Profile information

Host rating
100 %

Last replied
2 Nov 2025

Reply rate
90.7 %
Usually responds within 5 days

Feedback
48

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Details

Description
I live with my husband and 8 year old daughter on a hobby farm in south east Melbourne, I have a background of natural horsemanship/ classical dressage/positive reinforcement training and if people are keen to learn about horses, I am happy to show/teach you what I know. I love nature, animals, good company, and learning new things :) Please note if you are interested in horses, on a case by case basis we always start with learning with the horses on the ground which progresses into liberty and ridden training. I do not provide riding clothes/safety gear to borrow as I am not a riding school.
During COVID I started some hobbies including dabbling with plants/veggies and sourdough bread with a background of loving baking beforehand. Hubby loves wheels and outdoor activities, he can speak Chinese much better than me (I am an ABC).
We are happy to help assist with transportation to train stations etc and help with advice about shopping for cars etc if you are here on a WHV. We welcome you as part of our family during your stay. We are a non-smoking, drug free family.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
House sitting

UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Experience life on the farm, in nature and around animals. Lots of wildlife, kangaroos, lots of bird life, laughing kookaburras, sulphur crested cockatoos, black cockatoos, rosellas, pink galahs and more, the occasional echidna and wombat, and in the evening on a nice clear night enjoy star gazing, you can see the milkyway. We are happy to teach you what I have learnt about horsemanship/animal training, gardening, baking if interested and teach you what we have learnt so far living on the farm. You might also meet other helpers also staying with us whilst you are here to share the journey with :)

Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

Help
We would love help around the farm - we have a young Weimaraner dog named Otis, mini goats and sheep, horses in the paddock, gardening or there is always something to do with maintenance and projects on the farm.

Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Chinese (Mandarin): Beginner
Chinese (Cantonese): BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
My husband speaks Mandarin and Cantonese, we are encouraging our daughter to learn Mandarin. I have minimal Chinese skills, understand basic Cantonese and even less Mandarin.
Accommodation
Farmhouse. We have a spare rooms with a queen sized bed and another room with a double bed available for your use and a bathroom shared between the two rooms. We are happy to share cooking if that suits or do your own thing. We have mains water, split system for heating and a panel heater in the bedroom if needed, unlimited satellite internet. Digital piano, gym beam and bars, massage chair.

What else ...
We are about 1 Hr from the city, 10 mins from the freeway and also train station. It’s about 6km from the house to the train station down the hill and flat going to the train station or 18 min bike ride. Happy to help drop off/pickup if we are able to. Lots of lovely areas to explore nearby depending on your interests, golf course, winery, forest, hiking

A little more information

Internet access

Limited internet access

We have pets

We are smokers

Can host families

Can host digital nomads
We have satellite internet

Space for parking camper vans
We are on 40 acres and have had tiny homes here before

How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two

My animals / pets
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (18)
It was fun feeding the horses and catching the goat that alway tried to escape 😂
Thank you for entrusting us… read more
The dinners were always amazing — so tasty and… read more
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(4.8)
Communication:
(4.9)
It was fun feeding the horses and catching the goat that alway tried to escape 😂
Thank you for entrusting us… read more
The dinners were always amazing — so tasty and… read more
I learned so much from my stay.
Unforgettable.
I really can't say enough good about my stay with Jen and her family. It's such a great opportunity to learn heaps about the world of horsemanship and what it's like to live on a farm. I didn't know in the beginning that I would stay as long as I did, so thank you guys for being… read more
Flew by faster than we thought,
Easy to have ‘round.
Friendly, thoughtful hand,
Useful farm experience,
Tractor rolled with ease.
Garden tamed with care,
Pumpkin weighed in at thirty,
Blackberries no match.
Animals well loved,
Checked in when he wasn't sure,
Steady, kind, and calm.
Taught new helpers well,
Stories… read more
They worked well with the others in a team and also got along wonderfully with our daughter—she especially loved all the Harry Potter games and trivia they played together!
They’re both genuine animal lovers and… read more
He was always willing to give things a go and showed a genuine interest in learning new skills. James got along well with the other Workawayers and also with our daughter, which made him a great addition to the team.
He helped out in the garden, the… read more
Thank you,… read more
The bedrooms and bathroom shared by workawayers is clean and comfy. When the 2 double rooms are full, the extra room can be a bit chilly… read more
Laurence was reliable, respectful, and a… read more
We got to help with garden maintenance such as laying brickpaths, weeding, watering… read more
Alina… read more
Jen and Chi Lye are friendly, kind, open and hard working.
I learned a lot from them about their life on the farm, natural horsemanship, and Australia. Chi Lye is an amazing cook and I will definitely try some of the… read more
The meals were excellent, and we really enjoyed sharing them together. The work mainly consisted of gardening – depending on the project, it could be a bit more… read more
Thank you so much for hosting me and beeing a part… read more
I stayed at them for 5 weeks, it went by so quickly!
They made me feel at home, animals gave me a feeling that I am one member of their group, I appreciate all of them very much! 🐕 🐴 🐑🐐🌲🌹
I enjoyed feeding horses, weeding, making new garden, clearing the broken trees by the… read more
The family has a lot of responsibility with their many animals and large property and there is always something to do. Since I already had experience with horses, I was primarily entrusted with looking after them, while Jakob preferred to take on the manual work. Over the… read more
My friend and did general maintenance in the house and the garden (cleaning the window's frames, cutting blackberries...), and we had to feed the horses as well. I had the opportunity to… read more
The work varied each day, from house, garden, cleaning, horses and dogs. We learnt so many different things during our stay, and got a taste of what hobby farm life is… read more


















