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Last replied
31 Oct 2024
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Description
I am a Mathematics teacher in the local high school living on 35 acres surrounded by Crowdy Bay National Park, 17km south of Laurieton on the Mid North Coast NSW.
My home is stand alone Solar power and has been for 20 years. It is constructed from hand made on the property, Adobe bricks. There are a number of other special eco features of the house.
I have been running holiday rentals online for 18 months , and was a Superhost, but I now need some extra hands.
I surf, and 6km away is an excellent beginners right hand point break. Surf lessons are an option. Being surrounded by National Park, there is heeps of wildlife, particularly birdlife. You can hear the surf only 1.5 km away, but by road it is a flat 4km bicycle ride. Bikes are available.
There is a piano, guitar, and other musical instruments.Types of help and learning opportunities
GardeningDIY and building projectsGeneral MaintenanceFarmstay helpHelp around the houseCultural exchange and learning opportunities
Adobe (mud) brick making and construction, (in fact, we have run adobe construction workshops in the past. I have made 20 000 mudbricks myself, and the 2 homes on the property are load bearing adobe block construction, which is a very carbon friendly solution to the problem of housing affordability. We are in the process of creating a third home on the property, and are currently making mudbricks, with which I need help:)
Travellers can learn about stand alone solar power, and other eco friendly tech like composting toilets.
Travellers will be embedded in the Australian bush, as well as accessing remote National Park beaches.
Travellers could learn about surfing and fishing, depending on conditions.Help
I need help with planting an orchard, making mudbricks, and general property maintenance (like weeding, mulching...). I would like to extend my vegetable patch.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
German: IntermediateAccommodation
Own room in house. The room has a good view and large with a queen bed.
All other spaces are shared.
I will provide food. I am happy to cook most meals, but generally leave very early to get surf on the way to school.
Sharing the cooking will be a cultural exchange, but I am happy to do most cooking when I'm home.
In exchange I would expect roughly 3 hours work on above mentioned tasks, 9-12, 5 days a week.
There is no wi-fi. I access the internet by my phone, Telstra 4G, is best. (This is a relatively remote site, there is no cable to the site)What else ...
The site is surrounded by Crowdy Head National Park. It is a leisurely 20 min bicycle ride ( I have well maintained bicycles available) to local beaches through the National Park, which is an excellent way to spot wildlife. Diamond Head (6km) has walking tracks and a very protected beach, which has a surf break excellent for beginners, and no crowds during the week. There are more challenging surf beaches, but I would suggest accessing those in my company as I am an experienced surf life saver.
There is good snorkling when the surf is flat, I have some gear, and am building a stock of wet suits, but bringing ur own is best.
I have many fishing rods. the fishing is good , if you know how. Fishing trips are another option.
The town of Laurieton is 17km of flat dirt road away, and has a good cinema, cafe's etc.
I am a committed environmental activist. I am interested in politics here and in other countries. My home is fairly pristine, with roos and birds very close by (I mean metres ). I do not have a dog or cat and I prefer not to have a dog or cat arrive with travellers. Smokers must be careful with their waste.
The property is an extended family community. My sister and her husband live in a house 150 metres from mine, and we are in the process of creating a new house for my brother who currently lives in Sydney. There are neighbours 500m away through the bush, but all work away during the day, so a certain capacity for independence will be helpful.A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
3-4 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (6)
It was cool to see how James and his family live off the land in the National Park to be sustainable and considerate of the wildlife around them.… read more
I felt very welcomed straight away! Had fun conversations, fun surfs and fun movies!!
The mudbrick process is very interested, I was working with OBB BOB the brother of James and had fun spending time with him!
Went to the beach almost every day, met his sweet sister that even brought me to the… read more
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It was cool to see how James and his family live off the land in the National Park to be sustainable and considerate of the wildlife around them.… read more
I felt very welcomed straight away! Had fun conversations, fun surfs and fun movies!!
The mudbrick process is very interested, I was working with OBB BOB the brother of James and had fun spending time with him!
Went to the beach almost every day, met his sweet sister that even brought me to the… read more
He lives in an amazing place in the middle of a natural park and next to the sea.
James is very friendly,funny and a great surfer.He always help us with anything.
James did everything possible for us to enjoy ourselves :)
He gave us our first surfing lessons and also left us boards to use whenever we wanted to.
We totally… read more
Next to little chores and mudbricking, we did fishing, surfing and snorkeling whenever the conditions were right.
Other than that there is a lot of time for relaxing and enjoying the beauty of nature!
Also with a little bit of luck, I got to see so much wildlife:… read more
Being only a quick drive away from a selection of beaches allowed for lots of opportunities to swim and surf; James will give you… read more