Help with our home and organic vegetable patch in Hervey Bay, close to K'Gari (Fraser Island), Australia

  • Favourited 264 times
  • Last activity: 19 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least a week

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    The Farm is a 33 acre property overlooking K'Gari (Fraser Island), in Hervey Bay. It includes 27 acres of remnant forest which will never be developed. The forest is an oasis for bird life, kangaroos and other animals and is great for walking. We are 10 minutes from Hervey Bay and 10 minutes for the Fraser Island Barge that leaves from River Heads. Ten years ago, we started a vegetable and fruit garden using permaculture principles based on Linda Woodrow’s methods. We have been growing fruit and vegetables in an organic manner where chooks are part of the garden and recycling and re-using is premium. We let nothing organic leave site, either composting, mulching, feeding to chooks or repurposing.
    We have loved the journey and the bounty this has supplied and are now scaling this up. One of our goals is to share our experiences with others to generate the same types of interest in sustainable food production.
    John works full time on our dream, whilst Heidi works full time and is around on weekends and school holidays.
    Our Farm acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Butchulla people, where we work and live, and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Farmstay help
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Our project is at the early stages of establishment, and is not yet operating as a functioning farm. We do, however, have a large, well established permaculture patch/garden which we are upscaling and this gives a really good idea for what we are trying to achieve.
    We have made many sustainable life choices and are happy to share our experiences with you. We have an abundance of nature, kangaroos visit daily and the bird life is amazing.
    Whilst we don't have pets of our own, we look after the neighbour's dogs and they love cuddles company and time to play, so if you need a dose of large friendly dogs we can help out!
    We partner with K'Gari Dingo (Fraser Dingo) tours and can access a 20% discount of one night or two night tours.

  • Help

    Help

    We ask for 4 to 5 hours of help per day per person - depending on what type of work we need doing. We are flexible with our days and accept that you may wish to work longer some days and less time on others so you can explore and travel within our gorgeous region. Our work includes weeding, soil preparation, pruning, mulching, vegetable patch work, caring for the chooks and general home maintenance. If you have any specific skill base or interest we are open to negotiation. There is always lots of work in the vege patch and garden and other varied tasks depending on our needs and your skills.
    You will need your own hat, closed in shoes and water bottle.
    We pride ourselves on having a clean and comfortable home and space for our volunteers, and we expect that you will keep it that way. Helping to keep the accommodation clean and assisting with meals is not considered to be part of the working hours - this is simply what decent human beings do as part of a community!

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    The volunteers that we have had so far have enjoyed their time with us and have been happy to join in with our family and extended family. You will stay in the two bedroom flat downstairs, with its own bathroom, kitchenette with microwave, fridge, toaster and kettle , dining area and lounge room. We have one room with a queen sized bed and one with two king singles. There is a TV, DVD player and some board games, card, paints and mindful colouring books. We also have heaps of Earth Garden magazines and similar to browse.
    You prepare your own breakfasts and lunches from food we provide and then we all join together for our evening meal. We are happy to work with you on dietary requirements but if you have specific needs you may need to provide your own or help guide us. We eat a mixed diet and tend to eat a lot of plant based meals with our seasonal produce. We provide you all your food, but not treats or alcohol, though we are happy to pick them up for you or take you shopping so you can select and pay for your own.
    Internet access is available.
    We have an abundance of natural bushland to explore.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    While you are here, you should make time to go to K'gari (Fraser Island). We are very flexible and happy to work around dates that you can access which are cheaper for you. Many of our volunteers have found great deals on the “Book Me” website. You would be welcome to leave your property here where it would be safe if you do choose to visit. Additionally, we strongly suggest that you plan for at least a one night overnight stay on Fraser Island; many of our volunteers have done the day tour and loved it, but all say they wished they’d stayed for longer as they felt like they only had a glimpse and not enough time to experience all it has to offer. Those people who stayed for two or three nights seem to have had the best experiences. We partner with K'Gari Dingo (Fraser Dingo) tours and can access a 20% discount of one night or two night tours. We have some back packs and camping gear for volunteers to use (for a small fee to cover wear and tear) if they want to do the longer treks and hikes on K'Gari (Fraser Island) . As long as you book your trip to Fraser Island from Hervey Bay we are happy to drive you to where you need to be. If you book from Rainbow Beach, then you will have to arrange your own transport as it is about an hour and a half away.
    We have two bicycles and helmets which we are happy to share so you can spend a day or afternoon in Hervey Bay exploring and experiencing all that our fabulous community has to offer. Hervey Bay has lots to offer, walks, beaches, the Urangan Pier, Botanic Gardens beautiful parks and plenty of places to picnic. There is no public transport to our home, but we are happy to drive into Hervey Bay so you can see our beautiful beaches, piers, parks and lifestyle.
    There are some lovely walks in the remnant forest on our block and it is always lovely to watch the kangaroos that visit daily.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    We are NBN connected, decent speeds. Mobile phone reception is not great. The granny flat where volunteers stay has a table and chairs.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    We can accomodate all vehicles and caravans too. If staying in your own caravan, you must be able to dispose of your own waste as we do not have a dump point.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Host ref number: 996156617171

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