Spend Christmas and New Year in a resort near the Capital Canberra, Australia

Details

Description

From around 5th of December to 5th Jan, we are looking for experienced Workawayers (couple or singles) to help us!

We are seeking a couple of experienced Workawayers to help with a lot of different activities on our riverside property from the beginning of December onward.. There are things to do in the garden, the paddocks and in the home. It is a substantial property and there is always plenty to do. But there is a lot of fun to be had too !

You will be helping us improve and maintain our home in the countryside not far from the City. You can learn an awful lot about the Australian way of life and the environment is a natural Haven, especially if you love photography, trekking, swimming, canoeing, cooking , and observing an abundance of wild life. Do you have a penchant for fabulous wine and food ?
The help you can provide may include a range of things inside or outside the homestead. Our guests often like to do some different things which include…..
gardening, cleaning, painting, house keeping, looking after our big beautiful Maremma dog Sophia and Oscar the cat, cooking, domestic maintenance, driving the tractor and trucks, maintaining the pool, irrigation repairs, weeding or fencing…you can rub the horses down or plant trees and vegetables in the garden if you prefer.

The estate is a spectacular property on 80 Hectares (200 acres) of land fronting the Murrumbidgee River 25 minutes from Canberra, the nation's capital city . It is only a 3 hour drive to Sydney and enjoys vivid colours, beautiful views and spectacular countryside. It is a beautiful drive to the beach and close to the snow fields in Winter time.

The weather is beautiful now and the resort style heated pool beckons for that refreshing swim and a yummy dinner on one of the terraces overlooking the river! We love outdoor living and the sunsets are amazing.
The homestead was built in 1994 and was awarded the Master Builders House of the year. Since then it has been continually developed and we are constantly working on maintaining the irrigation system and gardens . We enjoy having friends and family coming for holidays and Birthday parties. Accommodation is in a State room with ensuite facing the garden or a private air conditioned caravan in the orchard if you prefer .

We have numerous horses here with opportunities to ride, hundreds of kangaroo, deer, wombats and many more wild animals and birds to see and photograph. There are motorbikes, quads, canoes and sometimes a flight in our aerobatic aeroplane to see the countryside. We encourage our guests to do walks, visit the sites in town or generally relax in the garden when help is finished and they have days off. This is a one of a kind place in Australia and many of our guests become close friends and come back to stay with us numerous times. We kind of think of them as our extended family.
Type of help

Gardening
Building
General Maintenance
Cooking / shopping
Farmstay
Other
Help in the house
Animal care
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

You can learn everything from making beds through gardening (dead heading roses, trimming trees, using mowers, chain saw, whipper snipper, weeding), painting, farming, cooking, driving the club car, a postie bike, farm machines, fencing tools, cattle mustering and many more activities. You may also get to fly in an aerobatic plane. Our guests enjoy swimming in the heated pool ,playing tennis or table tennis, walking , photography, cooking and many more activities….or just relaxing and listening to the birds. But the most…you can learn a lot about yourself and enjoy solitude if you want……
Help

It is a big home so there is some cleaning, ironing and general maintenance. We usually cook dinner together so it is a great shared cultural exchange and it is not a part of the daily work routine. There is also some gardening (planting, weeding, mowing, leaf blowing ) as it is a property of 80 ha with a veggie garden, orchard and a beautiful rose garden. We have also a number of more specialised tasks for people who may be more interested in higher skilled activities such as mechanical , building, painting, farming tasks and so on. You can also learn to operate a range of machines if you like and perform many tasks that will help you in later ventures. We prefer our guests to be 21 years old or more with some 'life' experiences…….'but that's negotiable too.
Languages spoken

English, Polish, some French
Accommodation

We offer our guests a beautiful King or Queen size bed in a large room with bathroom adjoined and a nice private caravan in the garden. Some nights we watch movies on the big screen after dinner, play cards or play pool or table tennis downstairs in the games room.
What else …

On your free time you can swim in the pool or canoe in the river, fish, hike, run or walk, play tennis , ride on push bikes or a motorbike, drive the club car to the river, use the gym, take photos, read books, watch movies, play piano, take a car to sightsee in Canberra (if you have a license) , visit local fairs , shows and vineyards and many more things to do !
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
How many Workawayers can stay?

