|
Your Hosts
Within Australia, as in many parts of the world, our hosts are mainly pursuing a simple, sustainable, lifestyle. Many are Permaculture enthusiasts, and about 20% use Bio-dynamic growing methods.
About a quarter of the farms in the WWOOF Book are commercial producers, whether full or part time. Some of our hosts are alternative, co-operative communities, and a few are communal living groups (the list of alternative communities includes entries which are not WWOOF hosts).
The work you will do for these hosts is likely to be wide and variable - it could be anything the host needs done which you are capable of!
Since you work as family there are no set hours, but an average of four to six hours daily would be a fair exchange.
|
Some of the more common tasks:
|
And in your free time... |
|
Gardening
Mustering
Planting
Milking
Mulching |
Making a water feature
Apple Pressing
Stone Wall building
Compost making
Gardening |
Enjoying the wildlife
...and a cold beer
Taking in the wildlife
Relaxing in the tub
Feeding Animals |
Length of Stay
The minimum stay on a WWOOF farm is two nights, the maximum stay is by mutual agreement between you and your host. Most stays are for a few days only, but there are a number of hosts who encourage longer term stays up to as long as six months, usually after a trial period of four or five days.
How to Book with a Host
Use Google Maps to find WWOOF host locations. Simply type in the Host Address and click "search maps"
Once you've found a suitable host in one of our lists, bookings can be made by phone, mail or email, to the farm you choose. From within Australia, phone bookings are common, but people overseas who make bookings - or Australians intending to visit a host outside Australia - can book their first host by phone, mail or email, enclosing an International Reply Coupon to ensure an airmail reply, with a follow-up phone call when you arrive in the country to confirm your booking.
You can fill in a
WWOOFer application
form, print & post or fax it, or copy & paste it into an e-mail to the
host of your choice. Remember that the more you tell the host about what you can
offer them, the more likely they are to want to Host you!
What to take with you
Sleeping Bags. Mostly accommodation is in a spare room within the family home - but see the host's entry for variations. Usually bedding would be supplied, but this is not certain. Check when booking, but it would make sense to have a sleeping bag with you for emergency use. If travelling for long periods, please wash and air your sleeping bag now and again!
Boots and Gloves. While work can be anywhere in a house, garden or farm situation, always anticipate the worst weather and carry (and wear) boots to protect your feet and ankles from injury, bites and stings; also gloves for hands.
Goodwill... and respect for the privacy of your host.
Common Sense ... and a willingness to ask questions about places, people and processes. Sunglasses and shady hat to protect yourself from sunburn and ultraviolet rays.
Hints on WWOOFing
Try to phone your prospective hosts between noon and 2pm, or between 6pm and 8pm for the best chance of catching them. It often helps if you sound enthusiastic and promote your skills. Have someone call for you if your English is limited, but be aware hosts may wish to speak with you personally.
Whether you choose e-mailing or telephoning a Host to apply to stay, make sure you give:
-
your WWOOF membership number
-
Date of membership (so the host knows that membership is current)
-
your name
-
your age group
-
your sex
-
your contact phone number
-
details of skills, abilities, things, you are experienced and good at doing, which you feel may be useful to the Host
-
when you would like to come and for how long you would like to stay
-
if presently staying with a WWOOF Host, the name and contact details of that Host
-
Why you have chosen this particular host
-
Any allergies, physical limitations, diet restrictions the host will need to be aware of if accepting you as a WWOOFer.
This is what hosts need
to know so they can make an informed decision about accepting you. The WWOOF
program is about EXCHANGE, tell the Host about your skills or reason you have
chosen to apply to this particular host and ask what work the host has for you.
Your acceptance depends on whether or not you are actually a WWOOF member or
willing to join. (Some hosts will accept you if you are prepared to join up as
soon as you get to their property, Hosts can arrange this for you when you
provide them with your identification and pay them for your membership, WWOOF
will send your book to you at the Hosts address)
You can fill in a
WWOOFer application
form, print & post or fax it, or copy & paste it into an e-mail to the
host of your choice. Remember that the more you tell the host about what you can
offer them, the more likely they are to want to Host you!
Ask the host to clarify the accommodation you will have and the number of hours they expect you to work. You are expected to eat the food provided by your host, ask what sort of meals they provide (some are vegetarian, some are not) - if you are on special diet, PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN FOOD. Many hosts live a long way from shops and you may not be able to get supplies once you arrive.
Bring photographs, video, brochures and other mementos from your home area to show your hosts.
