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Host rating
100 %
Last replied
11 Jul 2025
Reply rate
95.8 %
Usually responds within 9 days
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Details
Description
Our picturesque family farm is in the Derwent Valley only 35 minutes from Hobart. Here is where we produce an exciting range of hand crafted, small batch drinks and concentrates plus our award winning gourmet condiments.
Myself (Anne) and my husband (Robert) live on the farm and manage things together. We would love help with:
a) our large garden - picking, planting, weeding, pruning, mowing, bottling & preserving our fruit and vegetables;
b) small 'building' jobs and maintenance; and
c) online tasks for those with the pre-requisite experience.
We are keen to meet new people and share our knowledge, accumulated over 40 yrs of mixed farming, gardening and running a family business; as well as ideas and tips on travel within Tasmania.
We are on the beautiful Derwent River, so in spring and summer you can enjoy swimming, canoeing or lying on the banks of the river, or wandering through our 380ha of bush, along creek beds and ridges across a wide range of landscapes. On these walks you can see kangaroos, possums, perhaps echidnas, quolls and the beautifully coloured rosella parrots, souring eagles, kookaburras, fairy wrens and robins (to name a few).
We are looking for enthusiastic individuals, groups or couples who are open to new challenges. Those who have experience building, landscaping and gardening would be a huge bonus - but it is not a necessity, just bring a 'can-do' attitude. We plan to build a fire-pit or two for sharing food around, build a little verandah onto our beautiful 'chicken coop' accommodation unit, build a frame to support more wisteria as an arched walk and other electrical, carpentry and stonemasonry tasks, including re-building our courtyard into a 'zen' feel. And if you are up for it, turning our barn loft into another accommodation facility with its expansive views across our beautiful valley - would be amazing. It would be a wonderful if you had the skills to help accelerate our projects. If not, there is always plenty to do and there is so much variety here, I am sure we can find something that will interest you.
Having your own transport will give you more freedom, but we are always happy to run you into the local town 5 minutes away and a bicycle is provided as well. New Norfolk is a cute little town with lots to see, fabulously interesting coffee shops, all with a different 'flavour' in their presentation, other gourmet food outlets, a market and lots and lots of unique antique options where you can get lost for hours (NN is the 'antique capital of Tasmania').
Minimum stays of one to two weeks are ideal (in order to get to know you and also so you have a full and real experience). There are a number of choices of accommodation - with separate new shower and toilet. Our latest creation is "the Coop" - our cute little converted chook shed, cosy and warm (double glazed and insulated) and set within the garden. There is a caravan next to the house, which can be moved closer to the river. Or, if you prefer, you might enjoy privacy further away from the house in a converted insulated high cube shipping container, complete with own kitchenette and separate new shower and toilet facilities. You can still choose to join us to share an evening meal after the day to day activities around the home.
Most of all, we are flexible. If you would like to use us as a base to explore southern Tasmania from, I am sure we can arrange something that works for all. Many stayers have come back for a second visit and some even a third visit!
If you like to learn and help with enthusiasm and to the best of your ability, we will always welcome you here. Hopefully, you will leave us with memories of great homegrown food and interesting experiences. And an insight into what it is to run a diverse farm and value added food production; having set your mark on some little project that will remain an ongoing memory of you - for us, and for you - of our little piece of paradise.
ADVICE - Tasmania's climate especially outside of summer is variable, so come prepared. Bring sunblock, long sleeved shirts and sunglasses to keep out our intense sun; bring layers of clothing (lots of op shops in New Norfolk if need be), good (waterproof) boots and a jacket for the off-seasons.
Arriving mornings works best for us. I would suggest getting to Hobart one day, having a bit of a look around and then the following day catching the 9am bus to New Norfolk - we will collect you from Laskey Car Park bus stop in Pioneer Ave. We ask that you remind us the day before you arrive and give us a call when you are about to catch the bus. We are 5+/- mins away from New Norfolk.
It takes about half an hour from Hobart airport to Hobart via the bus. Buses direct to New Norfolk are hourly till 9am - then after that - you have to go to Glenorchy to catch a bus, which takes much longer. So arriving early am is easiest.
It is a good idea to come equipped with snacks and some things to nibble on if we are busy. We provide meals and a healthy hearty evening meal - which you can help prepare, picking fruit and veg from the garden to add to the evening's creation. And once a week we bake - so you can learn to make cakes and bread if you enjoy this.