More than two
Hours expected

app. 5 hours a day, 5 days a week (flexible)

Photos

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Feedback left by and about host (16)

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile:
(4.2)

Cultural exchange:
(4.4)

Communication:
(4.6)

18/11/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Jay & James)

Jay and Jamie were a real help to us. Among other things , we had our Cousin's wedding in the house with 75 guests and it would have been much harder without their assistance. Jay has great event coordination skills and Jamie was a willing worker no matter what task he was given. Our son Jack took a real shine to Jamie and he misses the games and… read more banter terribly. We commend them to any host and hope they will come back to us again and enjoy the spirit.

(Excellent )

18/11/2019

Left by Workawayer (Jay & James) for host

We absolutely loved our stay here. Aleks, Derek, little Jack, Sophia the dog + Oscar the cat are such a wonderful + welcoming family. We instantly felt at home there. Beautifully cooked food was provided breakfast, lunch + dinner which we enjoyed helping to prepare. Aleks was happy to accommodate my dietary requirements as I don’t eat meat and… read more share her cooking insights. She always took the time to explain how to do things, was great at giving us jobs that worked to our skillset and was always willing to listen to ideas on better ways of doing things. It’s an incredible home, grounds and function space. We had our own room looking out to a rose garden, and we could use the washing facilities, gym, pool + van. Aleks and Derek would often share beer + wine from their personal stash and were always willing to provide advice on the local area and places to visit. Whilst we were there they were preparing for a wedding which meant we were kept busy and the whole house was a buzz of activity. They had lots of other volunteers there which made the whole experience even better. I was so chuffed to get the chance to take a ride the aerobatic aeroplane. It was just a shame we didn’t have more time to spend here.

(Excellent )

10/11/2019

Left by Workawayer (Martyna) for host

"Life is beautiful not because the things we see or do. Life is beautiful because the people we meet" . This is exactly how I feel after spending 3 weeks at Aleksandar&Derek place.
Where I do start, first of all thank you for giving me the opportunity to get to know you. Derek&Aleksandra are warm, humble, carrying people. Their place is… read more spectacular, waking up every morning from super comfy bed, with nice view and having tasty, healthy brekky, awesome!! Every evening we would have TOP quality food for dinner, thanks to them I tasted many various types of vines. Their place is enormous ( we joked that it is like size of Belgian)so there is allways something to do, but the working hours are really fair. Because of the place has such a huge potential and Aleksandra &Derek are so kind people, working for them it was a pleasure. You get so much in exchange, the more you give the more you recive. in my page time I was playing tennis, basket, canoeing, hiking ( you need to do the hike to a tree, it is challenging, but definitely worth it). The biggest part of travelling and meeting people is that sooner or later I need to leave, but the beauty of it, it is that all the awesome memories will never leave me. It becam part of who I am. All the work I have done was easy and always well explained thanks to Aleks.( cleaning the house, cottage, gardening).
Aleksandra I hope you realised how big impact you had on me, greatfull for all the conversations and lots of advice from you expierienced woman.
Derek, your sense of humour is really specific(as you get to know him, you realise how much he can reach you) and knowledge about so many things, this is what I will remember.
Cheers Martyna

(Excellent )

21/10/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Tiffany)

Tiffany was great to host helping us a in large range of chores including cleaning , kitchen (including cooking), laundry, general home care and anything we needed at the time. She was was always pleasant, interesting to talk to and willingly shared her vast experience travelling around the world. Tiffany interacted very well with our little son… read more and our spoilt pets Sophia and Oscar.
We were pleased to take her on the motorbike ride and visit the neighbouring vineyards where she quickly made friends and enjoyed tasting the local wines and food. In fact she was invited to do some paid work in one of the vineyards and was asked to come back any time. We really appreciated her calm and helpful manner and would love to have her come back again (maybe even with her partner next time ?).

