WWOOF Australia Winter 2024 Newsletter
Hello and Welcome to our new subscribers, we hope that you are getting the rain (or not) and that you had a bountiful Autumn harvest. Insurance With the complexities of Workcover and Farm Insurance, and from feedback from Hosts we are currently in discussions with an underwriter for an Insurance Policy that Hosts can take […]
Alive Christmas Trees – Atherton Tablelands
Alive Christmas Trees WWOOF Australia Hosts, Brian and Annette Hampton have a small boutique potted Christmas tree farm located on a small lakeside acreage in the beautiful Atherton Tableland in QLD. The couple now in their 70s had been in and out of retirement for 30 years but the thought of people growing Christmas […]
Enriched by WWOOFers – Hosting at 92 years young
Article written by Vera Di Campli San Vito 14/11/22. Photos provided by Noeline Dahlen-Maclean Learning a thing or two… We all need some kind of fuel to run on, in fact everything does. I run on B.P. Be Patient. Be Positive. Be Punctual. Be Productive. Be Progressive. Be Polite. Be Pliable. Be Presentable. Be Proficient. […]
What’s not to love about Volunteering with WWOOF?
Thank you to all volunteers, our WWOOFers, for servicing communities across Australia for over 40 years with us. “This was my first WWOOFing experience, and I couldn’t have asked for better hosts to introduce me to WWOOFing in general. I spent a month here, and each day was a new experience with new things to […]
What are doing for your Gap Year?
Take a Gap Year and find the real you! WWOOF Australia – World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms – has been introducing Gap year Students to our varied hosts across Australia for 41 years. Many people consider taking a Gap Year in order to gain new experiences and skills that will help support their education […]
WWOOFing on and off for 30 years!
By WWOOFer Annabella Bray My first WWOOFing experience was in Aoteoroa/New Zealand in 1990, I was backpacking on a 6-month visa with very little money and soon realised I needed to do some voluntary work, an organisation which would provide me with board and lodging, and WWOOFing was a great way to achieve both. During […]
Life lessons in WWOOFing
Meet Brynnie & Keith Goodwill Our property is on Wonnarua Country in the Wattagan forests of the Lower Hunter Valley, and we are 1.5 hours from Sydney and Newcastle, 45 minutes from Gosford and trains to Sydney, about 1 hour from the beach. The land inspires warmth and overall wellbeing, with tall eucalyptus (blue, grey […]
Family Volunteers are Cool, Thank you.
“Our 2 weeks stay with Paula, Sean and the kids were fabulous. We helped in the garden, did some pruning, got to drive around their ATV while doing our jobs. And in return we were fed fabulously healthy meals, some homemade beer and fabulous wine. For us it truly was a wonderful exchange. In addition, […]
67, Hanging Up the Volunteer Boots
Thank you Kerin for 19 years of service from our hosts across Australia. “I am finally hanging up my WWOOFer boots, and work clothes, at 67 I’ve decided to do other things and my body is not capable of 4-6 hours a day on the land, sadly. “WWOOFing has been a part of my […]
Celebrating WWOOFers Week
WWOOFers make it happen! John and Natalie live in Forest Grove W.A. their property has an interesting history, it started as a group settlement location after WWI then a dairy farm, then an organic winery, then the home of a rich doomsday prepper. In 2017 four related families got together and purchased the property with the […]
More People on the Land
ABC Rural By Ashleigh Bagshaw and Erin Semmler From Original ABC Article Posted Fri 28 Jan 2022 at 6:17am, updated Fri 28 Jan 2022 at 11:13am Keen for a change, Ryko Kalinko has joined thousands of Australians on a city exodus. The former lawyer-turned-massage-therapist made a beeline to High Valley Dawn, an off-grid permaculture farm on Queensland’s Capricorn Coast. “I was […]
What type of people go WWOOFing?
“Hi, I’m Fran, I’m Australian and in my early twenties. I just finished my studies in Canberra and am now on a Gap year. I’ve been working as a ski instructor and living in Jindabyne for the last few months, I’ve had lots of experience with horses and love riding, I’m a hard worker and […]
Fermented Vegetables – Gut Health
Fermented Vegetables It’s so easy and economical to make fermented vegetables like Kimchi, Sauerkraut and Kvass with Masontops Vegetable Fermentation Range and Caldwell’s Vegetable Starter Culture. Fermentation starters, advice and everything you need for Gut Health are available from Nourish Me Organics Benefits of Fermentation? Fermentation is first and foremost a means of preservation; it is […]
Celebrating 40 Years!
