome to help / cook with us sometimes.
  We only speak English but are happy to help you practice your English if you wish to.
  Happy for you to join us for dinner / we may have friends over.
  You may meet our daughters and thir partners if they come by. We sometimes cook in a woodfired pizza oven in the garden (that Wayne built) or enjoy a BBQ outside, in good weather. In winter, the house is warm inside (the strawbale walls provide great insulation and we have double glazed windows) .

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  Help

  We would negotiate with you when you do tasks, to fit with our work/ free time and your plans to explore.
  It will be relaxed with time for you to sightsee.
  (eg: if you stay 7 days: help for 4 days, 4 hrs p/day and have 3 full days to yourselves).
  One or both of us would probably do or start tasks with you, if we are not at work.
  
  JULY/ AUG 2026:
  We are getting ready to sell our house in Oct-Nov 2027, so we are wanting help to prepare the house and garden and shed to look good for selling.
  -Wayne will be limewashing the outside strawbale walls which he may need help with.
  -Gardening tasks (weeding, watering, mulching vegetable garden and other garden areas), cutting back plants, sweeping / raking, loading / emptying wheelbarrow.
  -Maybe some painting.
  -Some basic help around the house. Eg: vacuum.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Italian: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  We would like to learn some Italian. Currently speak a few words only. english is our only fluent language
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  Accommodation

  1-2 bedrooms (QS beds), large lounge with TV (great view), large bathroom with shower, own entrance. Good for a couple (1 bdrm) or 2 friends travelling together (a bedroom each).
  If you have a caravan / campervan, there is space to set up and power available.
  Not suitable for camping.
  We will provide food for you to make your breakfast, lunches.
  We will provide dinner each night and probably eat together most of the time. We're open to you making a meal for us if you'd like to, or feel free to go out some nights if you want to. We eat mostly mediterranean type meals (not much processed food), vegetables, chicken, red meat, fish, eggs, dairy so if you are vegan or vegetarian, our meals may not suit you.

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  What else ...

  NON-SMOKERS only.
  Riddells Creek Train station is a 20 min walk / 5 min drive.
  We could pick you up / drop you to the station if we are free.
  See website visitmacedonranges.com.au for inforamtion. We also have lots of info / brochures here

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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 can talk when you arrive about what needs to be done and be flexible with when you do tasks, as long as you do your fair share of helping us (eg: if you stay for 4 days, do some jobs 4 hrs p/day for 2 days and have 2 full days to yourselves).

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Power available. Flat gravel area to set up

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

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