Our small farm welcomes you to the tranquil beauty of the Fish River Valley, in the historic hamlet of O’Connell, a 2.5-hour journey west of Sydney. Learn about the saffron cultivation while enjoying working holidays in Australia!
Opportunity for working holidays in Australia – requirements & tasks
Our small farm in historic O’Connell, a 2.5-hour drive west of Sydney, specializes in growing garlic and saffron. Balancing farm life with our off-farm jobs, we’re proud to cultivate saffron – the world’s priciest spice – in one of the few Australian regions with the ideal climate and soil for its growth. The saffron harvest, triggered by frost in late April or early May, is a brief but rewarding 3-4 week period.
If you can comfortably crouch down to our raised beds (check the photos), you’ll find the work quite straightforward! Sleep in and enjoy a homemade breakfast at your leisure – no need for early mornings here.
The saffron flowers bloom after the morning sun warms them, and that’s when we harvest. It’s a simple task – just walk along the rows and pick the flowers. We’ll show you how. Back indoors, we gather around the fire to carefully remove the stigmas. It’s a peaceful and rewarding process, handling these valuable threads. Since the flowers open daily, we process the saffron each day, ensuring its freshness and quality. Our custom dehydrator ensures these valuable threads are perfectly preserved.
This isn’t your typical farm work; it’s quite easy and rewarding, not physically demanding.
Your work hours will adapt to the rhythm of nature, as the saffron flowering season dictates our schedule. The exact hours will also depend on the number of helpers and individual work pace, but you can generally expect around 4 hours of work per day.
Opportunity for working holidays in Australia – what we offer
Relax in your cozy room, complete with a queen-sized bed, smart TV, and private bathroom. Traveling with friends? We can host up to four people, though please note the second bathroom would be shared in that case.
Beyond comfortable accommodations, enjoy wholesome, fresh meals and the unique opportunity to learn about the fascinating process of saffron cultivation.
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