Looking forward to an enjoyable interaction.
Warmest Regards
Anne and Robert
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Lots to learn - and you can specialise in what takes your fancy and the season - from tending the veggie garden, the orchard, learning to propagate plants, harvesting berries, apples, pears, peaches for winter storage etc.
Building and landscaping skills will be cherished and we will certainly provide a healthy home cooked meal at nights - including Annie's famous desserts. Goats, cattle and sandstone make up this mixed farm.
So lots to see and enjoy and always plenty to do.
Anne and Robert
Help
The help is varied depending on the time of year and your skill set. The help will be mostly around the home vegetable patch and our spot by the river.
Helping with landscaping, planting hedgerows & windbreaks, mulching, pruning, stone walling will always be appreciated.
Builders or handy men will be cherished(!), as we wish to enhance every vista and create photo opportunities wherever you look. Our projects are many and varied - we would love to build a shelter by the river with BBQ facilities and a deck - so, to improve the amenity of our 'sanctuary' - a place where we swim, canoe or just sit under our willow tree to read a book when the days chores are done.
There are also tasks to do around the farmhouse such as gardening, mowing lawns, house maintenance and renovation, helping cook healthy meals at night, feeding garden refuse to our livestock - wherever you feel you can most be of help. Sometimes we have orphan animals who need feeding at least twice a day.
We have hundreds of fruit trees of all sorts and setting up winter protection for these and our 30 or so lemon trees is a high priority, as is adding watering systems and raising our vegetable patches so we can fit more compost in.
There is always the daily vegetables and fruit to be picked and/or preserved.
On a Saturday, you might like a lift to Hobart for the day. Generally our 'helpers' come in to explore Salamanca Market or the many attractions like a trip up the mountain (Mt Wellington for those less parochial than I !); Mona museum: Battery Point; the many interesting cafes and attractions in and around Hobart. It is lovely if you can help us unload and help layout our goodies for the day - and then the day is yours to do what you want for the next 6 to 8 hrs if you need. It is a great way to become familiar with some of the things Hobart has to offer, before heading home or sharing a meal with the family.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
German: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
Accommodation units - there are 3 to choose from - the main one is in a simple but cosy warm cabin with very clean separate toilet and shower. Then there is a cute little caravan - a blast from the past - cosy as!
We also have a newly refurbed chook shed, called "The Coop" - we are really proud of this as it has been completed with mostly recycled materials plus cosy warm cladding and insulation. Set in the middle of the fruit and veggie garden.
Camping - You can also camp or bring your own caravan if you prefer and sit by a camp fire (except in fire danger periods).
What else ...
Nearby is Mt Field National Park (lots of walks and snow in the winter), or visit Mona Museum, Agrarian Kitchen, the many op shops and antique shops only minutes away are just full of hidden treasures. Swim in the river, paddle, walk thru the bush, see native animals, cockatoos, kookaburras, owls, platypus, (our platypus regularly swims close to me when I am in the river - but I have yet to capture his attention on land!) and plenty of bird species, kangaroo/wallaby and possums.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have one cabin that is suitable with wifi access, or you can connect via own phone wifi closer to the house and garden. We could even set you up down on the river if you were going to stay a length of time - adjacent to the rapids - where the light play of sun on the water and the tinkling sound of the rapids will unfortunately be such a distraction that you may never want to stop and work! You can swim in the river and then walk up the hill to the home to share a meal with us or to gather produce from our huge herb, fruit and veggie garden.
Space for parking camper vans
We would love to have you come and visit and have plenty of site opportunities - some with power - others more remote (for example at the top of our hill - where the airstrip has 360 degree views up, down and across the valleys. All beautiful. If you have any building skills, you will be especially welcomed - we will do all we can to help make your stay as memorable as possible.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
My animals / pets
Feedback (47)
They worked hard - every morning collecting the fallen and ripened fruit and veg and helping process it when we had enough.
They also weeded, pruned and cleaned as help pack up things at the end of the day's cook up.
They were easy to host - being autonomous in… read more
Willing, kind, gentle and a delightful disposition. As soon as she knew what was required, she keenly tackled every task every day without further prompting.
She was meticulous in her collection of fallen and ripened fruit and veg. And hand watered all the pots early each morning and sometimes in the evenings as… read more
Photos
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(4.7)
Communication:
(4.8)
They worked hard - every morning collecting the fallen and ripened fruit and veg and helping process it when we had enough.
