Irene

Travel information

I am currently

Description

Hey! I'm Irene, Australian, now living in London after a year of workaway-ing my way around Europe.

By day I'm a service designer, most recently working on better government services around healthcare, sustainability, and homelessness. Workaway is where I go to switch that off and just be useful with my hands instead.

Last year that took me to an organic produce farm in Turkey with a huge crew of international volunteers, then a farmstay in Germany where I did everything from social media and photography to gardening and cleaning. I've been in London eight months now, but I'm still chasing that same thing: a base, a purpose, and a totally different little life for a while.

Outside of that: good people, nature, animals, and music make me happiest. Festivals, new artists, live gigs. I feel most like myself outdoors, swimming, running, rollerskating, badly but enthusiastically. Also a big fan of reading, photography, and collecting stories along the way.

Interests

Music

Photography

Drawing & painting

Gardening

Books

Art & design

DIY & crafts

Cooking & food

Animals

Water sports

Outdoor activities

Cycling

Hiking

Mountain

Fitness

Dancing

Camping

Beach

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Chinese (Mandarin): Fluent

More details about my language interests
This workawayer has indicated that they would be interested in sharing their language(s) or learning a new language. You can contact them directly to discuss this.

Find a language partner

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Light gardening

Creative DIY projects

Eco Projects

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Some knowledge of:  

Animal Care

Hospitality/Tourism

Charity Work

Art Projects

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Able to teach about:  

Languages

More details about your skills

I bring a mix of creative, people-focused, and hands-on skills—and I’m always happy to jump in and help however I can!

I have a strong background in digital storytelling, with skills in photography, videography, video editing, and content creation. If you're looking to boost your project’s online presence—whether to attract more volunteers, share your story, or raise awareness—I’d love to support with that. I enjoy capturing authentic moments and helping others communicate their impact in meaningful ways. I worked in retail in university for 4 years in customer service and love meeting new people and being surrounded by people from different cultures!

For the past 5 years, I’ve worked in human-centred design consulting, across fields like sustainability, transport, and education. That experience has helped me become a great listener, collaborator, and problem-solver—skills that are super relevant when it comes to working with different communities, adapting to new environments, and helping projects grow in thoughtful, people-first ways.

On top of all that, I’m more than happy to get my hands dirty! I love practical work like cleaning, building, organising, gardening, and more. I’m not afraid of hard work and actually enjoy the physical side of volunteering. I have experience with workaway at a coworking/ coliving space where I helped out with socials, housekeeping, gardening and cooking.

I’ve also looked after dogs through previous dogsitting experience, so if you’ve got furry friends who need love and care, I’m more than happy to help out there too.

Age

30

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies

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  Special dietary requirements