Enjoy a farmstay with good food, great company and fab surf beaches near Bawley Point, NSW, Australia

Details

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  Description

  NSW South Coast farmstay with good food & great company. 10 mins from fab surf beaches, 3 hrs from Sydney
  ** Looking to complete your 88 days? We may be able to help **
  ** Are you fit, handy with tools & proper DIY? We would love to hear from you **
  
  We're Cam and Bill, and we share our eight-acre place on a ridge overlooking the sea with a changing little group of Workawayers from around the world — along with alpacas, goats, chickens, geese, peacocks and plenty of native wildlife.
  This is a Workaway where you'll hopefully feel like part of our extended family while you're here, rather than simply staying somewhere in exchange for a few hours of help.
  We've hosted well over 100 travellers over the years. We choose people quite carefully, both because we want you to enjoy living with us and because we try to put together groups of Workawayers who we think will really enjoy living with each other.
  Have a read and see if this sounds like your kind of place.
  
  
  QUICK GUIDE
  > The experience
  > Our little international community
  > Who thrives here — and who probably won't
  > Meet Cam & Bill
  > Contributing while you're here
  > Food, dinners & household life
  > Free time & exploring
  > Where you'll live
  > What past Workawayers say
  > 88 days
  > Before you apply
  
  
  THE EXPERIENCE
  Life here is a mixture of contributing, learning, exploring and living together. There's usually a small group of Workawayers here at the same time, and every night we come back together for dinner.
  For us, that's what Workaway should be: a genuine cultural exchange. You make a real contribution while you're here and, in return, we try to give you a comfortable home, good food, new experiences, plenty of independence and a chance to experience this part of Australia as something more than a tourist passing through.
  
  “I immediately felt at home... we all sit down for a family meal and debrief our days, laugh, and enjoy good food together.”
  — Mark, 2026
  
  
  OUR LITTLE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
  One of the things we love most about hosting is never quite knowing who is going to end up around our dinner table.
  We normally host a few Workawayers at once, often from different countries, and over the years we've watched countless friendships form between people who arrived here as complete strangers.
  When we're choosing Workawayers, we're not only asking “Will we enjoy having this person stay with us?” We're also thinking “Will they enjoy the people who are already coming?” So we choose our little groups quite carefully.
  That means we sometimes say no to genuinely lovely people we'd happily host at another time. With limited space, we're trying to find the right mix rather than simply fill beds. If you're a solo traveller, don't be put off by coming here alone. Many people do.
  
  “The atmosphere whilst we stayed was lively, and we were lucky enough to make strong bonds with the other volunteers who were there at the time, and there was always some good banter going on!”
  — Rory
  
  "The other volunteers were great people to be around and a family vibe was created in no time.”
  — James
  
  
  WHO THRIVES HERE?
  You don't need to arrive with lots of farm, gardening or DIY skills. Some people do, which is great, but plenty learn as they go.
  Attitude matters much more to us. You'll probably fit in well if you're:
  > Sociable and curious — you enjoy meeting people who may be quite different from you.
  > Happy to muck in — if something needs doing, your instinct is to help rather than wait to be asked.
  > Independent — once you understand what we're trying to achieve, you're comfortable getting on with it.
  > Willing to have a go — you're not bothered if you've never done something before.
  > Reasonably energetic — life on eight acres sometimes means getting hot, dirty or tired.
  > Considerate in a shared home — you notice what needs doing without always being asked.
  > Up for communal life — cooking, eating together and sitting around talking sounds enjoyable rather than obligatory.
  > Independent socially too — you don't expect Cam and Bill to entertain you all day.
  
  We're not everybody's ideal Workaway — and that's absolutely fine, you don't need to be an extrovert — we've hosted plenty of quieter people who have fitted in brilliantly. But you DO need to make some social effort and bring something of yourself to the group. Communal life works best when everyone contributes to the vibe rather than expecting others to do all the social heavy lifting.
  
