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Host rating
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Last replied
15 Jan 2025
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Description
This project has been a coming back to nature for us. We often have friends and friends of friends visiting, who experience the connection with nature and we would like to extend this invitation to a wider range of people. We have a vision of the farm slowly developing into a community. Electricity comes from the sun, water from the mountain and we produce a large portion of the food we consume. It has been a life long dream for us, but the realisation of this dream is not without its challenges.
There are currently 7 of us living here. Mark (Father, soil scientist, businessman) and Sue (Mother, physiotherapist, tree popper), Thandu (father, operator of machinery and in-charge of the citrus orchard), Natasha (mother, part-time cheese maker and general helper), Tianna and Maya (daughters of Thandu and Natasha), Denzil (father, fixer of bikes, supports Thandu in farming activities.), Neil (father, in charge of everything engineering on the farm)
The primary activities on the farm are the olive grove and mandarin orchard. We have a variety of fruit trees, a veggie garden and bee hives. Our cow, Mirabel, who provided us with milk which we made into cheese and yoghurt, sadly left us in June 2022. She gave us two heifers - Brie and Blondie. Happily Brie has stepped into her place and is providing us with a steady flow of milk.Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The traveler will learn the skills required to do the various activities on the farm. Enjoy time here where there are great mountain biking tracks, great hiking and amazing scenery. We are not easily accessible to shops and cultural life in town.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
The help would be assisting with general farm maintenance. This ranges from working in the house, assisting with cooking and cleaning to weeding in the nursery and veggie garden; from pulling out invasive plants to assisting with the bees. The cows and vegetable garden require daily attention and there is sometimes cheese to be made.
We are having a break from building, but there is always maintenance to be done.
We harvest our water from the mountain and the solar panel system supply our electricity, these sometimes need maintenance work done.Languages spoken
Afrikaans: Fluent
English: Fluent
Xhosa: IntermediateAccommodation
There is a spare room in the main house. If there was more than one volunteer they would need to share a room and bathroom. There is also the option to stay in a detached wooden cabin, this would be pleasant in Summer.
What else ...
The farm is a 2 hour drive from Cape Town. Getting here is tricky but we do our best to assist. The farm is reasonably isolated and so the volunteer would need to be happy on their own. We have bikes and great mountain biking tracks, great hiking and scenery. We sometimes go into Worcester for events, but mostly we spend our time quietly on the farm.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Yes, although it does depend on how data heavy the activities are, as ours is not unlimited. It is possible to allocate extra for specific meetings / occasions but constant high volume data useage would not work.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (23)
I really appreciated the way days had their routines (fig picking, cow milking, salad picking, meal prep, dishes...) and yet… read more
Feedback
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(4.6)
Cultural exchange:
(4.9)
Communication:
(4.9)
I really appreciated the way days had their routines (fig picking, cow milking, salad picking, meal prep, dishes...) and yet… read more
The work was rewarding and (extremely) varied and diverse. The food was amazing, and the conversations were lovely.
The farm is very peaceful,… read more
He assisted… read more
We slept in a comfortable cottage with a huge window so we could see… read more
I already miss the alien plant clearing sessions with Sue (who never gets tired ;-)), making cheese, helping out in the veggie garden, cooking… read more
Our advice: don’t throw anything away and don’t eat too many rusks!
staying with Sue and Marc was really mind-opening. Nicolás, my partner, and I have been staying with Sue and Marc for about two weeks and came back a few weeks later but this time as friends.
Sue, Marc and Zivi whom you will most liekely meet on the farm, produce any kind of cheese from Cheddar to Gouda and Feta and as well… read more
Working with the olive and lemon trees and making cheese was a lot of fun. I learned loads of new facts, tips and tricks and recipes.
Dear Sue, Mark, Neil and Ant, (sorry for this super late… read more