Virtue Farm is a 33 acre property overlooking K’Gari (Fraser Island), and includes 27 acres of remnant forest which will never be developed. The forest is an oasis for bird life and other animals and is great for walking. We are 10 minutes from Hervey Bay and 10 minutes from the K’Gari (Fraser Island) barge that leaves from River Heads. We have an existing permaculture garden and are upscaling to small farm size. Our house block is 1.5 acres and backs on to the farm land. We are in the beginning stages of becoming a commercially viable farm, so you will be helping to establish our property.
We expect five hours of volunteering per day, per person, depending upon the type of work and we can be very flexible in this regard. This could include farm work, vegetable patch work, caring for the chooks, moving small saplings, rock picking, planting, mulching, weeding, harvesting, fencing, land clearing and chopping wood and general home maintenance. If you have any specific skill base or interest we are open to negotiation. In return, we will supply an evening meal shared with us and you can prepare your own breakfasts and lunch from what we supply.
Accommodation for 4 in a granny flat downstairs, we have 1 room with two king single beds – can be joined to make a king, 1 room with a queen size bed. We can accommodate singles and couples. Mixed diet with a mix of vegetarian and meat based meals. Whilst we have some capacity to cater for vegans, we will have to learn from you to assist us to cater for your needs and are willing to do so within limits. Internet access is available close to the house.
Virtue Farm acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Butchulla people, where we work and live, and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
While you are here, you should make time to go to K’gari (Fraser Island). We are very flexible and happy to work around dates that you can access which are cheaper for you. You would be welcome to leave your property here where it would be safe if you do choose to visit. Additionally, we strongly suggest that you plan for at least a one night overnight stay on Fraser Island; many of our volunteers have done the day tour and loved it, but all say they wished they’d stayed for longer as they felt like they only had a glimpse and not enough time to experience all it has to offer. Those people who stayed for two or three nights seem to have had the best experiences. We partner with K’Gari Dingo (Fraser Dingo) tours and can access a 20% discount of one night or two night tours. We have some back packs and camping gear for volunteers to use (for a small fee to cover wear and tear) if they want to do the longer treks and hikes on K’Gari (Fraser Island) . As long as you book your trip to Fraser Island from Hervey Bay we are happy to drive you to where you need to be. If you book from Rainbow Beach, then you will have to arrange your own transport as it is about an hour and a half away.
Hervey Bay has lots to offer, walks, beaches, the Urangan Pier, Botanic Gardens beautiful parks and plenty of places to picnic. There is no public transport to our home, but we are happy to drive into Hervey Bay so you can see our beautiful beaches, piers, parks and lifestyle.
There are some lovely walks in the remnant forest on our block and it is always lovely to watch the kangaroos that visit daily.
The volunteers that we have had so far have enjoyed their time with us and have been happy to join in with our family and extended family.
You will stay in the two bedroom flat downstairs, with its own bathroom, kitchenette with microwave, fridge, toaster and kettle, dining area and lounge room. We have one room with a queen sized bed and one with two king singles. There is a TV, DVD player and some board games, card, paints and mindful colouring books. We also have heaps of Earth Garden magazines and similar to browse.