WWOOF Australia Celebrates 40 years, by hitting the road to visit hosts across South Gippsland, Victoria. Hosts VW098 Bronwyn, Ray, and Karen Dahlstrom The weather was a typical day for the end of May, in South Gippsland, rain, wind with the odd break between showers, beautiful rainbows and the opportunity to get outside to explore […]
Our Golden WWOOFer Book -Thank you Volunteers
“Thanks to the WWOOF team and to all our past and present WWOOFers for allowing us to have amazing friendships and experiences with WWOOFers of all ages and countries. They have allowed my children to grow into open minded persons, who feel strong knowing how many amazing people exist in the big wide world, and […]
March 2021, still unsure?
Easter, School Break and Isolation’s lifted, what’s holding you back? What is WWOOF? WWOOF is a worldwide movement linking volunteers with organic farmers and growers to promote cultural and educational experiences based on trust and non-monetary exchanges, helping to build a sustainable global community. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, also known as Willing Workers […]
I feel free and young at 48!
WWOOFing around Australia at 48years old. Sharing my experience with the world about WWOOFing around Australia. By Annette B My name is Annette, 48 years old I am originally from SA but now reside in Melbourne Australia. I’ve been renting out my property for the last 8-9 months as I travel Australia WWOOFing, its the […]
Only 17 Days until Christmas
WWOOF Memberships are truly a gift that keeps on giving! Give a 2 year WWOOF Volunteer Membership to someone you love A fantastic way to ecotravel Australia Live and Learn with real families, our hosts Work 4 – 6 hours per day (5 days a week) Become job skilled ready, the fun way! WWOOF during […]
The gift that keeps on giving!
Are you ready for Christmas? WWOOF Membership Gift Certificates are truly a gift that keeps on giving! Give a 2 year WWOOF Volunteer Membership to someone you love A fantastic way to ecotravel Australia Live and Learn with real families, our hosts Work 4 – 6 hours per day (5 days a week) Become […]
A fantasy fulfilled-WWOOFing
A Story by WWOOFer Billy Wright Bogong trail rides – Mount Beauty Victoria, a fantasy fulfilled! Westerns were a big part of my childhood. Young Guns, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and the classic Red Dwarf episode Gunmen of the Apocalypse are at the top of a long list of favorites. As a kid […]
WWOOF Australia – Gap Year
Take a Gap Year and find the real you! WWOOF Australia – World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms – has been operating for 39 years introducing Gap year Students to our varied hosts across Australia. Many people consider taking a gap year in order to gain new experiences and skills that will help support their […]
Thank you WWOOF Australia
A letter from WWOOFer Lisann Guldner Hi Lynette, I can´t believe how quickly time is going by, my last month in Australia and the first ones back here in Germany have been extremely busy! Looking back now on my time in Australia I feel I have a lot of great adventure/stories to share and wanted […]
Changes through ISOLATION
Written by Lynette Vint Meet WWOOFers Sophie and Ewan, a dynamic unit that shares an amazing connection and, I quote, “work best together”. They have spent the last decade living a very nomadic lifestyle, pursuing their work guiding guests in a wide array of adventure pursuits from the remote islands of Papua New Guinea, […]
WWOOFing in Tasmania
Jonathon Linn & Anna Collet WWOOF Australia Hosts from Tasmania We are city escapees who arrived in the Huon Valley in Spring 2016 with a dream, no farming experience, and only textbooks to guide us. Since finding our feet in the valley, we now manage a small, no-till, spray-free garden and orchard on the slopes […]
We’ve had ‘Time to look Within’
Written By Lynette Vint We are all in unchartered waters during these current times and many of you will feel new emotions that will be challenging, some will be fearful, confused, anxious, and others excited by the new directions you have decided to embark on. Remember, you don’t know what you don’t know. True, but […]
Learn about Vanillia in Queensland
Meet Josie and Carlo WWOOF Australia Hosts Written by Lynette Vint Set in a valley in tropical north Queensland, our 3 acre property on 280 meters of pristine mountain stream has a mixed tropical fruit orchard and one acre of commercial vanilla plantation. Vegetable and ornamental garden, chickens and a […]
WWOOFer of the Month
Meet our WWOOFer of the Month – Lisann Guldner Lisann is 19 years old, and lives in Germany (near Hanover). In her free time Lisannis loves being creative and explore her surroundings – always with a camera in hand, beautiful landscapes are her favorite! Her plan for Australia was to learn as much as she […]
Victorian WWOOFers now allowed to Cross the NSW Border for Bushfire recovery work!
