Laid back living with animal lovers and car fanatics in Pearcedale, Victoria, Australia

Details

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  Description

  We are happy to host 1 or 2 people (couples or singles - we have the space)
  
  We are on 1.5 acres in beautiful Pearcedale. It’s easily accessible by public transport within an hour of the city. Pearcedale is nestled on the Mornington Peninsula with both Port Phillip Bay & Westernport Bay close by.
  
  About us:
  ** Chris (45) and I (Nic - 41) are both car fanatics & animal lovers. We live with a flat mate Clare (41) . We’ve also got another friend Ben living here (30).
  
  ** We have several pets that are part of our household.
  4 Dogs – They all love going for walks and are happy for you to take them.
  
  - Dexter – 3 y/o Labradoodle. Crazy but loving, he loves to be told he is a good boy. He is like a big teddy bear.
  
  - Willow- 4 y/o old English Springer Spaniel. She’s got no concept of personal space and loves to run! She was a rescue / rehome and cane to live with us in August 2020. She’s also super weird
  
  - Opie - 18 month old cocker spaniel. He is so naughty, steals everything and is an absolute clown. Loves to “help” you weed gardens.
  
  Snow - 8 y/o white German Shepherd. He is Clares and is a big sook.
  
  Cat - Aurora – A 15 y/o long hair tabby. She was rescued from a animal shelter in 2018. She is friendly, but doesn’t like being picked up, will sleep on your bed and likes you to watch her eat!
  
  Cat - Jax. 2.5 y/o. He is crazy, affectionate, has a huge purr and LOVES the dogs. He thinks he is a dog.
  
  2 sheep - Forest & Caramel.love a pat and act like dogs.
  
  ** You MUST love pets as ours are super friendly and spend a lot of time indoors,
  
  ** We also regulary have my mums dogs, my sisters and neighbours dog visit.
  
  ** We are in the small township of Pearcedale.
  
  ** We are about a 5-10 minute walk from town, bus stop is nearby. and we are surrounded by farms. Pearcedale is about 50 minutes to
  the CBD by car (about 1 hour & 15 minutes by train). It’s nestled in a perfect location to see the sites of Mornington Peninsula,
  Bass Coast & Westernport Hwy, and A little further away is Phillip island and in another direction the Dandenong Ranges.
  
  ** We both work busy full time jobs and also have a small home based business
  
  ** We offer a very relaxed place to stay, but expect you to help out around the house without us having to monitor you or bug you constantly.
  
  ** Depending on the time of the year and what we are working on, work can comprise of:
  - Mowing lawns
  - Whipper snipping
  - Weeding gardens
  - Feeding Animals
  - Planting trees, shrubs and plants
  - Washing windows
  - Picking up dog or horse poop (with a pooper scooper or shovel
  - Moving dirt or mulch for gardens
  - Spreading gravel in the driveway
  - Cleaning the deck area
  - Painting
  - Some housework (Vacumn and tidy the lounge) We have a cleaner that comes and cleans the bathrooms.
  - Washing dishes / cleaning the kitchen
  - Maybe a few other odd jobs such as painting fences and deck/verandah, oiling decks.
  - Some carpentry work or maintenance around the house. (If you have skills)
  - Also from time to time it might include ironing, some basic machine sewing (you don’t need prior skills to do this) and some
  other craft type tasks. Its honestly very straight forward work.
  
  
  ** We generally ask for 3-4 hours a day and assistance with the dishes at night (it may be less depending on what we have on at the time, in exchange for food and
  your accommodation.
  
  ** We are quite flexible on when the chores are done, which is useful if you find any paid work nearby, and for sightseeing of course. Note that as we all work, most of the time we will give you a run down on tasks in the evenings or weekends, but when you do the work is up to you, we are pretty flexible like that.
  
  ** Breakfast and lunch are self serve, we’ll eat together at night and expect that you would help with after dinner tidy up.
  
  ** Dinner, Nicole will usually cook & we all eat together. We welcome you to cook sometimes, and if we need to buy something special for it, we will do our best to accommodate.
  
  **Dietary Requirements / Allergies / Dislikes:
  - We will do our best to accommodate dietary requirements.
  - Please let us know if you have them up front so we can work out if we can make it work for us and for you.
  - Sorry but due to a bad experience we can no longer accommodate vegans. (vegetarian ok, but please know we do eat meat with
  most meals, but happy to make vegetarian versions)
  - Please specify dietary requirements up when you enquire.
  
  ** The area is very quiet and peaceful, there is a nature reserve within 1 minute walk and horse snd cattle grazing in paddocks nearby.
  
  ** We are a short walk into the main township and public transport is by Bus (although we are happy to offer you a ride to places where we can accommodate it)
  
  ** Our house also has a fantastic outdoor area with;
  - Heated 8 person spa
  - Pool table/ air hockey / table tennis
  - Outdoor lounge area
  - Outdoor TV & sound system
  - BBQ
  - Pizza Oven.
  ** Unlimited internet and we have Netflix & Kayo & Prime as well.
  