Be prepared to get out and meet local people - and to spend a bit of money locally as well.
Get the most from your visits. Stay a few weeks at one place, then try a different style of host to broaden your experience.
Potential Participants in the WWOOF program should satisfy themselves that they are able to cope with the physical
and mental demands of the WWOOF experience. Participants should have at least average physical fitness. The nature of the program is such that WWOOFing is generally unsuitable for persons suffering from psychiatric or psychological conditions. If in doubt please contact WWOOF to discuss and/or discuss the matter with your Medical Practitioner.
WWOOFing with Children
Many host farms welcome children by arrangement - please look at a host's entry in the WWOOF book to check. The most important point to make is that - please - never WWOOF with children except by prior arrangement with the host. Occasionally you can exchange child-care with the hosts themselves as part of WWOOFing. If you are willing to do this we recommend you obtain a Police Check prior to WWOOFing, if you are visiting from overseas, please get a Police Check before you leave your home country.
Although you may be keen to WWOOF, your child may not like the idea of a strange place, new faces, different food, and not sleeping in their own bed. It would be sensible to start with a short visit.
WWOOFing is about helping the host, and if you are also looking after a child then the help you can give is limited. Children must be supervised at all times. You cannot just tell older children to "go off and play". Farms can be dangerous places - they are not playgrounds. Younger children may not have the patience needed to allow you to hoe a long line of vegetables, nor should not be near you when you are chopping wood etc.
One solution is to join up with another single parent or WWOOF with a partner and take turns to supervise. In this case remember that the host will be feeding and accommodating several people in exchange for one person's help, so a contribution to the cost of food might be needed. Many hosts have limited resources, which is why they ask for WWOOF help.
Some host farms are in remote places and those with children welcome the company of others. Being remote means that you need to carry everything your child might need since popping down to the local shop won't necessarily be possible.
At many farms there will be other WWOOFers - some will like children, others may not - and you may well be sharing
accommodation and have to consider the fact that everyone, including yourself, needs a good nights sleep after a hard day.
Occasionally you can exchange child-care with the hosts themselves as part of WWOOFing.
Please do not think in terms of giving the children a nice holiday on a farm. There are specialised farms which offer this sort of holiday. We receive many reports of excellent WWOOFers with children but there have also been some disastrous ones. Those that go wrong, are usually due to poor arrangements prior to the visit - expecting behaviour from the child beyond their capabilities at that time - or expecting unreasonable facilities from the host.
GUIDELINES ON WWOOFING
-
The WWOOF
Book belongs only to the member whose name is on the front cover. It is NOT transferable. You will be required to present this book along with your other personal ID when arriving at each host property. If you are NOT a registered member of WWOOF upon arriving at a host property, the host will arrange for you to join WWOOF BEFORE you can stay on the property.
-
Phone your hosts between 8.00am and 9.00am or between 6.00pm and 8.00pm (their time) for best chance of catching them. Please don't ring after 9.00pm unless otherwise specified in the host/s entry. If placing an International or interstate Call, check on overseas times, so your call is received in Australia during reasonable hours from overseas!!! (NOT 4am!!). If you leave a phone message, make sure you speak SLOWLY & CLEARLY
-
Always book ahead, to avoid being turned away. Having booked, please turn up. If you can't, please do the right thing and inform your hosts.
-
Don't expect the host to be able to pick you up at a moment's notice! Some hosts may have to travel 80+ kilometres to the nearest pick-up point, so RING IN ADVANCE.
-
MINIMUM STAY is for two (2) nights. Maximum as suits both parties. You do not have to remain at a host's property if the conditions there are unfavourable to you.
-
We suggest a short visit at first, until you and your host find out how well you relate. If a host property is not accurate according to what is listed in the WWOOF Book, please contact us directly via phone, fax or e-mail.
-
EXCHANGE is the key word. You will be expected to exchange about 4-6 hours per day of your time and energy for food and accommodation. This can be flexible and you should check with your hosts before arrival about work patterns or any other issue of concern. If you only see your host as free food and accommodation, that is NOT in the true spirit of WWOOF. Remember, you should do a half days work for a full days keep, on average.
-
WHAT SORT OF WORK? Between 4-6 hours per day. The work varies depending on the place you choose to go to, it may be gardening, weeding, planting trees, environmental works, feeding animals; the work is as varied as the farms themselves. Ask your host before arriving about anything you need to know. Note that hosts are not permitted to involve WWOOFers in the use of chemicals. If you are intending to visit a Host involved in camp or school programs you may be required to have a Police Check, if you are visiting from overseas, you will need to arrange this before you leave your home country.
