Help us with our farm/artist colony in Yarra Valley, Australia

Australia

Favourited 121 times

Host rating
Feedback
20
Last activity
09/08/2019
Reply rate
89.5 %
Average reply time:
within 2 days
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Availability

2019

Min stay requested: No minimum

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What's this?

Details

Description
Our family consists of a playwright, a musician who are also a lecturer and a doctor, one friendly pet cow (two, quiet but not so friendly ones), two very friendly dogs, several horses with big personalities and a pet pig is pending living on glorious 68 acres in the Seville in the Yarra Valley about one hour from Melbourne.
Type of help
Gardening
Building
General Maintenance
Farmstay
Help with Eco project
Animal care
Language practice
Art project
Help with Computers / internet
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
If artistic inclined, there will be many a lovely conversation on arts with the playwright and Australian politics with the musician doctor. We encourage all of the creative types to work on their arts / creative / writing project here. People who are looking for some reflective time in their traveling will love this place!
Help
We are a 68 acre farm, equine therapy business with gorgeous views in the beautiful Yarra Valley. We need help converting an old piggery into an artist colony. We grow organic vegies, exotic and native trees and have farm animals and horses as members of the family. We are mainly vegetarian . We need willing volunteers happy to help in the garden and in the paddocks. Some skill with a tractor and other farm equipment would be excellent. A plasterer would be most welcome, as would IT people. Some fence painting, some clearing of sheds, making walking paths through the paddocks, some tree planting and weeding. If you are experienced with horses we would ask you to feed and ride them. So variation in the tasks for four to five hours a day depending on weather and what is needed and the skills the volunteer brings.
Languages spoken
We speak English but we would be happy to be tutored in other languages
Accommodation
Volunteers will have their own self contained and very comfortable farm house (see photos) with extraordinary views if more than one and a single room with bathroom if single. The 3 bedroom house is very comfortable - very private, with heating and cooling has a great kitchen and bathroom and internet and dogs that visit.
What else ...
The Yarra Valley is a gorgeous part of the world. There are many state parks, wineries and lovely walks both on our property and close by- the Healesville Sanctuary is close. Our farm is not close to public transport but we go into Seville daily if you don't have a car and buses into Lilydale run everyday. Lilydale is one hour by train into Melbourne CBD. We require friendly willing reliable people who must love animals and enjoy their company. We would like people who are happy to be sometimes on their own as we need to spend time in the city during the week.
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Photos

Feedback left by and about host (20)

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)

Cultural exchange:
(5.0)

Communication:
(5.0)

04/06/2019

Left by Workawayer (Judy) for host

I stayed with Tee for a little over two months and loved every second of my stay. The property is beautiful and I fell on love with each of the animals. I really enjoyed the solitude of staying in the small cottage by myself, and had alot of time for reading, writing, yoga, horse riding, hiking etc! The accommodation is great. If you need constant… read more

(Excellent )

31/05/2019

Left by Workawayer (Gaia) for host

Great experience, kind host, lovely house, beautiful horses, friendly pets. Tee is a welcoming and kind person, interesting and very busy, but always willing to help. Ten days of relaxing and creative retreat in the countryside: walks, drawings, books, riding lessons, inspiring walking in the nature. I helped with works like cutting grass, caring… read more

(Excellent )

25/04/2019

Left by Workawayer (SAYAKA) for host

It was my first workaway and I really enjoyed it. Tee was always kind to me and other workawayer who live and work with was also nice!
My work was various, like cleaning paddocks, catching cows which ran away, caring horses, helping design works, and so on... I had lots of fun with them!
I love the animals and the beautiful nature there. So… read more

(Excellent )

08/04/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Alexandra)

Alex was a godsend! She came when we were away a lot and she took loving care of all our animals. I could relax knowing that Alex would work so well without supervision. The baby calves were at a very high maintenance stage and Alex spent loads of time with them and raised them well so now they are very sociable bovines! She also did a lot of… read more

(Excellent )

07/04/2019

Left by Workawayer (Alexandra) for host

I spent two wonderful months with Tee and the animals over the summer. I fed and prepared meds for two of the mares and took care of the calves, the very curious Mekong and Tukituki, who I fed and spent time socialising with troughout the day. Work is 5 hours on a five days per week basis, but I ended up feeding the animals on my days off too… read more

(Excellent )

04/12/2018

Left by Workawayer (Aria) for host

Thank you for Tee and Al ~ Tee is really nice and patient. She even bought us snacks. It's my first workaway experience and it's perfect. The work varied and we never felt bored. It's a very worthwhile experience to spend time with horses doing the therapy and feed the little baby cows.

(Excellent )

22/11/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Raphael)

It feels strange to give feedback about Raphael so publicly as he feels like he is part of our family! He is a wonderful human being, easy to be around, trustworthy honest, funny and has a deep love of animals and nature. He has transformed our farm from a messy place into having much more order- we can now find things due to Raph! He works hard… read more

(Excellent )

06/11/2018

Left by Workawayer (Raphael) for host

So I finally get around to writing my feedback on the time that I've spent with Tee and Alan. I procrastinated a bit on this because I found it quite difficult to get the right words together.

So where to start? Tee and Alan were my first Work Away hosts and guess what... I've stayed for nearly half a year. It wasn't really planed to stay that… read more long but let me explain why you'll find it hard to leave.

First of all is the farm one of the most beautiful places I've been to during my time in Australia. If you ever get to stay with Tee and Alan and if you get to see one of the sunrises on the farm or the valley hills trapped in clouds during a walk at night you'll know what I'm talking about, not to speak of the awesome accommodation you'll get.

