All about WWOOF Australia

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.

WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities 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 organisation was initially called Working Weekends on Organic Farms, but was changed to Willing Workers on Organic Farms after people asked “why only weekends?”

Gradually around the world WWOOF groups changed this to World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.

Today there are over 55 WWOOF groups all over the world, including New Zealand, Ireland, Japan, USA, Austria, Korea, India and Canada. All WWOOF 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 practical learning opportunities and meaningful experiences to travellers who stay with them, in exchange for between 4 and 6 hours volunteer assistance per day.

Lionel Pollard started WWOOF in Australia in 1981, over the last 44 years WWOOF has grown into an organisation with around 900 host farms and properties all over Australia.

WWOOFers browse through the host profiles online, choose a place they would like to go and contact the host to arrange a mutually suitable time to visit. The choice may be based on geography (close to a route they are travelling); philosophy (such as bio-dynamic farming practices); the types of things the volunteer would like to learn about; 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.

From 1981 until July 2017 WWOOF Host details were printed in a list that was sent to WWOOF volunteers when they joined, and as the list of hosts grew, this list grew into the Australian WWOOF Book. As technology improved, opportunities arose to improve the way Host information could be provided to WWOOFers. In October 2017 the WWOOF Website platform was launched, with both Host and WWOOFer Profiles, messaging, forums, noticeboard, map and list searches and availability calendars for all members. The WWOOF Book was quickly made obsolete and is no longer printed.

In 2020 the WWOOF Team developed a remote work model in response initially to bushfires that began 6 kms from the WWOOF Office in November 2019 that finally reached the WWOOF Office grounds in early January 2020. The Office was saved by wonderful local volunteers, and eventually power was restored. The COVID-19 Pandemic followed shortly afterwards and the WWOOF Team decided that the “remote work” model should be a permanent fixture, freeing up the WWOOF Team to visit Hosts and WWOOFers, and manage the WWOOF Program from wherever they may be.

The WWOOF Australia Team is located in Gippsland in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains. The WWOOF Team (Tameson, Emma and Skye) are on board to answer phones and emails during weekdays and are available to assist with all manners of enquiries. WWOOF Webmaster Shane and Developer, James assist with web design, development and troubleshooting.

For contact details of all National WWOOF groups and information about WWOOFing in countries without a WWOOF Group, see WWOOF International.