(Excellent )

19/10/2019

Left by Workawayer (Kevin & Aurelie) for host

For us the adventure was more mixed… we stayed in January during the Australian canicule… the area is beautiful with the river and the many animals (domestic or wild)
We had a good meal and especially our 18month – old boy was well considered (of course our main criterion)
We thought we were gonna stay for a month, we held two weeks. It's… read more difficult to receive orders all day, only home standing, start a task and then be called elsewhere before you re finished and eventually being considered as unpaid employees (last day, we should have gone to Aleks in the middle of night at a night) and again we got the air conditioned caravan what was not the case of our young English partner in her old caravan with broken Windows without air conditioning when all the rooms at the house were empty.
Which doesn't kill us makes us stronger… we had to have a first bad experience, otherwise we would remain our whole life in workaway 😋through our previous experiences and, despite these negative points, we keep a wonderful memory thanks to the rest of our Australian stay elsewhere and with beautiful meetings.

You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.

(Neutral )

11/07/2019

Left by Workawayer (Emma) for host

I was blown away by the hospitality, I really felt like one of the family. I loved helping to make some of Aleks' favourite Polish dishes and learning a few words in Polish too, talked sport with Derek (what a 2nd half in Origin 3!), and played planes, trains, trucks, and cars with gorgeous little Jack. I completely fell in love with Sophia,… read more Oscar, and of course King George RIP. It was great to have a wide variety of tasks, anything from ironing to fence fixing, there was always something to keep me busy around this amazing property. Thanks so much for having me!

(Excellent )

25/05/2019

Left by Workawayer (María ) for host

I coudn't have asked for a better host to start my dreamed Australian experiencie!! My 9-day stay at Derek's was great. The house and sorroundings are astonishing. There were plenty of things to do at the house (it's really big!), most of them domestic but not difficult to cope with. The laundry room was my challenge!! I enjoyed a lot walking… read more around the property, down to the river & taking pictures of kangaroos, deer & birds. Derek is an adventurous mighty man who squeezes every minute of his life so it was really interesting listening to his experiencies while preparing & having dinner with other workawayers. I had my own 5-star hotel bedroom with a wonderful view to the green hills. I coudn't help taking hundreds of pictures of the stunning garden. He took me twice to downtown Canberra & suggested the icon places to visit. I met some friends of his, all very nice & warm people. Thank you so much, Derek! You are a generous person & the first one to give me an unforgettable welcome to this amazing country!!

(Excellent )

16/05/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (María )

Maria is absolutely fantastic and we are devastated that she is moving on ! There seems to be nothing she can't do in the home and she starts working early and we had to stop her or she'd keep going into the night. She rearranged our commercial sized laundry that had frightened previous guests; she cooked and ran the kitchen, the laundry, cleaned… read more the living areas, cared for animals and was an absolute joy to have in our home. She is a happy, relaxed, quiet and worldly soul and if you get the chance to have her stay with you, grab it. WE hope we can have visit us again some day but we understand she has limited time to experience our large and diverse country.

(Excellent )

23/05/2019

Left by Workawayer (Corbin) for host

I stayed with Derek for 2 weeks. His house and property were absolutely stunning, taking walks around his property was one of my favorite things to do there. He has 2 big dogs that will follow you around on your walks. I had my own bedroom and bathroom which was nice and everything was very clean.

Derek has a large house so a lot of the work I… read more did was domestic, like cleaning the kitchen, helping cook, and cleaning his cottage for guests to rent. He never asked too much and was flexible on what you were comfortable doing.

Derek was a welcoming and generous host, and was very sociable with me and the other Workaways. He took me into town when my laptop crashed and was willing to show me around and introduce me to his neighbors. You could tell he really cared about making me have a good time and feel comfortable. He even took me for a flight in his airplane which was an amazing experience! You’ll have a great time if you stay here. Thanks for everything Derek!

You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.