Victorian agriculture workers are now allowed to cross into NSW without quarantining https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2020-08-18/victorian-agriculture-workers-can-cross-into-nsw-coronavirus/12558944 NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said new exemptions would allow critical agricultural employees to pass across the border for work — regardless of whether they lived in the border bubble or not — although it is limited to a distance of 100 […]
Sustainable Living at its best!
Meet Jill Redwood South East Victoria Host. Jill lives on a small picturesque farm of 15 acres on rich river flats surrounded by forests & mountains. The Snowy National Park is to the west, the Errinundra NP to the east while the Brodribb wilderness feeds the river in between at Goongerah, a small settlement of […]
COVID-19 (coronavirus) Update
As COVID-19 (coronavirus) continues to expand globally, we want to communicate our commitment to business continuity while at the same time, ensuring the health and safety of our employees, who are working from home until further notice. For COVID-19 links and advice for WWOOFers and Hosts please see our COVID-19 Information page. WWOOF Australia has […]
WWOOF at Mt Mitchell, Victoria today.
By Lynette Vint Meet WWOOF Australia Hosts Kate & Simon Tol, who have been WWOOF Hosts for the past 4 years. Mount Mitchell has an impressive kitchen garden and an expansive orchard producing fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs that can be harvested and enjoyed by guests at their leisure. In addition, the surrounding paddocks on the Mount Mitchell property […]
WWOOFing at Peace Farm Community Victoria
By Lynette Vint About us: Peace Farm is a co-operative permaculture farm, and a community of families who value and practice yoga, wholistic therapies, conscious parenting, wholistic education, hand crafting and self sufficiency skills and technologies. We have an organic veggie growing CSA garden, an heirloom seedlings nursery, and an events space focusing on arts, […]
WWOOF Australia Hosts for 32 Years
By Lynette Vint Meet David McFall WWOOF Australia Host since 1987! We thought we would catch up with David McFall from Cherry Tree Pool via Kojonup, Western Australia and see what’s happening there and ask a few questions You have been with WWOOF Australia since 1987 wow 32 years congratulations. What has been one of […]
Live and Learn on a Certified Organic Beef farm WWOOFing
Meet Dan & Veronica Laffy WWOOF Australia Hosts for 6 years! They operate a Certified Organic 1500 acre beef farm near Dalby, 3 hrs west of Brisbane. Their Story: We want our local communities to have access to the best food their farmers can produce, and for us that is organically raised produce, grown in […]
Emu Ridge eucalyptus oil and produce!
Meet Beverley & Larry Turner WWOOF Australia Hosts at Emu Ridge Farm Emu Ridge farms eucalyptus oil and produces a range or natural products. We are the only commercial eucalyptus oil in South Australia, operating a tourist attraction, retail & online shop. We reached out to Bev and Larry to see what they have been […]
WWOOF in Far North Queensland today!
Meet Peter and Jane Danford from the Tropical Far North Queensland. We are a Rainforest Lodge located on the fringe of the great Barron Gorge National Park in Far North Queensland and have been WWOOF Australia Hosts for the past 5 years as we have so much to offer in our beautiful location. For the […]
Crystal Creek Meadows
Meet Sophie and Christopher Warren a family of 5 who run a luxury eco-cottages business in Kangaroo Valley NSW, and have been WWOOF Australia Hosts for 5 years. They harvest water, solar powered and measure their food miles, energy consumption and carbon footprint. They have 90 citrus trees, aromatherapy exhibit plants & a sustainable firewood […]
Creating a dream, never give up!
Meet WWOOF Australia Hosts Tracey and Dean Shipley from Gough Bay, Victoria. Tracey and Dean fell in love with mazes after visiting the Ashcome Maze on the Mornington Peninsular. After visiting many other examples with their children Candice, Ben, Jack and Sam they were hooked and decided to plant one of their own! After finding […]
WWOOF around Byron Bay
Travelling with WWOOF Australia. Written by Lynette Vint Our next stop is a place we like to spend some time at, is called Suffolk Park and if you are travelling and need somewhere to stop on your way to a Host property or in between visits, Suffolk has a caravan park that fits the bill, […]
Takamichi & Rina say WWOOF is amazing!