-
Most farms rely on rainwater tanks for water supplies. Do not waste it, and never assume there is plenty of it. THERE IS ALWAYS A DROUGHT SOMEWHERE IN AUSTRALIA.
-
Do not raid the refrigerator, telephone or E-mail facilities without asking. Taking without permission is THEFT!
-
You are expected to eat the food provided by your host - if you are on special diet, PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN FOOD.
-
Alcohol and drugs should remain at home. Children and pets will only be accepted on WWOOF host properties with the prior approval of the Host.
-
Potential Participants in the WWOOF program should satisfy themselves that they are able to cope with the physical and mental demands of the WWOOF experience.
-
Participants should have at least average physical fitness. The nature of the program is such that it is generally unsuitable for persons suffering from psychiatric or psychological conditions. If in doubt please contact WWOOF to discuss and/or discuss the matter with your Medical Practitioner.
-
WHAT TO BRING? SLEEPING BAG & TORCH. Most accommodation is in a spare room within the family home, check the entry for variations, usually bedding would be supplied, but this is not certain. Check when booking. BOOTS & GLOVES. While work can be anywhere in a house, garden or farm situation, always anticipate the worst weather etc, and carry (and wear) boots to protect your feet & ankles from injury, bites & stings; also gloves for hands. SUNGLASSES AND SUN HAT to protect yourself from sunburn & ultraviolet rays.
The History of WWOOF in
Australia
WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) started in England in 1972 when the first WWOOFers spent a weekend helping on an organic farm in exchange for their keep. The organization was initially called Working Weekends on Organic Farms, but was changed to Willing Workers on Organic Farms in 1982 after people asked "why only weekends?"
Today there are 31 WWOOF groups all over the world, including France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Italy, USA, Austria, UK, Ghana, New Zealand and Canada. All the groups are independent, but operate in a similar way, by putting people into contact with each other. Throughout the world the WWOOF philosophy is the same; WWOOF hosts provide food and lodging to travellers and students in exchange for between 4 and 6 hours work per day.
Lionel Pollard started WWOOF in Australia in 1981, and over the last 25 years WWOOF has grown into an organization that employs 5 people, and publishes a directory of over 1,500 hosts farms and properties all over Australia. This book provides contact details, a description of the property, the work to be done and the accommodation and meal situation. The WWOOFer simply browses through the list, chooses a place they would like to go and contacts the host to arrange a mutually suitable time to visit. The choice may be based on geography (close to a route they are travelling); or philosophy (such as biodynamic farming practices); cultural (many of our hosts speak other languages as well as English) or it may just sound like an interesting place to visit. WWOOFers live and work with the host families in the same way as relatives and friends do when they visit.
Many of our hosts are involved in Landcare and Land for Wildlife organisations throughout Australia. WWOOF Australia also meets the standards of the National Council for Volunteering. WWOOFing is learning about organic farming and environmental rehabilitation, as the Australian Trust for Conservation Volunteers is.
In general people see WWOOF as an association or a club. We bring WWOOF hosts and WWOOFers together in a voluntary work situation which does not take away any jobs, and WWOOFers do not do work which would otherwise go to a paid employee. We have been able to satisfy the Department of Immigration in this regard and they will now allow WWOOFing to be done on a Tourist Visa for precisely those reasons.
Operated by WWOOF Pty Ltd (A.C.N. 085-920-690) 2166 Gelantipy Road
W Tree, via Buchan, Vic 3885 Australia
E-mail wwoof
@ wwoof.com.au (no spaces)
Within Australia,
Phone (03) 5155-0218 Fax (03) 5155-0342
From outside Australia, Telephone +61-3-5155-0218 Fax +61-3-5155-0342
Translation for 140 languages by ALS,
Free e-mail
Translations &
Free text
translations
Click here to find out how to join WWOOF AUSTRALIA
Home
-
Join WWOOF -
How to Join -
Buy our books
- Agents -
Our books
-
About
WWOOFing -
WWOOFer application
form
-
WWOOF
Services - WWOOFing
Worldwide
-
Overseas
Information & visas
-
Scrapbook -
Feedback
- Host
Renewals -
WWOOF info
for Hosts
-
Deleted
Hosts -
WWOOF
Bulletin Board -
Links
- Contact
us
To
read some feedback from WWOOFers and WWOOF Hosts, visit our
Feedback page
| 
