Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Reply rate
99.3 %
Usually responds within 4 days
Feedback
64
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Email verified
Badges (3)
Details
Description
Hi folks
YES, we achieved a lot since returning from a 3+ year break in Feb 2022, beautifying our wonderful ‘Paradise Gardens’ property, something we could not have done on our own.
We are thankful for having had great assistance from amazing volunteers over the years, enriching our lives culturally and socially while progressing our beautification projects.
We are a fit & energetic older couple with the following background:
- Rene, 66yo, Swiss origin, Architect / Photographer / Traveller / Retired Resort Owner & Operator / Retired Tour Operator / Retired Restaurateur / Handyman (DIY Building) / Landscaper / Gardener .
- Julie, 63yo, Philippine origin, Chef / Traveller / Retired Resort Owner & Operator / Retired Tour Operator / Retired Restaurateur.
Our hosting, as well as workflow, is intermediate, as such, we may have breaks in between and preferences & requirements may change.
With most of the earlier days' heavy lifting on structural projects done, our current projects are more along fine-tuning of details plus maintaining sensible balances where required. Enhancing landscapes, working on irrigation & power distribution networks, and maintaining things in and around the house.
Our project offers a serene homestay at a tranquil, forested, 3-acre (12,900 sqm) abode on the Southern Gold Coast, boasting wonderfully rich wildlife and so much more. We are close to everything a great cosmopolitan city with some of the world's best beaches, social life, plus historic Gondwana rainforest hinterland can offer.
We are the perfect place for mature, proactive, responsible, clean & honest travellers that love the good & conscious life but don’t mind getting their hands dirty if required while wishing to stay at a quality homestay assisting us in various tasks as listed:
We are also a perfect base for people using us as their entry point to Australia, incl finding jobs locally or in the country, and depending on skills, there may even be some money to be earned here as well.
Based on our location, having your own transport will enhance your mobility, but we are more than happy to assist you with getting around, incl being picked up on arrival & delivered back on departure to public transport links such as Pines Elanora, but are flexible to extend that in certain situations to the Gold Coast Airport and Varsity Lakes Train Station, both also easy reachable from Pines Elanora. No probs at all!
We offer a varied & healthy cuisine that can cater to any tastes & preferences and invite visitors to join in creating lovely meals & dining experiences.
Pls note that our household is strictly non-smoking, no pets, and no bad behaviour. Thank you.
Exchange Hours:
Rooms: 20hrs/pp/pw Couples / 25hrs/pp/pw Singles
Clamping Tents: 17hrs/pp/pw Couples / 20hrs/pp/pw Singles
We do offer largely flexible mutually agreed work arrangements where possible plus try to have weekends off.
If our homestay offer has caught your attention in a positive way, plus you feel that based on outlined task & character requirements you fit the bill, then please feel most welcome to get in touch with us.
Wishing you well always
Kind regards
Rene & Julie
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We are experienced hosts, seasoned travelers, and former hospitality professionals (incl resort & tour operators, and restaurateurs) that enjoy spending quality time with good folks, exchanging information and cultural experiences.
We are also experienced DIYers, landscapers, gardeners, cooks, and photographers that are just too happy sharing our knowledge with you.
Furthermore, we regularly conduct sightseeing trips to local attractions and can assist you with travel plans, and finding work, et al.
Help
We are currently looking for volunteers that can assist us in the following fields:
- DIY home-building projects & property maintenance. Looking for folks with good experience in this field, including the use of associated tools
- Landscaping. Looking for folks with experience and great creative skills in transforming landscapes beautifully.
- Gardening. Looking for that person with the magic touch called a ‘green thumb’ when it comes to understanding gardens, plants, and natural environments in a very practical sense.
- Muralists & other creative land-beautification artists for various projects.
- IT. Data storage & networking solutions. Social media. Smart land-management solutions. FB Marketplace sales consultant, et al.
When applying with us, pls list your individual skills, strengths & preferably also weaknesses, things you are looking for, et al, so we get a good idea of who you are and how your possible stay can best be accommodated for the benefit of all parties involved.
Pls note that sufficient English language skills are required to stay with us. Thank you!
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Accommodation
We currently offer 2 separate comfortable guest rooms in the main residence plus 2 popular large multi-section clamping tents (incl power/lights/internet) in close vicinity of the main residence, as such will likely always have availabilities as we rarely fill them all, being reasonably selective in who we accept.
What else ...
The Gold Coast is a wonderful place we are lucky to call home for the past 14 of our 30+ years in Australia after previously living in the Byron Bay & Noosa areas.
We loved it here as it is a vibrant and attractive city with marvelous beaches and an amazing hinterland that includes World Heritage rainforests and fantastic waterfalls & lookouts. Beyond that, it's a top social & arts hub that has endlessly much to offer.
It is also an excellent interconnection point to just about anywhere in the region, country, or globally.
Its climate is pretty much the best we have ever experienced anywhere on the planet, with moderate winters and not too hot summers, and a main temperature range throughout the year that rarely drops below 10C (apart from a few winter nights) and rarely rises above 30C.
Plus our serene 'Paradise Gardens' property pretty much offers the best of both worlds, eg a stay in natural surrounds with rich wildlife, while being part of a large vibrant city.
Inviting you to come and taste it!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We offer you a great, peaceful & creative place, incl excellent unlimited internet.
Space for parking camper vans
Our property is at the end of a cul-de-sac in a peaceful & quiet street and there is plenty of space to park a campervan.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Variable - 17-25hrs/pw. See Description for more details.
Feedback (31)
She is a mature young lady who has a good skillset, a pleasant personality plus is clean, honest & punctual. She is easy to get along with and integrated well, including with other Workawayers.