[et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text] Meet WWOOFers Takamichi and Rina, after reading the review they left for their first host, we asked them a few questions about their experiences WWOOFing in Australia. Here is a wonderful review that Takamichi and Rina left for their first Host: This is our first time wwoofing. Our english is not good and […]
Great advice from an Australian WWOOFer
Meet WWOOFer Kris Muscat, Kris was a primary school teacher for about 15 years and has also worked in a furniture factory, a plant nursery, as well as in administration and accounts. She is friendly and enjoys being around people, loves reading and having quiet time to herself. Kris also enjoys listening to music and […]
WWOOF Hosts in the Megalong Valley
Meet Barbara, Claudia & Ash from Sugarloaf, 50 acres of paradise situated in the picturesque Megalong Valley surrounded by the beautiful Blue Mountains escarpment. Complete with Olive Trees, Vegetable Garden, Chicken Coop, Beehive, Fruit Orchard & Farm Animals/Pets. On their farm they maintain over 500 olive trees which are harvested annually for oil, there is also […]
Interview with WWOOFer, Marie
Meet Marie Clerc, from Haute savoie, near Annecy in France, who has recently been WWOOFing in Australia, so we thought we would reach out and find out how her WWOOFing experience was going. A little bit about Marie: I have been a florist for 15 years, in my current job, I’m responsible for a florist […]
More WWOOFing Tales
Meet Vera and Micha, who have just finished WWOOFing in Australia, so we thought we would reach out to them and find out how their WWOOFing experience went. A little bit about the girls: We‘re two German, girls with a Working-Holiday-Visa. Beside travelling we’re interested in getting to know a lot of different and new […]
25 years Hosting WWOOFers!
Meet Ron and Andrea Finch who have been WWOOF Australia Hosts for 25 years! Ron and Andrea have developed Selby over 34 years into what it is today (1/2 of that time they have been Organic). 3,174 hectares of environmental, holistically managed dry land farming & breedng Dorper ewes. They have been developing their natural […]
Celebrate with us!
What is Achacha Fruit? WWOOF in QLD and find out today!
Meet Bruce and Margaret Hill WWOOF Australia Host for 6 years! Bruce and Margaret Hill are the owners of Palm Creek Plantation which is is located 45km south of Townsville on the Bruce Highway, at the base of Mt Elliot. They were the first commercial grower of the Achacha in the world, and remain […]
Victoria’s High Country – A must for all WWOOFer’s!
Meet the Baird family from Spring Spur. The Baird family have been around Horses and the High Country since the gold rushes of the 1860′s. Steve’s father’s family returned to the mountains in the depression years to rework abandoned mines scattered around the mountains, the Buckland Valley and the Reform mine in Myrtleford. Kath’s family […]
The House On The Hill Olive Grove- Victoria
Meet Justin and Melanie McCulloch, new Hosts to WWOOF Australia. https://wwoof.com.au/members/justin/ We are spontaneous people that love challenges in life and embrace every opportunity. So when the opportunity to secure this estate in 2014 presented itself – how could we refuse the lure of raising our two beautiful daughters in a Coastal Olive paradise? The House On […]
Why I Host WWOOFers
To Anyone thinking of becoming a host, do it! My first WWOOFer was Ben from England it was his first time as a WWOOFer and mine as a Host and I honestly thought he was so good that no one could be the same and I was a little scared about having any more. Six […]
WWOOF in remote Western Australia
Meet Wendy and Ray Hoseason-Smith Western Australia WWOOF Hosts who live in the beautiful, remote, beef cattle station in the Gascoyne Region of Western Australia. Our beautiful, remote station is located in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. We produce beef cattle, mainly for the local Australian market. Our focus is on managing our cattle to […]
Learn about cheese making WWOOFing
Meet Bridgette & Antony, they are a busy family of 5 who rent a beautiful homestead about 1 hours drive from Canberra and 4hrs drive from Sydney and have been WWOOF Hosts for 2 years. They are currently designing a new home, which we plan to build on our own land, nearby. When you WWOOF with […]
Flinders Island Olives – Learn about Olive Oil
Flinders Island Olives is the product of dreams and resilience. The dreams of the aspirants, Jude and Mary- Anne together with the resilience of the olive trees have resulted in Flinders Island’s first certified Organic Olive Grove and processing plant. Both women were city dwellers but had been part of a group of Flinders Island holiday devotees since the late 1970’s.Summers […]
Learn from the experts – WWOOFing
Welcome to our new Hosts Juan and Juan wwoof.com.au/members/johnmoreira/ Both Juans are farmers from the Hunter Valley of NSW devoted to fresh, handmade, locally grown and produced gourmet food. The land is kept free of pesticides and chemical fertilisers were farming animals are grass fed and free to roam. All gourmet products are specially made […]