(Excellent )

16/05/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Corbin)

Corbin is a fabulous helper in every respect. She's eager, clever, capable and does not need to be asked to do things twice. She has a cheery but quiet disposition and get's stuck into any task with enthusiasm and energy. She took care of our B&B cottage, helped with meals , cleaned and tidied the commercial sized kitchen, pantry, cool rooms… read more bathrooms, fed and looked after our dogs and cat. There wouldn't be much that she couldn't do in a domestic or retail environment and we thoroughly recommend her to any host looking for a top notch helper and guest. We will miss her greatly.

(Excellent )

27/04/2019

Left by Workawayer (Romain & Laurene) for host

We spend 4 weeks in Derek & Aleksandra's house.
It was our first workaway experience and it was wonderful.
Derek & Aleks are very great host, we felt like a part of the family and had a lot of fun with little Jack.
Every dinner was a sharing time and Derek & Aleks made everything to make you confortable.
And you can even have a flight with… read more Derek plane! Amazing
It was really a pleasure to meet this lovely family in a beautiful house.
And what about the property… Beautiful walks to the river with George and Sofia, the two dogs and a lot of wild life (kangaroos, wombats, deers…)
Thank you so much for everything Aleks and Derek!
From Paris with love :flag_cp::sunglasses:

(Excellent )

30/03/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Elina & Laura)

Laura was an absolute delight to have at our home. She was generous, helpful and always pleasant and we were sorry to see her leave. Our little son was very sad to see her go and she is always welcome here. If you want someone who is willing, respectful and fun to be with, Laura won't disappoint……

(Very good )

13/03/2019

Left by Workawayer (Jane) for host

I spent three very enjoyable weeks at this place and felt welcome from the moment I stepped inside to meet Aleks and gorgeous little Jack. The work was fair and varied, including lots of gardening-related activities on the extensive property, pool cleaning and general housework. I appreciated the opportunity to learn new skills with the gardening… read more tools and equipment. George and Sophia are absolutely delightful Maremma dogs, always happy to join you for a walk which was a regular occurrence after the work was finished, down to the banks of the magical Murrumbidgee river. Oscar the cat was very affectionate too, lapping up attention whenever it was offered. Preparation of the evening meal was usually a communal event and Derek’s generous hospitality was always well-received with many stories and much laughter shared over dinner. Thanks to Aleks’s super culinary skills, the food was consistently delicious and healthy. Thank you Derek, Aleks and Jack for a very pleasant stay!

(Excellent )

02/01/2019

Left by Workawayer (Hannah & Lena) for host

We had a really wonderful time here. Derek, Aleks and little Jack are a very welcoming family who made us feel like home after three months of traveling 🙂 We really enjoyed everything and especially the mixture of doing some work and spending some time and having fun together was awesome. It was our first workaway experience and we couldn't have… read more asked for a better one. We would highly recommend it to everyone to stay with them and if we'll come back to Australia once we would love to meet again 🙂

Thank you for everything Aleks, Derek and Jack!

Cheers Hannah and Lena (the giggling Germans)

(Excellent )

02/01/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Hannah & Lena)

Hannah and Lena were perfect guests. They were very helpful, always willing and eager to do anything asked of them cheerfully. They are fairly quiet at first but eventually they erupt in giggles and laughter. They did gardening, manual labour helping move huge containers with chains and farm machinery, all domestic jobs, cleaning, cooking and a… read more range of things with no notice. They are tidy, respectful, funny and smart. You couldn't ask for nicer guests !

Derek , Aleks and little Jack.

(Excellent )

24/12/2018

Left by Workawayer (Maree) for host

Spent almost three very happy weeks in this place.. it was my first workaway experience and I felt like one of the family by the time I reluctantly said good bye.
I did some gardening, housework and spent time with young Jack. On my daily walks I was accompanied by resident dogs George and Sophia, happily lolloping beside me.. It is a beautiful… read more place, the hosts are most generous with their hospitality.. delicious food, great wine and lots of banter around the table..I got to see some sights in Canberra and had use of the delightful swimming pool.
Would love to return there in the future.

(Excellent )

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Spend Christmas and New Year in a resort near the Capital Canberra, Australia

Description

Type of help

Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

Help

Languages spoken

Accommodation

What else …

A little more information

How many Workawayers can stay?

Hours expected