They also weeded, pruned and cleaned as help pack up things at the end of the day's cook up.
They were easy to host - being autonomous in… read more
Willing, kind, gentle and a delightful disposition. As soon as she knew what was required, she keenly tackled every task every day without further prompting.
She was meticulous in her collection of fallen and ripened fruit and veg. And hand watered all the pots early each morning and sometimes in the evenings as… read more
Her English understanding was at times difficult but we still had plenty of laughs and she joined in willingly at the evening meal and food preparation. She was a delight and our other 4 guests also were very… read more
The other Workawayers I met during my stay were also… read more
They tackled every task with gusto and enthusiasm and joy. It is always busy in the spring with lots to do in the garden. Mowing, weeding, pruning, planting, irrigating. And they also spent a lot of time removing prunings from the olive trees - which was a huge task, tackled methodically and… read more
The natural beauty of the surroundings was breathtaking; every view felt like stepping… read more
It was refreshing to have someone experienced in gardening who could work autonomously and see what needed to be done. The week Diana was here verged on… read more
But her calm manner and efficient way of looking at things was greatly valued. She has a great logistical mindset, which meant she was often one step ahead of things, a rarity in… read more
She helped in everything she could - from the garden to the kitchen preparing meals and cleaning and clearing and picking veggies and herbs for the evening meals. It was also fun to have her help out a bit at our winter feast… read more
I was allowed to sit in the house and use wifi… read more
Together they made lots of progress in the tasks. Kirstie was dedicated to her tasks, and when she understood what needed to be done, she was fastidious in completing her daily tasks. Weeding, mulching, and picking up fallen fruit. Helping at night in the kitchen etc. Campbell was a huge asset… read more
We spent two weeks with Anne and Robert and helped out doing gardening work around the property and in the orchards. The area is lovely but doesn't have great links so your own transport makes life easier, there are 2 bicycles which were available to use which was very nice. The river nearby is a beautiful swimming spot… read more
But his steady… read more
It's a bit busy of a… read more
You were, quite simply, a delight to host. I especially loved how our disparate little band from across the world so quickly became a team and worked hard to support each other and share some good times together. I think you had a big part in helping perfect strangers become friends.
Christina has a 'German work ethic' - is… read more
I visited Anne and Robert for my first workaway and spent two weeks at their farm. From day one I felt very welcomed and valued. They always made sure that everyone was feeling well and enjoying their stay.
There is a lot of nature on the farm. You will be able to meet some wildlife, go for a… read more
But that is just the start – she is impressive, a special human, with a kindness and intelligence that was a pleasure to experience. Competent way beyond her years. She was able to tackle things that were alien and picked up the nuances of our… read more
Workwise, me and a few other workawayers mostly helped out in their big garden; weeding,… read more
The minute they arrived, we felt instantly comfortable and let them have a free hand at the tasks on the Task… read more
She is a methodical and steady worker. Once she understood the task at hand, she had no trouble working… read more
Everyone on the farm I worked with also great, and we all had a laugh and got… read more
I don't think I have ever had anyone who put in like Dan has - and it was such a pleasure to see the work he achieved each day. In summary ... beyond expectations. This is a man who can see what needs to be done, who has the capacity to do things and who is self-motivated enough to… read more
I wanted to notice different things to explain the mark I put.
In my opinion the deal was not respected, because in exchange working 4/5 hours we are supposed to receive food and accommodation.
- about the food , it was… read more
Since It was my first experience of workaway and going out of Japan, I was nervous before the flight. However, Anne and Robert had warmest hearts and accepted me as truly a part of their family. Anne always cared for me and cooked gorgeous… read more
She got on really well with our grandchildren and… read more
Thank you for your lovely comments about the meals and the scenery, it was very kind.
I am sorry to hear that you felt a little left out. As you can imagine everyone has different needs, and sometimes ours is for our own privacy. We do provide 24 hour access to all the facilities one would need, (a new fully equipped kitchen, fireplace… read more
My job was mostly picking fruits, irrigating, weeding and working in the garden, some tidy up and cleaning, carrying and unpacking while getting ready for Salamanca market,… read more
A calm, gentle human being with a wisdom beyond her years, I can wholeheartedly… read more
In… read more
It was a busy time here and so they worked quite independently weeding the garden mostly, but we tried to show them as much as possible farm life on our Tasmanian farm, so they got to do a few things with Robert, including rounding up livestock and feeding out.