Sustainable Living, Go WWOOFing
Meet Heather and David Bray! WWOOF Hosts for 8 years. For 35 years now, on 940 acres of diverse plateau-edge forest with spectacular gorge pools and waterfalls, we two zoologists have created an off-grid – solar, gravity, wood and people powered – experiment in sustainable food gardening and land, fire and wildlife management. A recent […]
WWOOFing in S.E. Victoria
Browyn and Ray have been opening their homes to WWOOFers from all around the world for the past 6 years. They are a value of information and willing to teach WWOOFers all about Organic practices and techniques, Gardening, Composting, Propagating, Pruning, Soil conservation, Mulching, Animal care, Fencing, Handyman, Bread making, Fermenting foods, Preserving & processing food. There is some work caring for horses, but the main part of the […]
Somerset Heritage Produce
Written By WWOOFer Daisuke Goshima About my stay at WWOOF Australia Host Somerset Heritage Produce https://wwoof.com.au/members/vm218/ I could experience almost everything of organic farming such as planting, mulching, weeding, harvesting, and etc. Furthermore, I could even help working at farmers market. I am thinking I want to manage organic farm and sell the vegetables by myself, […]
WWOOF in 2019 Travel Australia
It doesn’t matter what age you are, enhance your life by WWOOFing around Australia Vineyard Operators / Coffee Producers / Tea Tree Farms / Eucalyptus Oil Distillery / Oyster Farms / Pearl Farmers / Ranchers Horse Agistment Properties / Vanilla plantation / Butterfly Farm / Herb Specialists / Platypus Camp / Dairy Farmers What will I […]
25 years of WWOOFers
I/we have been having WWOOFers for close to 25 years on a continual basis with perhaps only a few months in all that period with none at all. We would have up to 3 or at 4 at times and the stays varied from a minimum of 2 weeks to several that stayed over one […]
Congratulations Host of the Year – ‘Life Light Farm’
Congratulations to everyone at Life Light Farm! We are pleased to announce our 2018 WWOOF Host of the year. We would like to say a special thank you from everyone here in the WWOOFing community for all that you do for the WWOOFers and those around you. We have chosen Life Light Farm as our […]
WWOOFing at 80 years old
Written By WWOOFer Kurt Gebbert I am 80 years old and today I want to share with you the story of my first stay on a Host farm. I migrated to Australia to join my son and grandchildren at Melbourne three years ago. After having lived with them for 2 and a half years, I […]
Broken Nose Vanilla Plantation
We thought we would share just another great story of a WWOOFer’s experience! Written By WWOOFer Daiuke 29-10-18 I want to manage primary industry, secondary industry, and tertiary industry in the future. I think I need experience of primary industry for that. Also, I think that “safety and security” is one of the most important […]
The passion of our WWOOF Hosts
WWOOF Hosts come in all shapes and sizes; whether your project is big or small, if you have a commitment to organic, permaculture or biodynamic methods in managing your land Hosting gives you the tools to share your knowledge and work alongside others. We receive incredible feedback everyday from our Hosts and WWOOFers and today […]
Do’s and Don’ts: WWOOFing
Time to Revisit Originally written By Frank Hyman on January 7, 2015 It’s become a rite of passage for college grads, gap year kids, and the agri-curious of all ages to spend a few weeks or months WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) overseas. A London secretary invented WWOOF in 1971, when she and three friends […]
‘Host of the Month’ Winners – Natalie and Stuart Wieland NE063
WWOOFers get to speak the language, learn about Australian culture and really explore the area. See how the locals live, not just the Tourist experience. And hopefully get to learn about sustainable living and agriculture.
Why WWOOF?
Whether as a Volunteer or as a Host, when you sign up to WWOOF you play an integral role in strengthening a community that supports Australian organic farmers to make a living AND helps keen explorers to gain invaluable experience and make lifelong memories!
Another Wonderful WWOOFing Story…
We’d like to share this beautiful testimonial and pictures from our friends at Halcyon Fields, we’re always happy to hear about your special experiences with WWOOF! “Dear WWOOFing team, We just wanted to say thank you for providing such a great way to connect people with Ausssie farmers. We have had over 20 WWOOFers over the […]
Get the most out of your WWOOF experience!
Looking to make the most of your WWOOFing experience and your journey in Australia? Get a copy of the “WWOOFers’ Handbook”, a practical and personal guide to being a Willing Worker.
Share your WWOOFing videos with us!
We’d love to share great videos of WWOOFers’ experiences in Australia. Let us share your amazing stories with the world! If you have any videos of your WWOOFing experience Down Under, we would love to share them and make you famous too. If you upload your videos to YouTube, please share them with us too! […]
