Want to experience a different kind of travel? We’re looking for a couple or two friends to share our home and help with everyday life, including cooking, cleaning, and some ongoing renovation work. Join us!
Budget travel in Australia – requirements & tasks
Experience the magic of the Australian bush! Our property is enveloped by sclerophyll forest, with rainforest gullies adding to the biodiversity. We’re located right next to the World Heritage-listed Border Ranges and Lamington National Parks.
After a decade of welcoming wonderful volunteers, we’re preparing to say goodbye to our beloved rainforest home. We need your help to get everything ready for sale and our big move!
We’re seeking experienced and self-motivated individuals to assist with property maintenance. Must be proficient with tools like lawn tractors, whipper snippers, saws, and machetes.
We’d love to host a couple or two friends travelling together! Ideally, you’ll be able to stay for 3 weeks or more. If you’re travelling solo, we ask for a minimum stay of 4 weeks.
Available dates: November 14th – December 18th, 2024 and January 2025 onwards.
Important: To be considered, you must already be in Australia or have a valid Working Holiday Visa and confirmed tickets to Australia.
Typical tasks
- Protecting our home: Clearing and planting native vegetation on a steep slope to reduce bushfire risk.
- Preparing for sale: Tidying up the property for sale and our upcoming move.
- Restoring the rainforest: Removing invasive plants like lantana and camphor laurel.
- Building and improving: Road maintenance and rock wall construction.
- Indoor projects: Carpentry and home renovations (plenty to do, rain or shine!).
- Daily life: Sharing cooking and housekeeping duties.
We ask for a commitment of 6 hours per day, 5 days a week (30 hours total). Days off are flexible and arranged together. While we provide guidance and support, we expect volunteers to have basic work skills, be comfortable using hand tools and be self-directed.
We usually start with a 3-week stay, with the possibility of extending for another 2-3 weeks if we’re a good fit.
Additional information
Our property is a haven for a variety of Australian wildlife, including:
- Red-necked pademelons (little wallabies): These adorable marsupials are often seen grazing on our lawn. They are quite shy, but they may come closer if you are patient and quiet.
- Red-necked wallabies: These larger wallabies are also frequent visitors to our property. They are more social than pademelons and may even approach you for a closer look.
- Grey kangaroos: These majestic creatures are the largest marsupials in Australia. They are not as common as pademelons and wallabies, but you may occasionally see them hopping through the forest.
- Lace monitor: This large lizard is a fascinating creature to watch. It is not venomous, but it can deliver a painful bite if it feels threatened.
- Echidna: These spiny mammals are expert at digging and can often be seen tearing up our garden beds in search of ants.
- Snakes: There are a number of different snake species in our area, but most of them are harmless. If you see a snake, it is best to give it a wide berth.
- Spiders: Like snakes, there are many different spider species in our area. Most of them are harmless, but there are a few venomous ones. It is always best to be cautious around spiders that you do not recognize.
- Flies, mosquitoes, and leeches: These pests can be annoying, but they are a fact of life in the rainforest. We provide bug spray to help keep them at bay.
If you are interested in learning more about the wildlife in our area, we would be happy to share our knowledge with you.
We value a healthy and peaceful lifestyle, so we are non-smokers and consume alcohol minimally. Smoking is restricted to the front porch to minimize fire risk. We appreciate volunteers who respect our lifestyle choices.
Budget travel in Australia – what we offer
We provide volunteers with the following:
- Comfortable bedroom with a queen bed for a single or couple.
- Additional bed available in our camper van if needed.
- Modern split-level home with TV, Wi-Fi, and strong mobile phone reception.
- Well-stocked library of books, CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays.
- We provide all the food. You’ll typically prepare your own breakfast and lunch.
- We welcome someone who enjoys cooking and can share the responsibility.
- We can accommodate most dietary requirements.
Join our family! We love sharing our home and exploring this beautiful region with our helpers. Expect lively conversations, card games, and adventures to national parks, beaches, museums, and galleries. And of course, you’ll be surrounded by incredible flora and fauna – from colorful flowers to curious wallabies and a chorus of birdsong!
We usually pick up our volunteer workers at Gold Coast International Airport (about 70 km away) or at the Travel depot in Murwillumbah, our local town.
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