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65 %
Last replied
13 Jan 2025
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Description
Our eco hamlet is one of Australia’s leading permaculture demonstration sites for over 20 years. Originally founded by Geoff Lawton, over the last few years it has developed into a community Eco Hamlet shared by 8 other families with the same vision of continuing it’s legacy as the Permaculture Research Institute Australia. Our farm is 66 acres in total, with 1 side bordered by the beautiful Terania Creek, and we are fully off-grid. There are 27 dams all connected by swale systems, a very unique permaculture demonstration site indeed! The families on the community have been busy developing their own sites of 2.5 acres each into flourishing homesteads for their families, along side building a new community of likeminded members that share the farm’s resources and vision.
After living on the farm in a caravan the last 2 years, we decided we needed to move to a house, and we are now residing 7 mins from the farm whilst going to the farm daily. We are in the process of building an eco home so we can move back onto the farm again, hopefully soon! Our Workaway accomodation is on the farm, but we are close enough to see each other everyday! Please note; we are purely growing for our own self sufficiency as a private homestead, our lot on the community is not a business.
We are in the beautiful Northern Rivers, the gateway to many natural wonders of the region. Byron Bay, Ballina, Mullumbimby are all approximately 45mins by car, Lismore and Nimbin is 20mins by car, Nightcap National Park 15mins by car and many waterfalls and swimming holes locally. We also have a natural swim pond under construction on our land, a creek at the back of the farm, the famous Channon Craft Markets every 2nd Sunday of the month, and Workawayers are welcome to join us on outings on the weekend.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
General Maintenance
Interests
Sustainability
Pets
Culture
Self development
Farming
Books
DIY & crafts
Plant care
Gardening
Cooking & food
Animals
Beach
Nature
Camping
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We all come from a very diverse background! My heritage is half chinese have anglo Australian born here and I speak mandarin; my husband Omar's heritage is Egyptian Australian born with broken Arabic; our neighbours Sara is Lebanese, Fijian Indian born Australia; and Abdul is Cambodian heritage raised in France and speaks French (all of us fluent in English). We are Muslim in faith, and together we absolutely love being in nature, camping, fishing and living the great Australian experience of 4x4 on the beach with a good bbq going. We are open to all other beliefs and cultures, so in terms of cultural exchange, you could say we have a lot to offer!
Have much experience with may different cultural backgrounds, there is always more to learn, and we love getting to know new people.
We have regular community dinners and brunches together with the wider farm community, as well as participate in local events. Whenever we go out for a day trip somewhere you are most welcome to join us.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
You would be assisting on our site, owned by my husband, 6 year old daughter and I, as well as our close friends (who are now our neighbours, connected to our land) a lovely couple with a 7 year old daughter, helping our families build our homesteads whilst contributing to the greater community.
Jobs include the regular animal routine such as milking and feeding our 2 jersey dairy cows, feeding and maintaining our beautiful heritage chickens and chicks (approx 30 of them), moving the chicken tractor every few weeks, tending to our beautiful organic vegetable garden, propagating, taking care of seedlings and plants in the nursery, taking care of existing and establishing food forests, making compost, and whatever other exciting projects we are doing which could include work on the natural swim pond (which is almost complete), building, it all depends what time of year it is! On our particular property we have a 20 year old productive food forest!
My husband works 4 days a week, and I homeschool my daughter and do lots of homesteading. We go to the farm most days for a few hours and will be able to do tasks together as well show you somethings you could do through the day. We aren't strict on how you want to organise your day, but having a good routine for the animals are generally important.
I make all sorts of cheeses and dairy products, do lots of fermenting and preserving from whatever we have an abundance of at the time, make kombucha, sourdough, pickling, and love cooking from our produce on the farm. Both my husband and I have learnt from the best in Permaculture, and would love to share our knowledge, skills and goodies with you!
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Chinese (Mandarin): Fluent
Arabic: Intermediate
Accommodation
We have a comfortable newly painted 22ft caravan. It has a queen sized bed, a kitchenette with pantry, fan, camp fridge/freezer, and gas burner with power. There is a tap just outside the caravan.
We also have a brand new 'wheelie room' which is a bedroom with windows, floorboards, gyprocked walls on a trailer next to the caravan, and currently a blow up bed but we're looking to buy a proper double bed for it.
Both of these accomodations are on our properties.
There is a camp bathroom only 20m from the accomodation featuring 6 individual bathrooms with composting toilet, shower and basin. There is a camp kitchen at our common area which can be used, but please be mindful when using the common area, we share this with campers who book through hip camp on the campground (out of sight from our Workaway accomodation). The common areas should be left the same or better than you found them each use. We are working on building a small outdoor kitchen for our accomodation, however the caravan cooktop suffices.
We will provide you with groceries every 2 weeks with items you need to cook yourself meals each day, and you will have access to our organic eggs, dairy, and sharing some meals with us. We may also cook dinners and deliver them to you, just because night time routines can be busy with the kids!
What else ...
Our farm is a gateway to many amazing places in the Northern Rivers. As previously mentioned, Byron Bay, Ballina, Mullumbimby are all approximately 45mins by car, Lismore and Nimbin is 20mins by car, Nightcap National Park 15mins by car and many waterfalls and swimming holes locally. We also have a natural swim pond under construction on our land, a creek at the back of the farm, the famous Channon Craft Markets every 2nd Sunday of the month, and Wwoofers are welcome to join us on outings on the weekend.
There is a general store open 7 days a week in the local village with fuel and a post office. And of course whenever we need to head somewhere you're welcome to join us for a lift if you don't have a car.
Our entire farm has a strictly have a no drugs or alcohol on the property policy, and we kindly ask all people who enter our farm to be dressed modestly from shoulders to knees to respect our cultures and beliefs.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We are happy for you to do any online work from our wifi at the Commons. There is a nice place to sit in there to get work done. As long as you have completed or scheduled to do the hours on our property, we're happy for you to work as you see fit.
Space for parking camper vans
We have many spots to park! One spot in particular is beautiful and private next to the swim pond but it's a little further to walk to the bathrooms. Otherwise we have a campground.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
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