And if that doesn't make you want to stay there longer than you thought you would, there are ten four-legged reasons that will. You're going to meet the two most charming dogs, five beautiful and friendly horses that are full of character and three cows that don't really care a lot about humans but they're still lovely! :D It was awesome to be surrounded by these beautiful beings and if you love animals like I do you're going to have wonderful time.

And last but definitely not least Tee and Alan themselves. They've done way more than they've been supposed to do as hosts and they were more than just hosts, too. They helped me in many ways even after I left the farm. They gave me the feeling of home even though I couldn't be further away from it. If you going to be hosted by Tee and Alan be prepared for great, caring, intelligent, generous and interesting hosts, heaps of love from four-legged beings, good conversations, great spontaneous music performances, surprising lessons about what humans can learn from horses, the beautiful and peaceful farm atmosphere, walks across the farm, time for self-reflection and yourself and the warm feeling of being welcome no matter how far you're away from wherever you call home.

Oh, I forgot about the work. :D Yeah, you got to work. But the kind of work I had to do was pretty rich in variety as you can imagine on a farm. There was whipper snipping, cleaning up, digging ditches, chopping wood, spraying, repairing fences, cutting trees and much more to do. I could nearly always plan my working hours by myself. I personally enjoyed the time/work with the horses and taking care of them the most (they are just incredible! :) ).

After all, the work was a small and the fair price to pay for the memorable, peaceful and reflective time I had.

Thanks for the great time and all you've done for me Tee & Alan!

I can't wait to see how you're going to make this gorgeous place even more fantastic

(Excellent )

28/10/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Piero & Agustina )

Tina and Piero were just fabulous on the farm. They had a lot of initiative and I felt safe asking them to do all the farm tasks required for they brought a lot of experience on farms with them. As well as hardworking, they both have lovely natures and were sociable and fun. The animals loved them and our farm is a better place because of them! Al… read more

(Excellent )

28/10/2018

Left by Workawayer (Piero & Agustina ) for host

It was our first workaway and staying with Tees and Al was wonderful. The farm is amazing, getting to know the horses and taking riding lessons with Tees, was by far the most exciting thing ever. Love every single day there, they really make you feel at home. Lot of work to keep you always occupied. We did some weeding, spraying, cleaning, brush… read more

(Excellent )

17/09/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Martina & Florencia)

Martina, Flo and Felix were wonderful to host. They brought a lovely energy to our farm and Martina and Flo made us, for their workaway hours, a website that still takes my breath away, capturing the beauty and spirit of our farm. Felix was a great helper - our vegie garden is flourishing now! - with a lovely nature. All of them deserve wonderful… read more

(Excellent )

15/09/2018

Left by Workawayer (Martina & Florencia) for host

Our experience here was incredible. Spending time with the horses and learning about what the equine assisted therapy is was everything we needed to truly understand the essence of that wonderful place. Tee and Al were wonderful hosts, always worried about us being comfortable and happy. It was a pleasure to be able to work with each horse and… read more

(Excellent )

07/04/2018

Left by Workawayer (Astrid) for host

My stay with Tee, Alan and the animals left a big impression on me. I will cherish the memories of the peaceful days spent painting fences at the farm and gardening at beautiful Mawarra, going for walks in the forest and sharing lovely food over honest conversations. The work was varied and enjoyable at both properties.
During my stay there were… read more

(Excellent )

07/04/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Astrid)

Astrid was a complete joy to host. She's bright, funny, deep thinking and a hard worker yet also happy to chill. She looked after our dogs and farm beautifully- painting fences on the farm and gardening on our other property. She also painted us a portrait of our garden that we will cherish forever. Al and I wish Astrid the very best for her… read more

(Excellent )

03/12/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Sefi & Sara)

Sara and Sefi were a joy to host. They worked hard and were just lovely to hang out with. It gives us a big smile to walk around the farm and see the fences Sara painted and the trees that Sefi weeded, lawns mowed and rubbish removed.! This old farm needs so much work and they were not afraid to tackle the hard jobs! The dogs, cows and horses miss… read more

(Excellent )

01/12/2017

Left by Workawayer (Sefi & Sara) for host

Tee and Al are the best hosts you can imagine! They are great people, very friendly and open-minded. It was our first experience with WorkAway and it was just amazing.
They were very flexible with hours of work and the duties we had. We worked 25 hours a week and our jobs included weeding, mowing, fence-painting and caring for animals.
We could… read more

(Excellent )

13/07/2016

Left by Workawayer (Benedikt) for host

Tee and Al are both great people, very much in tune with their surroundings and the place and they bring a lot of positivity and energy. The work I did was mainly weeding, planting trees, cleaning up areas that are to be renovated but that might change with whatever project is up next. If you are looking for a place with great artistic vibe this… read more

(Excellent )

06/07/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Benedikt)

Bene was a delight to host. Good worker, great company and plays a mean trumpet! he was very happy to both work with us, or on his own and he took wonderful care of the farm and the dogs! Bene is also a great conversationalist and I look forward to when his novel comes out in English! Thank you Bene and I'll send you a picture of the trees you… read more

(Excellent )

19/02/2016

Left by Workawayer (Sam) for host

My stay with Tee & Al could not have been better. I was lucky enough to get to know both of them in a beautiful location, with interesting conversation, delicious healthy food fresh from the garden, and fun times. There was plenty of interesting work to be done, such as helping to construct a stage and tent for a small charity festival, which was… read more

(Excellent )

18/02/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Sam)

Sam was with us for over three weeks and he was a joy to host. A very hard worker with a great nature. He looked after our poddy calf Murray and dog Crikey with tenderness and affection and pulled out weeds and cleaned sheds with hard work and attention to detail. He was happy to be left on his own but also joined in with social occasions- a very… read more

(Excellent )

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Host ref number: 661327351384

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