Tasks at our place are currently reasonably fluid and we did not quite get to… read more
They are the sort of volunteers that we welcome with open arms and happily invite to come back!
Nikolas… read more
We thoroughly enjoyed Jojo's company. Her personality brought so much calm and… read more
Rene and Julie were my first stop in Australia and it felt like a home away from home and I… read more
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.8)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(4.8)
She is a mature young lady who has a good skillset, a pleasant personality plus is clean, honest & punctual. She is easy to get along with and integrated well, including with other Workawayers.
Tasks at our place are currently reasonably fluid and we did not quite get to… read more
They are the sort of volunteers that we welcome with open arms and happily invite to come back!
Nikolas… read more
We thoroughly enjoyed Jojo's company. Her personality brought so much calm and… read more
Rene and Julie were my first stop in Australia and it felt like a home away from home and I… read more
We do wish Owen all the very best on his journey onwards and should he ever… read more
Without Rene and his generosity allowing me in his home. I’m not sure if I would’ve been able to stay in… read more
Both Ram &… read more
Rene & Julie are very good hosts!
I felt completely cared for and had a great time with them as well as with the other backpackers they housed during my stay.
The food is amazing, the place is well kept and clean. The work is good, kinda hard but always fair.
Stayed in a permanently set up tent which had a nice mattress… read more
We wish Merlin all the very best on his journey, recommend him to hosts and employers, and would certainly welcome him back anytime.
He got his jobs done and integrated well with fellow volunteers.
Staying in one of the new clamping tents, he sadly seemed to have had an issue with mosquitos as mentioned in his review. That is the first time we hear of that plus the first time that issue had been raised… read more
Marie & Mira are respectful, honest & clean young travelers that are a pleasure to host and be around… read more
They were very kind and made us feel like we were at home.
We did gardening and Rene helped us to improve our gardening skills such as helping us with our travel plans.
Not to forget the absolutely amazing food, one dinner was better than the other.
Our time with Ria was great, if we had movie… read more
We recommend them to other hosts and wish them well on their future journeys.
They are a respectful, friendly, hardworking, and clean couple that is on top of things,… read more
Incorporating -of course- that he is easy to get along with… read more
Both of them are really awesome hosts and are happy to help with everything.
Rene took us on day 2 trips where we were able to see some of the highlights of the region.
Julie cooked super yummy food, in general it probably the best food you'll get at any workaway!
Living and… read more
It was our first workaway experience and we spent such a wonderful time there.
Rene and Julie always take care of us and tell us about the good places to visit.
And as a Workaway host- (we host workawayers in Japan), we found many things we respect for.
The other highlights;
・the food here is… read more
We do wish Sung all the very best in his future… read more
They stayed virtually simultaneously with another amazing Workaway couple with whom they got along exceptionally well.
While originally thought of staying till just a few days before we headed off to NZ, based on our… read more
He assisted us in various tasks from DIY construction and painting, to gardening & landscaping.
We do wish Federico all the… read more
During my stay, I met a lot of volonteers from different countries and make some good friends. Rene and Julie take care of the nearby wild life by giving food to the wallabies and the… read more
Nereida & Agustin used us as their entry point to Australia in order to get settled & find work… read more
We couldn't have asked for a better place to start our adventure in Australia.
Rene and his wife were very welcoming and they tried their best to make us feel comfortable. Food was always like a Christmas meal (as we used to say) and they… read more
Con is a volunteer like no other, simply out there for fun & social interaction while maintaining a great DIY skill set.
We had him for a short two weeks and… read more
They also take into account special preference for food .
Thanks for that.
Write me if you have any… read more
He is a thoughtful guy that is peaceful and quiet plus shows great carpentry & cabinet-making skills and is in that an absolute rarity amongst Volunteers of actually being professionally skilled in these fields.
Daniel is clean, respectful plus trustworthy and we… read more
Polly has been a wonderful part of our Workaways experience with her gentle & mature personality of ever radiating positivity.
She certainly left a lasting mark that gained her a status of always being welcome to return.
Beyond… read more
You will work hard doing a large array of jobs but only for a few hours per day . The food and accommodation is well worth the time put in. In fact the food was some of the best I've had the pleasure to taste. If you would like to meet… read more
Simon is a great & mature bloke that smoothly blended in, worked hard and diligently while being easy going. He is clean, honest and respectful.
Simon also actively helped in commonly shared household duties wherever and whenever… read more
His strikingly pleasant personality combined with excellent work ethics including top performance quickly made him a favourite within a large crew at that time and… read more
They have been with us during the physically most challenging period of our project, that they helped to complete successfully.
Their English has improved a lot… read more
The work was physical and sometimes a little tiring but the place was beautiful.
We were in a very comfortable tent, with lots of nature, wallabies, koalas, posssum, cacatuas and other birds.
Rene and Julie had a lot of patience with our language and helped us improve english. Julie is the best chef, we… read more
Ever helpful and polite, I guess both Julie & I had teary eyes in seeing them finally leaving. They did a fantastic job while being a great social company.
Their work has been by no means easy, as we have a fairly robust manual Landscaping… read more
They assisted in our large-scale landscaping project, building sandstone rock walls, moving materials plus ‘tiding up’ those walls… read more
After 5 weeks at Rene & Julie's house, we think we were lucky finding this volunteering.
First, we have to thank Rene's flexibility cause thanks to this we made it to go to work almost every day at the same time as the volunteering. He encouraged us many times to do it despite the work in the house, he was very nice and… read more
And talking of work, our current sandstone rock wall building exercise is quite demanding as everything is done by hand -apart of… read more