They were impeccably neat, left their facility… read more
We enjoyed our very short stay of less than a week as Anne was very thoughtful to arrange for us to stay with her friend Karen in the initial couple of days when she couldn't accommodate us.
The 5 days we spent at Anne and Robert's were varied where we… read more
I greatly enjoyed sharing tea by the river, lots of conversation and our evenings together – preparing the evening meal. And, especially the card games they taught us. Although, I warn you, don’t play Monopoly cards… read more
Wade cut through the work… read more
He was a champion broad bean podder - and relished this task each evening they were on the table.… read more
Your feedback is as generous as your spirit. It was lovely to have you share our space and we both enjoyed your delightful bubbly character. Thanks for all your efforts in the garden too - it is now looking almost as neat as a pin at the moment - despite the grass growing before my eyes.
I would recommend Meg to anyone who is… read more
As an avid gardener, I loved the opportunity to work in their veggie patch. The work I did was… read more
After our working hours we could always ask for a ride to New Norfolk, which was really nice and… read more
I would recommend him to anyone who could show him new skills, he is very willing to learn.
All the best Kris. And thank you.
Anne and Robert.
We worked in the veggie garden, helped cooking meals, went to the… read more
We soon began to treasure him and then to dread the day he would leave, but all things must come to an… read more
What a thoroughly lovely couple. So laid back and easy to accommodate. Self-contained and autonomous. Jack and Megan arrived at the onset of a cold spell and the start of our olive harvest. This is a very busy time for us, so we didn't get to share much time together - but they were very happy to just set to work in the garden.… read more
The very first moment we met Anne & Rob we felt very comfortable and at ease with them both. It was very comfortable, relaxed conversation every evening after dinner. And anyone that says Anne can't cook will get an argument from me, every meal was created and presented with fun, conversation and country… read more
Jay helped greatly with some IT issues and went way above what anyone would expect to get the task done. They both helped with getting the fence up around our two pet goats - who join in wherever they can with what we do. There were… read more
His high level hospitality… read more
First of all I would love to say: Thank you! You have been sensational from day 1 and you did understand on what page of my book I was getting into. Now from the distance I can say that stopping on your beautiful farm in the Derwent Valley was a gift that I will be always grateful for 😊.
Anne, thanks for the… read more
In… read more
She bonded so easily with our other guests and we all shared nearly 3 weeks together.
Katja is quick to understand what needs to be done,… read more
The work differed from day to day, which always kept it interesting. We did things such as picking different kinds of fruit,… read more
I adored my time on the farm. I got to partake in a wide variety of work while I was there - from the cherry harvest to the elderberry harvest. I learned how to prune olive trees… read more
He took part in a range of activities which included fruit picking, gardening, factory and farm work - including completely taking apart the mulching mower which… read more
It felt good to hang with them around the river when it's hot or around a warm dinner. I'm really happy, that I had the opportunity to work on a real commercial… read more
What a joy it was to have them. They were both incredibly hard-working, Danny was Oh-so-funny in the most comical way. You never knew if he was being serious, then a wry sort of smile came to his eyes and he cracked everyone up.
We had lots of fun playing Boggle and Yahtze at night, and I always enjoyed meal times at night when… read more
He helped out in a range of tasks, from gardening, (weeding, planting, nurturing), pruning the groves, whippersnipping, painting and… read more
Jumping in to every task with curiosity and integrity, they often worked well over their normal allocated time. They enjoyed being part of our team and our regular workers also… read more
Your farm is very exciting place. There were a lot of olives, plants, animals and beautiful views.We really enjoyed spending.
You told us your knowledge of farming, cooking and lives. We harvested olives lemons and fed cows for the first time. Everyday meal were very tasty!!
We ate many fresh vegetables.
Playing games… read more
Roy took everything in his stride, and is clearly a great organiser. He and his small team demolished the old exterior, meticulously insulated under the new floor and… read more
It was a pleasure to share our place with two such accomplished people. Thank you for your help in the garden and in preparing evening meals.… read more
They… read more
They are adorable, fun, loving people and made me feel right at home from the start. I had the chance to spend Christmas with them and even though I was far from home they welcomed me into theirs as if I was another member of the family.
Work was relaxed, cups of tea were abundant, and swimming in Anne's river... a must!… read more
I miss her so much and miss her cups of nettle tea (a first time for me!) and her marvellous mum's spinach pie and the fact that she had all the berries picked before I emerged in the morning.
A willing working - within a short time… read more
