Help us with our wild garden while you listen to the birds in the beautiful Adelaide Hills, South Australia

Details

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  Description

  We are located on a beautiful 10 acre property on the outskirts of Stirling in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. We live in the midst of 2 acres of overgrown rambling cool climate garden, where secluded pathways meander slowly around terraced hillsides and where the sun sets every evening over the native bushland in the valley below. We have lived here for over 20 years, and it is a unique and magic spot.
  
  Mark runs a metal fabrication business, in Adelaide, working 4 days per week and Gillian is semi-retired, working 1 day a week at a local school.
  
  Gillian loves to cook and makes all our sourdough bread using a potato yeast starter that has been going for over 40 years. While not vegetarian we eat a lot of vegetarian meals, with the inclusion of meat at times. Gillian loves also to bake cakes and biscuits, plus homemade jams and chutneys. We enjoy eating, with an emphasis on healthy and wholefood eating.
  
  While the city of Adelaide is only 20 minutes away by car, this is not life in the suburbs, but life in the slow lane, where generally peace and tranquility reigns, interrupted at times by the sounds of lawn mowers and chainsaws rather than traffic. So, if you are looking to escape the city and are tired of the party life then this could be the place for you. We are about a kilometre from the local town and our property is semi-rural.
  
  We are non smokers and the property is a non smoking property, we live adjacent to native bushland and forest and have nice clean fresh air which we value. Over the warner months in particular there is also a fire risk. Vaping also pollutes the air and the gives off chemicals that we don't want to breathe in or have around us.
  
  We love going on walks, Mark is into cycling and fitness, we go to yoga and aqua aerobics and are pretty active. We have an enormous indoor cat, chickens for eggs and a goat named Princess, plenty of books to read, and views to enjoy.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We live adjacent to native bushland, and it is quite a unique location with animals such as kangaroos on a regular basis and the occasional koala, plus of course plenty of birdlife. There are also plenty of native plants and flowers which are unique to this area too.
  We have lived and worked overseas extensively and have a broad knowledge of other cultures and customs and love sharing our stories and listening to others. We have 2 young adult offspring who are sometimes here, when they are not traveling overseas.
  Gillian is happy to share cooking skills for those interested in cooking. Plus she loves learning new recipes and cooking from other cultures. She also has a mosaic studio.
  We try and reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible to help look after the environment, and are happy to share our knowledge in this area, and also to learn from others who may be doing it better.
  There are many places outside to sit and listen to the birds, read a book, set up your easel and paint or perhaps do some yoga as the sun sets.

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  Help

  Motivated and outdoorsy people are wanted to help with our overgrown and large rambling garden. We are looking for people who love gardening and growing things, and who enjoy the outdoors and nature. We have decided to embark on a big garden cleanup after a recent major storm. We are trying to re-establish a largely organic veggie garden and there is lots of weeding to do, and some digging and general gardening work. Lawn mowing, collecting firewood, helping with the compost, cleaning up around the sheds.
  
  At times some home help and maintenance maybe needed (painting, washing windows, sweeping paths, general cleaning and tidying.)
  
  We usually eat together as a family, and help with meals and cleaning up afterwards would be expected.
  
  Gillian loves wool and textiles, and would love to be able to knit properly, learn to crochet and undertake sewing projects, so any skills in those areas would also be useful.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  We speak only English, but have studied various languages over the years, including Dutch, Mandarin, German, Spanish and French, but sadly we are not very good at any of them, but always happy to learn again.
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  Accommodation

  We have a downstairs self contained and comfortable small apartment, with an open plan living area and kitchenette with simple cooking facilities and a fridge. There is a queen bed and a single bed, and a spacious bathroom.
  There is the option to cook meals downstairs as well, there are also outdoor eating areas to use in the warmer months.

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  What else ...

  The city of Adelaide is approx. 20 minutes away but longer by public transport. There are lots of walks in the Mt Lofty ranges, Mt Lofty summit is a nice 12 kms walk from here and Cleland wildlife park is close by. The Heysen trail is also close by, and throughout the hills there are villages and towns with numerous cafes, from rustic to more upmarket, plenty of interesting pubs and hotels, and many lovely wineries.
  
  The local town has several cafes and 2 supermarkets, a great vegetable shop, excellent library and an hotel and a wine bar.
  
  Depending on size, we have some spare bicycles that can be used. There are regular buses to the city from Stirling, which is a 15 minute walk away, and the beach is approximately 45 minutes by car.
  
  We live a pretty quiet but busy life, sometimes our young adult children are around, but mostly not. We are not late-night people, and noise from downstairs does travel up to us. You would be welcome to interact with us and sit by the fire after meals on a cold evening or have your own privacy downstairs, or a combination of the 2. It would suit a couple or 2 friends, of course singles are also welcome especially if you are happy with your own company and are good at entertaining yourself and enjoy feeling like part of a family.

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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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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week