  “None of us were being babysat, if you have common sense and pay attention... you'll have no problems at all.”
  -Petra (re work)
  
  “Just make sure that you... don't mind working hard and getting dirty and that you are ready for an amazing time there!”
  — Bernhard
  
  "This stay is best suited for self-motivated travellers who love the outdoors, appreciate clear structure and autonomy and enjoy socialising with their hosts"
  - Edna
  
  
  MEET CAM & BILL
  We're both originally English but have lived in Australia for around 20 years. Our kids are grown up and have left home, which is partly how we ended up filling the place with travellers from around the world instead.
  We're interested in food, travel, culture, sustainability, politics and social issues, technology, gardening, DIY and generally finding out how other people see the world.
  We're progressive, curious and pretty open-minded. You certainly don't need to share all our opinions — we'd much rather have interesting conversations with people who have opinions of their own.
  Hosting has become one of the most rewarding parts of our lives, and many of the friendships have continued long after people leave.
  
  “Cam and Bill are kind and funny people with a lot of life experience. They make you feel like part of a family from the very beginning.”
  — Valentina
  
  
  CONTRIBUTING WHILE YOU'RE HERE
  What needs doing here changes all the time, so we won't give you a long list of jobs that may bear no resemblance to what's happening when you arrive. What we can tell you is that it's generally practical, varied and useful — sometimes physical, sometimes unfamiliar and occasionally just something that needs doing.
  You don't need lots of practical skills. Being willing to learn, have a go and make a genuine contribution matters much more to us.
  We like to give people plenty of independence. We'll make sure you understand what we're trying to achieve, show you anything unfamiliar and often work alongside you. Once you're comfortable, we'd rather trust you to get on with it than stand over your shoulder.
  That independence comes with responsibility. Use your initiative, ask when you're unsure and take some pride in what you're doing.
  
  “We weren't micro-managed — we were given responsibility and ownership, which we loved.”
  — Christian & Frances
  
  
  FOOD, DINNERS & HOUSEHOLD LIFE
  Food is a pretty big deal around here.
  We provide the food and everyone takes turns cooking dinner. You don't need to be a brilliant cook, but you do need to be willing to have a go. Over the years we've eaten our way through an extraordinary number of countries without leaving our own dining table.
  We eat dinner together every night. There might be four nationalities around the table, a couple of bottles open and a conversation that starts with what everyone did that afternoon and somehow ends up three hours later discussing politics, relationships, travel, culture or why Australians insist on putting beetroot on hamburgers.
  You don't have to agree with us — or anyone else around the table. Being able to disagree, laugh, ask questions and listen to people with different experiences is all part of the cultural exchange for us.
  Communal life also means everyone contributes beyond the more formal helping part of the day. Cooking, clearing up, keeping shared spaces reasonably tidy and helping each other are simply part of living together.
  
  “My fav part was definitely the dinner time we shared every night. We cooked dishes from different countries, shared wine, exchanged stories and definitely laughed A LOT.”
  — Chung Man
  
  
  FREE TIME & EXPLORING
  We're about 10 minutes from some fabulous South Coast beaches around Bawley Point, with surfing, swimming, fishing, bushwalking and plenty of coastline to explore. There's also a pool here, plus surfboards and other gear you're welcome to use.
  Being rural, transport makes a big difference. We have a second car that Workawayers can often use once we're comfortable with your driving.
  
  “The farm is in a great location for beaches, small towns, forest wandering and surfing.”
  — Aimee
  
  "The area is rich with the most beautiful and consistent surf breaks on the south coast, which more often than not were not crowded at all. If you are a surfer or keen to try it for the first time, this place is PERFECT for you "
  -Nadav
  
  "The farm's surroundings are straight out of a storybook, with incredible bush tracks and pristine coastlines practically on your doorstep"
  - Edna
  
  The beaches are incredible, and I had some of the best surf sessions of my life! I was also lucky enough to see dolphins several times, very close to me, while surfing! It was absolutely incredible!"
  - Nunu / Nolwenn
  
  
  
  WHERE YOU'LL LIVE
  You'll usually stay in the three-bedroom guest wing of our farmhouse, which has been renovated and is comfortable, with a large deck, sea views and an outdoor fireplace.
  There are two rooms used by Workawayers: a double room and another room with bunk beds. Depending on the number of people staying, rooms may sometimes be shared.
  We also have a cosy cabin elsewhere on the property that we sometimes use for Workawayer accommodation.
  You'll have access to the pool and the usual household facilities, and we have fast Wi-Fi with a backup internet connection.
  
