Profile information
-
Host rating
Not yet rated
-
Feedback
-
-
Email verified
Badges (2)
Find your perfect host
Min stay requested: at least 3 weeks
Details
-
Description
Come live on our farm in the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria
We are a family, Bek (works full time on the farm), Adam (works from home in other job), son Lachlan 17 and daughter Charli 14. We live on a beautiful 20-acre property in the Dandenong Ranges, around an hour from Melbourne.
Our property is a mix of open paddocks, bush, creek and gardens, and is home to horses, cattle, goats, alpacas, sheep, pigs, dog, chooks and local wildlife. -
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
-
Interests
Water sports
Animals
Cooking & food
Plant care
Vegetarian or vegan
Self development -
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
-
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We’d love this to feel like you’re temporarily becoming part of our family and life on the property, rather than simply exchanging a few hours of help for accommodation.
You’ll get to experience everyday life on a 20-acre property in the Dandenong Ranges, surrounded by Australian bush, wildlife and our collection of farm animals. We’re happy to share meals, stories and local knowledge, and we’d love to learn about your home, culture and favourite foods too.
We can also help you discover the local area, including the Dandenong Ranges, Yarra Valley and Melbourne, while giving you plenty of independence and space to explore in your own time.
Our life here is a mixture of family, animals, nature, gardening, running our small farm stay and wellbeing business, and generally figuring things out as we go. You’ll get a genuine look at Australian semi-rural family life rather than a tourist version of it. -
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
-
Help
We're looking for someone practical, independent and happy to get stuck in rather than needing a detailed list of instructions for every task.
What we'd love help with:
The tasks will vary depending on the week and weather and might include:
Gardening, weeding and general property tidying
Vegetable garden/orchard and outdoor projects
General household cleaning and organisation
Cooking meals for the family
Helping with feeding animals and animal jobs
Cleaning outdoor areas
Small projects around the property
Helping us keep on top of everyday life
All tasks are to help us in our home or the property, we don't produce anything for sale, It's not a working farm as such, our animals are pets and never going to be "used" but they need time and care. The vege garden and orchard are for us to grow our own food, not to sell but I just don't have time to do it all myself while I work to pay the bills.
What matters much more to us is that you're reliable, notice what needs doing, take pride in doing things properly and are comfortable working independently once we've shown you what needs to be done. That said, two hands are always better than one so lots of tasks will be a team effort with Me, we will work on lots of things together and I love a good chat.
If you love cooking, that's a definite bonus. -
Languages
Languages spoken
English: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
We can't help with other languages but are open to learning and seeing if we can help support your english. -
Accommodation
You'll have your own small private bungalow, completely separate from our family home.
It has:
Your own sleeping space
A tack room that we may need to access on occasion
A basic kitchenette with fridge and kettle
Your own toilet and hand basin
Cold running water
Wi-Fi available
Bedding and towels provided
The bungalow does not have a shower or hot running water.
You'll use the hot shower in our family home and you're welcome to come down and use it whenever you need. You'll also have access to our laundry and other household facilities.
It's simple accommodation rather than luxury, but it's private, peaceful and surrounded by bush and animals.
Food
We'll provide food for your stay.
Breakfast and lunch will generally be self-catered from our kitchen, and we always eat dinner together as a family, you'd be welcome to join us or take it back to your room.
We'd also love you to cook for everyone occasionally as part of your help.
We eat all different foods but usually with a focus on fresh vegetarian foods, and we're happy to discuss dietary requirements before you arrive. -
What else ...
This would probably suit someone who:
Enjoys rural life and animals
Likes being outdoors
Is genuinely clean and tidy
Has good attention to detail
Doesn't need constant supervision
Is comfortable being part of family life but also enjoys their own independence
Is happy with simple country accommodation
Wants to stay in one place for a little while rather than race through Australia
Because we're in the hills outside Melbourne, having your own car would make exploring much easier.
Length of stay
We'd prefer a minimum of around three weeks, with four to six weeks being ideal.
If we're all enjoying the arrangement, we'd be very happy to discuss staying longer.
We'd rather find the right person and have them stay for a while than have new people coming and going every few days
Before we agree to a stay
We'd like to have a quick video chat first so we can both make sure it feels like a good fit.
Tell us a little about yourself, what you're hoping to get from your time in Victoria, whether you've done a work exchange before, and the sorts of jobs you enjoy doing.
And most importantly - tell us honestly whether you're someone who actually enjoys cleaning and organising, or whether you'd much rather be outside with a shovel, we have plenty of work and don't mind where your time is spent but open communication is essential. -
A little more information
-
Internet access
-
Limited internet access
-
We have pets
-
We are smokers
-
Can host families
-
-
Space for parking camper vans
If you have your own wheels then we have numerous flat spots to park and can discuss a suitable spot so that you have everything you need access to.
-
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
-
My animals / pets
Willow
Jasper & Clancy
Jasper & Clancy are highland x cattle and super friendly, they love a good brush and happy for cuddles
Cedric
Cedric is a rescued Standy, he is big and slow and loves snuggles
Ruska
Ruska is a beautiful Icelandic mare, she is my riding horse and we are slowly building our confidence together.
Photos
