Host Profile
My Property
Business Type
Farming methods
Short Property Description
We are Stuart, Victoria, and Timmy. We are just starting as Wwoof hosts again after a break of over 20 years. We live on a 300 acre conservation covenanted property in South Gippsland.
We have a small clearing in the forest where we have an orchard, vegetable gardens and chickens. We have walking trails through the forest to be able to monitor and access more remote parts of the property.
The dominant trees here are Mountain ash, some are huge and many have excellent hollows for animal homes. The river, creeks and gullys are filled with tree-ferns, mosses and fungi. It is a home to many important animal species such as the gang-gang, long-nosed bandicoots, koala, platypus, suberb lyrebirds and the powerful owl.
We work with Trust for Nature to protect this forest ecosystem and manage threats so it can store and sequester carbon, preserve biodiversity as well as provide clean water for the community.
This forest is unique and endangered and plays an important role in providing a refuge for many native species.
We do a variety of farm tasks in the home gardens and out in the forest.
From Dec to April we can take 1-4 wwoofers at Lyrebird camp in our tents or your own accommodation. If you prefer to stay inside we can accommodate a single or a couple in our spare room year round.
If you are camping then longer stays are possible. If you are in the house then 2-3 days
There is plenty to do here when you are not working. We have many walking trails and a large dam for swimming and you can take the canoe for a paddle to try and find the long-necked turtles! We are close to the Prom, (Wilsons Promontory national park) and surf beaches.
Organic/Biological methods we use
Victoria pioneered growing organic cut flowers using a community supported agriculture model (CSA) in response to her growing awareness of the unsustainability of the cut flower industry. We were certified organic with NASAA up until 2020. We use organic methods on our orchards and gardens.
We try to use all waste and all weeds for something. And we use our chickens for weed control. We apply permaculture principles in many areas.
We don’t use toxic pesticides or non-organic herbicide.
My Details
The Stay
Can Accommodate
Preferred length of Stay
2-3 days, Longer stays by negotiation, Whatever suits
Accommodation
In Our Home, Separate Building, Tent, BYO Accommodation
Other options
No Smoking Inside, No Children, No Pets please
Languages spoken
English and Victoria can speak some Spanish
Diets we cater for
Mixed meals, some meat, some vegetarian, Gluten free meals, BYO Special diet foods please
Why I became a WWOOF Host
We became wwoof hosts for the first time in 2000- 2001 and really enjoyed it. We met such great people and it was good to share knowledge and stories. So after over 20 years of travelling and living in cities we are back on the land and in a position to be able to have wwoofers again.
We have also come to the realization that here is so much more we could do to protect this patch of forest and leave it in better shape than when we came here if we had a bit of help. We are looking for Wwoofers to support us to protect and grow this forest. We would love to be able to share this amazing place and what we have learned about this forest with you.
We have also picked up a few skills on the way from all the wonderful people we have met and places we have stayed. I started learning about renewable energy when I was young, living in a small off-grid community in North Queensland and volunteering with Planetary Power doing solar, hydro and windpower in remote areas. I worked with them in exchange for meals and accommodation, and I learned so much! This was in 1991 before I had heard of Wwoof. I was a Wwoofer but I didn’t know it!