  Minimum stay: two weeks — we've found it takes a little time to settle in, get to know everyone and properly become part of the group.
  
  “All rooms provided were comfy and had everything needed... with an incredible view over the area.”
  — James
  
  
  WHAT PAST WORKAWAYERS SAY
  We've hosted well over 100 Workawayers and accumulated rather a lot of lovely feedback. You'll find all the full reviews on our profile, but these capture a few different sides of the experience:
  
  “Cam and Bill are one of a kind hosts — incredibly generous, kindhearted, experienced and organized.”
  — Kenzie
  
  “It's clear their workers mean a lot to them. They put care into building a good team and looking after everyone involved.”
  — Gemma
  
  “The atmosphere is easy-going and welcoming, made even better by shared, family-style meals, often filled with lively political discussions and fascinating life stories.”
  — Stanzi
  
  “Cam and Bill have cultivated an absolute slice of heaven here.”
  — Mark
  
  
  LOOKING TO COMPLETE YOUR 88 DAYS?
  We're in the Shoalhaven region and sometimes have volunteer work associated with bushfire hazard reduction that may qualify towards the 88-day specified-work requirement.
  Please do your own research and check the current requirements for your particular Working Holiday visa before relying on your stay with us towards your 88 days. If this is important to you, tell us when you first contact us.
  
  
  BEFORE YOU APPLY
  If you've made it this far and this sounds like your sort of place, we'd love to hear from you.
  Tell us a bit about who you are, where you're from, what you're doing in Australia and what made you interested in staying with us specifically. We're much more interested in getting a feel for you as a person than receiving a list of qualifications.
  If you're travelling with somebody else, tell us about both of you, and please include the dates you're hoping to stay.
  If you've read all that and are thinking “Yep, these sound like my kind of people”, send us a message.
  
  
  NEXT STEPS / PROC ESS
  if everybody likes the look of the others profile and dates look feasible / available, next step would be to have a WhatsApp video call so both you and us can check that the chemistry. / vibe is going to be a good match, we can also answer any questions you may have. If that all goes well we will send you a list of basic reasonable house rules for you to review and let us know if you are happy complying with these. Then we can lock in dates into our calender.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Plant care

  

  Technology

  

  Politics / Social justice

  

  Sustainability

  

  Culture

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Gardening

  

  Carpentry
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We are both English but have been here for 20 years. We are progressive, easy going and imaginative - wanting to make our farm a place of beauty, creativity, comfort and fun. We have a piano and guitar that anyone is more than welcome to play. We have an amazing array of wildlife on the property and enjoy the many native birds that visit us. We love making the most of local produce, we're into food and enjoy sharing and learning from different food cultures!

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  Help

  We are looking for general help around the property but a lot of this is general clearing of garden and grounds (raking, mowing, trimming, strimming) and assistance with some basic diy, eg: decking. Also we will help you develop new skills, past workawayer have learnt valuable practical skills

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  Languages spoken

  Spanish: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  You will be staying in the farmhouse which has two separate wings a 2 bed room wing which we live in but some time rent out at weekends and a 3 bedroom wing that you will stay in, it has been renovated and is very comfortable with a big deck with sea views and outdoor fireplace, there are two rooms for workaway folks a double bed room for couples and a room with bunk bed for 2 people travelling together. We have a pool which is great on hot days

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  What else ...

  About 3.5 hours south of Sydney, we are only 10 mins from Bawley Point's pristine beaches, with a backroad to Shallow Crossing on the Clyde River, and there are many beautiful walking trails and wineries nearby. For surfers, you are spoilt for choice up and down the coast, and the bus at the bottom of the hill makes for easy access to the local towns, Mollymook, Milton, Ulladulla and Batemans Bay.

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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 wifi with back up internet connection if you are working part time remotely.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  

  Alpacas

  

  Chickens , Geese & Peacocks

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