Host Profile
My Property
Business Type
Farming methods
Short Property Description
Note:
88 day 2nd year Visa flood recovery volunteer work offered.
Minimum 3 week stay, with first week a trial to make sure you are enjoying the work and fit in.
Summerleigh is a family farm in the Macedon Ranges.
Jack and I are city escapees and regenerative farmers, inspired by the likes of Alan Savory, Joel Salatin and Charles Massey.
Our goal is to improve the ecosystem and soils by integration of livestock, mainly cattle and chickens, to produce healthy, chemical free and nutrient dense food and we hope to soon add a small market garden to supplement our direct to market egg and beef business.
We are also in the process of revegetating a sizable wildlife corridor and wetland habitat along the permanent creek in the valley below the homestead and hope to return the gardens around the homestead to their former glory, with an orchard and ornamental flower beds.
Please note: work to be done along the creek qualifies as flood recovery and counts towards your 88-day visa renewal.
In other words, whatever your passion is…horticulture, agriculture, tree planting, ecological restoration, rewilding, biodynamics, permaculture, holistic management, carpentry, fencing, welding, growing, producing and cooking food, rotational grazing, chicken caravans, we almost certainly have something for you to put your hands, enthusiasm and head to.
The homestead is circa 1876 and she is quite a grand old lady, originally built by the Sir Rupert Clarke family for the first owner, John Hurst, esq., in exchange for land in what is now Clarkefield.
You will be part of the family with your own room in the homestead and, between us, we speak/understand Italian, Spanish, French, German and Danish/Swedish/Norwegian.
We have five dogs, two cats and two budgies, three Icelandic horses, a pony and a pig. Not all in the house!
We love to play tennis after dinner and also have pool that is, sadly, being renovated, so have swims in the waterhole on hot afternoons, a good way to cool off.
If any of that sounds at all appealing please do get in touch
Regards
Lucy & Jack
Organic/Biological methods we use
We pratices a mix farming methods, with the key driver being that we do not use any chemicals or man-made fertilisers and instead subscribe to biodynamic principles and methods as our primary driver.
Being a regenerative farm, we also use Holistic Management in our approach to livestock management and overall farm planning, with permaculture in the mix.
My Details
The Stay
Can Accommodate
Preferred length of Stay
Accommodation
In Our Home, BYO Accommodation
Other options
Non-Smoking, Smoking allowed, No Smoking Inside
Meal Procedures
Eat together, Share some meals, Share cooking
Languages spoken
Italian, Spanish, French, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, German
Diets we cater for
Meat based meals, BYO Special diet foods please
Why I became a WWOOF Host
We are two mature adults and a 7-year old, with our oldest daughter at university in Melbourne and as the saying goes, many hands make for light work.
To do Summerleigh justice and give this beautiful 147 year old lady what she deserves, we need extra hands willing to learn with us along the way and as you will have read above, there are plenty of projects to choose from.
We would love to share our journey with young people who bring with them practical skills, agricultural/horticultural knowledge, but most importantly, enthusiasm for learning and getting your hands dirty.
