Come enjoy a stay in tropical Queensland, Australia

Australia

Favourited 259 times

Host rating
Feedback
14
Last activity
30/09/2021
Reply rate
100.0 %
Average reply time:
within 3 days
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Availability

2022

Min stay requested: 1 week or less

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What's this?

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Description
Hmmm, what makes my place attractive to you ...... I'm in tropical Queensland. The Whitsunday Islands are in my back yard.

My home is only 4km from the center of Airlie Beach - walk-able if you want.

The view from the top of my property is expansive over a valley with ocean views.

I'm a retired Army Officer after 20 years service and tend to work skippering a yacht around the islands, when I'm not working I'm enjoying working my block with Conway national park on my boundary.

I was also a survival instructor in the Army and I am happy to teach and pass on some of these skills.

My place is not a luxurious place gang, it's kinda one step up from glamping :-)

Maximum stay is 2 weeks

NO PETS
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
General Maintenance
Help around the house
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Any exchange with an Aussie is a cultural exchange :-)

Some survival skills, bush-craft and perhaps a discounted trip on the boat I work on
Help
Normally collecting firewood. help in the garden and maybe the odd project
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
I can only offer free campsites at this stage, food not included, but I might invite you to the campfire for a BBQ every now and then :-)

Remember CAMPSITE, you need your own tent or if traveling by van then this is perfect.
What else ...
This is a cut and paste from one family

Survival with Ben on his hill.

Rule n.1 : you can have as many bon fire as you want, but they only last on the wood you collect!
Rule n.2 : don’t talk with Ben before his morning coffee.
Rule n.3 : never wash dishes after Ben went to bed.
Rule n.4: do you want an hot shower? Get your wood, make your fire!
Rule n.5: Ben is the king... of his chair!
Rule n.6: if you are able to make the fire, you will have your magic stick!
Rule n.7: in the cabin only good vibes....
Bring your own mirror ( this is an advice) hairdryer available!!!!

Learning from Ben was a great pleasure. His calm and challenging attitude of teaching us his bush tucker and “spirits-tuality” let us spend two wonderful weeks on Ben’s Hill.
Thank you for the good time.

Romina, Michael, Balian and Noa
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?
More than two
Hours expected
0.5 to 1 hr per day, I'm not offering much so you don't do much :-)

Photos

Feedback left by and about host (14)

15/09/2020

Left by Workawayer (Michael & Romina) for host

Survival with Ben on his hill
Rule n.1 : you can have as many bon fire as you want, but they only last on the wood you collect!
Rule n.2 : don’t talk with Ben before his morning coffee.
Rule n.3 : never wash dishes after Ben went to bed.
Rule n.4: do you want an hot shower? Get your wood, make your fire!
Rule n.5: Ben is the king... of his… read more

(Excellent )

08/07/2017

Left by Workawayer (Gabriel & Mariana) for host

At the beggining, we would stay just for two days in Ben's property. But, the place is so welcoming that we've changed our minds and spent more time there! Ben is a generous guy, with a huge sense of humor! His place is always with good people: volunteers and friends! He likes to share all of his knowlegde and it makes him a big man. We had no… read more

(Excellent )

19/02/2017

Left by Workawayer (Bernhard) for host

Ben is a great workaway host, I really enjoyed my week there! As he doesn't ask for a whole half day of work I had tons of time to go hiking and swimming. He has so many great stories to tell and offers a lot of life-wisdom aswell.
Thanks Ben!

(Excellent )

30/01/2017

Left by Workawayer (Aliénor) for host

"I am not offering much" he said !
Ben is so generous that he doesn't even realize how much he gives to others.
We couldn't hope for a better way to discover Airlie beach.
Staying with Ben is an adventure you don't want to loose a drop.
All the best for you uncle Ben.

(Excellent )

24/08/2016

Left by Workawayer (Taariq & Eleonore) for host

G'day Ben :)

Malou and I just wanted to say a special thanks, we both really appreciated spending even the short time that we did together... You have a beautiful energy, warm, kind, humble, and generous.. We hope to meet you again sometime/somewhere in this wide wonderful universe!

Thank you, just for being the person you are… read more

(Excellent )

14/05/2016

Left by Workawayer (Hannah) for host

If you want to have a million dollar view, fun times at a BBQ and experience a bit more than Airlies beach, Bens home is the place to be! Me and my travel mate stayed a few nights with him, doing a bit of weeding and gardening ;) Ben is an amazing host, very relaxed, open-minded and always has a good story to tell. Make sure to offer him a good… read more

(Excellent )

07/04/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Pip & Charlie)

Thanks for the review :-)

Pip and Charles were great to have around and are always welcome back. They did far more than I asked of them, the crazy paving path looks great :-)

(Excellent )

05/04/2016

Left by Workawayer (Pip & Charlie) for host

Charlie and I stayed at Ben's Place for 3 weeks, our longest Workaway yet. From the get go Ben was a very welcoming host. He encouraged us to use his cabin facilities when ever we wanted them and made us feel very at home. We loved having our showers on his back deck with views towards Airlie Beach! Ben doesn't expect a heap of work. We did a bit… read more

(Excellent )

08/01/2016

Left by Workawayer (Marie) for host

Since I was just going through Airlie Beach I stayed with Ben only for 4 days but he made my stay in Airlie unforgettable! :-) The atmosphere at his place is so relaxed and friendly that I felt like at home almost immediately. Ben has such great sense of humor and learning of some of the survival skills from him was so interesting! I can still… read more

(Excellent )

12/10/2015

Left by Workawayer (Chadwick) for host

I was only able to stay at Ben's for a few nights, but would recommend for back packers looking to do a bit of work for a campsite.

The location is beautiful, as it overlooks Airlie. There is a great social atmosphere in the evening as most everyone gathers around the fire pit to have a drink and chat.

Ben is a generous host with lots of… read more

(Very good )

05/09/2015

Left by host for Workawayer (Tim)

Thanks for the review Tim.

Tim was a great guest, always willing to help around the place. After he learn't some of the basic survival skills he would usually teach them to other travelers that were staying overnight around the fire pit. My place has become a popular stopover for other backpackers.

(Excellent )

04/09/2015

Left by Workawayer (Tim) for host

I had a great time at Ben's place. He was an easy going, friendly, and generous guy.

The working arrangement was as laid back as advertised: an hour of work every other day for a campsite with killer views There is no food included but Ben might make you his famous One Pot Slop if you ask - like I said he is very generous.

Airlie Beach was… read more

(Excellent )

21/08/2015

Left by host for Workawayer (Robert)

I think Rob had an interesting time, some of his stories from his night adventures in town were very funny. Rob was a hard working lad and regularly went to work without prompting, I usually had to tell him to stop :-)

I would be pleased to have him back and would recommend him to other hosts.

Thanks Rob

(Very good )

20/08/2015

Left by Workawayer (Robert) for host

Ben's place is only a short walk from airlie Main Street or you can get bus easily. Sleep in a tent on top of hill with amazing view of Airlie. He has a big campfire that he would invite us to come check out. Ben lets us use the kitchen and other facilities, the shower is an outside tap however the view is amazing. In return
Ben only asks for a… read more

(Excellent )

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