  ** This is a big house and there is multiple comfortable spaces for you to unwind / relax.
  
  ** Inside our house we have zoned ducted heating / air conditioning throughout.
  
  ** Chris & I are non smokers, but you are welcome to smoke outdoors only, please clean up your ciggarette butts (do not drop on the ground). Clare smokes (outside only).
  
  ** While you stay with us you will be a part of our family.
  
  ** We regularly have BBQ’s or Pizza nights and our friends will also make you feel like home, often inviting our house guests to
  their own BBQ’s and events.
  
  ** Some of our past guests have gone onto stay with other friends or family in other states, and many are repeat visitors to our
  house as well.
  
  ** Sometimes Chris and I will take our Workawayer guests out for dinner as well or to do some sight seeing if time permits.
  
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  Some notes about staying with us:
  • Please advise of dietary requirements when you enquire, we need to assess if we can accommodate them prior to your staying.
  
  • We are happy if you find paid work, but if its more than 20 hours a week then we need to reassess your visit, given it will be difficult for you to complete any work in exchange (again bad experience with previous volunteer).
  
  • Minimum stays of at least 2 weeks. We have often had people stay longer (once 6 + months) and we often have our guests
  return for multiple visits. We give preference to those able to stay for 3-4 weeks or more.
  
  • You need to be committed to caring for our house and property. This means simple things like closing gates and locking
  doors if you go out. Also if you break something, just be up front and let us know do we can get it repaired or organise a replacement. We get that things happen, we just expect you to treat us and our property with respect.
  
  • You are responsible for washing you own clothes, as well as the bed linen & towels during the stay (its provided) we do ask
  that you ensure the bed is left made with clean sheets when you leave (we have spare linen).
  
  • We kindly request no food be in bedrooms.
  
  • Our fridge and pantry are well stocked, but please supply your own alcoholic drinks and soft-drinks if you like them. We have a great coffee machine, tea and filtered water than you are welcome to use as much as little as you like.
  
  • You will need to supply your own personal toiletries (personal soap, shampoo etc).
  
  • Very occasionally we have family stay on a weekend and may require the spare room, in this case, you may be temporarily moved to the sofa bed in the games room – but this scenario is not very common and we will usually avoid it if we can. It just depends on who the family is that’s staying.
  
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  We have had some excellent Workaway guests over the past year, several who have been return visitors. The last 5 Christmases we have had volunteer guests be a part of our family Christmas. We just ask our guests to be considerate while staying with us and you will be rewarded with a stay in a great house, with laid back, friendly people and you will make friends with our friends during your stay if you are.
  
  Outdoor smokers ok, we are ok if you drink alcohol but strictly no illegal drugs to keep used or stored on our property. We’ve had a bad experience.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We are a laid back Aussie couple. We have a large group of friends and family from all different walks of life that will enjoy showing you around as well. We are happy to share our life experiences and welcome you as part of our family during your stay.

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  Help

  We work busy full time jobs and also have a small home based business, so we have odd jobs to do around the house. Tasks might comprise of mowing lawns, wiper snipping weeding gardens, washing windows, washing dishes, helping with washing, picking up dog or horse poop (with a pooper scooper or shovel) and maybe a few other odd jobs such as painting fences and deck/verandah, oiling decks. Also from time to time it might include ironing, some basic machine sewing (you don’t need prior skills to do this) and some other craft type tasks. Its honestly very straight forward work.
  
  At some point we have some planting to do in the garden and also some trees in the paddock and re-mulching of the gardens, and topping up gravel on the driveway. We are quite flexible on when the chores are done, which is useful if you find any paid work nearby. Note that as we all work, most of the time we will give you a run down on tasks in the evenings or weekends, but when you do the work is up to you, we are pretty flexible like that. Breakfast and lunch are self serve, we’ll eat together at night and expect that you would help with after dinner tidy up.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  Bedroom with queen bed, we have a big house with huge outdoor area and 2 living areas that you are welcome you relax in and make yourself at home.
  
  Unlimited internet and we have Netflix as well. This is a big house and there is multiple comfortable spaces for you to unwind / relax.
  
  • Very occasionally, we have family stay on a weekend and may require the spare room, in this case, you may be temporarily moved to the sofa bed in the games room – but this scenario is not very common and we will usually avoid it if we can. It just depends on who the family is that’s staying. (We also have a fully furnished room about 20 mts form the house, with TV, air con/heater etc, so this is often an option now if this scenario happens)

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  What else ...

  ***We are frequently able to put our guests in touch with people that have some paid work as well (usually things such as gardening etc****
  
  We are close to a nature reserve and the Mornington Peminsula which is full of fabulous tourist attractions. The beach is really close by too. We will be happy to show you around. To top it off, we are just under an hour to the CBD.
  
  We would consider people traveling with kids, We have plenty of space.

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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 have a fast internet connection, spare desk / office space, places outside for working to. Spare monitors and keyboards if you need extra screens.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Would consider workaway with a friendly house trained dog

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Approx 4hours a day per person.

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