Host Profile
My Property
Property Name
Business Type
Farming methods
Short Property Description
Winderong Farm is a small scale mixed enterprise farm based on permaculture and regenerative farming principles. We are passionate about leaving the planet in a better state than it is now.
Full Property Description
Winderong Farm is a small scale mixed enterprise farm based on permaculture and regenerative farming principles. We are passionate about leaving the planet in a better state than it is now. We care for our animals as humanely as we can, giving them the best lives possible, valuing their input into the ecosystem we are creating, their companionship, their contribution to our farm family and the nutrition that they provide us at the end of their lives.
Our animals currently include pigs, beef cattle, sheep, chickens and bees. We also have a large veggie garden, an orchard with many 50 year old trees which we are revitalizing and converting to more of a food forest style of growing. We have the beginnings of a native bush food forest and plan to make much more extensive bush food plantations.
At Winderong Farm we aim to live simply and in harmony with nature. We aim to source as much of our food as we can from the farm. This means that if something is abundant in our garden, we may eat a lot of it! Don’t expect to find any food out of season in our house and if we have lots of kiwis and oranges from our farm we won’t be buying apples and bananas!
One of our passions is converting our produce into delicious products which we can store for future use, so there is plenty of fermenting, drying and making pickles and chutneys. We bake our own bread and make most of our food from scratch. You won’t find much if any processed food or packaged goods in our pantry. If you stay with us you will eat real food. As we share the cooking, you will also learn to prepare food from real ingredients.
Winderong Farm is set in Dharawal Country. Winderong is Dharawal for Red Cedar and the farm is home to some beautiful specimens. It is bordered on 3 sides by National Park, with a pristine, energizing creek running through the centre of it, with numerous large, clean swimming holes. We have wonderful hiking opportunities on our property and through into the surrounding national park. Our water for drinking and other purposes comes from a spring-fed waterfall in the forest.
We are passionate about protecting the natural beauty around us and are involved in Landcare activities both on the farm and in our local community. We employ 2 professional bush regenerators to assist us with managing weeds and regenerating the bushland. We also have been observing and recording the many native animals on the property and are engaged in a program to treat mange in our resident wombats. We also have programs to help protect the native fauna through the management of feral animals.
Organic/Biological methods we use
Compost
Biodynamic preparations
Regenerative grazing
Chicken compost system
Humanure
Worm farm and use of worm juice
Special Conditions
We generally work in the garden five mornings a week, between 8:30 and 12:30. Then there are some other small daily tasks to be done at other time, like feeding animals, watering seedlings etc.
We want to host people who are really engaged and interested in permaculture and self sufficiency. We prefer people who ask questions, take notes and are self responsible and reliable.
We have a strict no smoking, no alcohol, no drug policy. Any breech of this and you will be required to leave.
Our minimum stay is 6 weeks, but we prefer to have people stay 3 months or if all going well, even longer.
When applying, please tell us the date you want to arrive, how long you want to stay and why you are interested in our place.
Skills WWOOFers can learn here
Organic practices & techniques, Permaculture design practices & techniques, Gardening, Composting, Propagating, Pruning, Soil conservation, Mulching, Wild Food Foraging, Worm farming, Beekeeping, Animal care, Mustering, Using & caring for tools, Fencing, Handyman, Bread making, Fermenting foods, Preserving & processing food
The Stay
Can Accommodate
Preferred length of Stay
Accommodation
Other options
Non-Smoking, Children allowed by arrangement
Meal Procedures
Eat together, Share most meals, Share cooking
Languages spoken
Why I became a WWOOF Host
We joined WWOOF as we love sharing our lifestyle and inspiring others to live well, grow their own food, raise animals ethically and tread lightly on the planet.
