Discover the area, while helping us with various outdoor home tasks and projects in Clare Valley, South Australia

Details

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  Description

  We live on a 6.8 acre bush block on the edge of the small town of Clare in the beautiful Clare Vallery wine region of South Australia, a two-hour drive north of Adelaide. The house, guest cabin and my wife’s art studio are set in a tranquil location surrounded by mature gum trees and plenty of wildlife including kangaroos, deer, and many species of birds. We live mostly off-grid using solar power and rainwater.
  We are older, retired householders looking for assistance with some DIY projects around the block. We prefer people who are practical, willing to work and learn new skills, though it would be helpful if at least one person had some basic DIY skills or even some carpentry / joinery / plumbing experience.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Technology

  

  Fitness

  

  Pets

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Self development

  

  Culture

  

  Writing

  

  Performing arts

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Photography

  

  Music

  

  History

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Books

  

  Art & design

  

  Nature
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Steve has worked in education, occupational psychology and statistics, while Moira has worked in visual arts education, museums, writing and magazine editing. We have both lived and worked in several countries: Scotland, England, the USA, Australia and Seychelles. We travelled a great deal in our younger years, backpacking in the UK, North America, SE Asia and Papua New Guinea. We have always enjoyed meeting people from different cultural backgrounds, gaining insights into other cultures and lifestyles.
  
  Due to age and health issues, we are now less able to work and travel, so feel that hosting travellers is a great way to meet people from around the world, while also gaining some assistance with DIY on our property. I trained in electrical engineering and have a variety of practical skills which I have applied to many DIY projects. I have a keen interest in self-sufficiency through capturing rain water for household and garden use, making improvements to the house and creating gardens that can supply year-round interest and tolerate the extremes of hot, dry summers and cold winters. I am happy to share my knowledge and skills with Workawayers as they assist me with tasks that I can no longer complete on my own.
  
  Moira and I appreciate the quiet beauty of the bushland surrounding our home, with regular visits from kangaroos, deer and various species of birds. Living in the Clare Valley, one of Australia's premier wine regions, we enjoy visiting cellar doors to taste and buy local wines and we love eating foods from various cultural traditions - sharing some of the cooking and meals with our Workaway guests is a lovely way to learn about different cuisines and get to know each other.
  
  We enjoy music - modern music (especially 1950s-1980s singer songwriters), classical, folk, and world music - films and visual arts, and we like to support local arts businesses and community activities. We regularly attend exhibitions in local galleries, film nights at the volunteer-run cinema in nearby Blyth, and musical events at wineries and other small venues in the area. We also watch some of the local under-17s footy games (Aussie Rules) to see our teenage great-nephews play in the North Clare teams. Joining us for some of these activities is a great way for Workawayers to experience life in regional Australia.
  
  Moira continues to create artwork and teach occasional workshops in textiles, wet felting, and encaustic. You might like to join her in her art studio and try your hand at felting with wool, water, soap and a little elbow grease!

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  Help

  We are looking for helpers who are willing to assist us with renovations in outdoor areas around the house and garden to improve safety and access, as there are some areas where old and/ or badly-completed DIY (Do-It-Yourself) require maintenance or replacement. In particular, projects include the rebuilding of the old wooden veranda and steps, and replacing the main concrete steps with a ground-level patio. Other tasks that we are planning over coming months include: replacing and old pergola, creating a small access ramp to replace three awkward steps behind the cabin, erecting a shade structure or awning outside the art studio, installing a garden irrigation system, building some low walls using easy-to-install walling blocks suitable for DIYers, and generally improving the garden with planting, path layout, and raised borders for some fruit trees.
  
  Don't worry - we are not expecting all of this to be done by one or two Workawayers! The projects will be spaced out over the next few months and we look forward to hosting different Workawayers to tackle the projects that are best suited to their skills and interests and travel timetable.
  
  You would be working alongside me, so would learn from my past experience on a wide range of projects - better still if you have previous experience yourself of practical skills, such as woodworking / carpentry, paving, landscaping.
  
  Help will be part-time on a voluntary basis in exchange for bed and board. Suggested time commitment is 25 hours per week, which can be arranged flexibly - perhaps over four or five days - allowing plenty of opportunity for you to relax, explore the region and local wineries, or to undertake remote study or work.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This 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.
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  Accommodation

  Workawayers will enjoy very comfortable, self-contained accommodation in a lovely guest log cabin about 30 metres from our house. It has two adjoining rooms, one with a queen bed and comfy couch, and the other with two single beds, kitchenette, and dining table and chairs. The cabin has a private WC and shower room, a TV and radio, reliable internet and mobile coverage, as well as air-conditioners in both rooms for heating and cooling, and electric blankets on the beds, if needed. The cooking facilities include fridge, hot plates, microwave, toaster, kettle, pans, dishes, cutlery and cooking utensils. Outside, there is plenty of space to park your car, or a campervan if you have one, and a lovely outlook across native bush land and - at present - a small lake ( the first time there has been enough rain, since 2016!)
  
  We will provide you with food for all your meals. After you have arrived and settled in, we will go shopping together so that you can choose groceries according to your tastes. We don't eat a sit-down breakfast or lunch, so Workawayers are able to use the kitchenette in the cabin to prepare these meals when they wish. In the evenings, some dinners will be shared with us in our home; others can be self-catered in the cabin - this allows opportunities for socialising, as well as some quiet time. Moira and I both enjoy cooking and eating foods of different cuisines, and are very happy to share some of the cooking of dinners with our guests, so exchanging knowledge of different cultural food traditions.

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  What else ...

  The Clare Valley is one of Australia’s leading wine-growing regions located 2 hours north of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. If you do not have your own transport, public buses run to / from from Adelaide four times per week and we can meet you from the bus stop in Clare. The centre of Clare is only 1.5km away from our home and offers good facilities.
  There is limited public transport to some other towns and public , but a vehicle will be needed if you want to explore the greater area. However, we have two bicycles which you are welcome to borrow and there is a lovely 35 km walking and cycling track – the Riesling Trail - and the 100 km Clare Valley Wine & Wilderness Walking Trail winding through the valley. Both are accessible within 2 km of our house and pass through lovely scenery, providing off-road links to several wineries and to other small towns in the area.

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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

  Fixed wireless

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Plenty of parking options for campervans

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

  Callie (9 years)

  Callie is a beautiful calico cat. As is very common in Australia, she lives indoors to keep the local small wildlife safe. She was a rescue cat and must have had a difficult start to life as she is easily scared and very shy around strangers. We are trying to socialise her with gentle introductions to guests.

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