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About WWOOF Hosts
Within Australia, as in many parts of the world, our Hosts are mainly pursuing a simple, sustainable, lifestyle. Many are Permaculture enthusiasts, and about 20% use Bio-dynamic growing methods. About a 240 of the farms in the WWOOF Book are Certified Organic properties. Some of our Hosts are alternative co-operative communities, and a few are communal living groups. The work you will do for these Hosts is likely to be as wide and varied as the Hosts themselves. Since you work as family, often there are no set hours, but an average of four to six hours daily of farming / gardening type work would be a fair exchange.
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Length of Stay
The minimum stay on a
WWOOF farm is two nights, the maximum stay is by mutual agreement between you and your
Host. Most stays are for a few days
or weeks only, but there are a number of Hosts who encourage longer term stays up to as long as six months, usually after a trial period of four or five days.
WWOOFers mostly stay in the Host's home and live as family, it is vital that
they respect the Host's personal space and family rules. If you are not happy
with the house rules of the Host, please respectfully move on, of course if you
think that there is a serious problem, please contact the WWOOF Office with your
concerns and they will be investigated. (See
Complaints procedure)
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How to Book with a Host
Once you've found a suitable Host in the WWOOF Book, (use Google Maps to find WWOOF Host locations) bookings can be made by phone, mail or email (always put WWOOF and your membership number in the subject line), to the farm you choose, with a follow-up phone call to confirm your booking. You can fill in a
WWOOFer application form, and send it to the Host of your choice. Remember that the more you tell the Host about what you can offer them, the more likely they are to want to Host you!
The cost of travel and
accommodation to and from individual Host properties is your responsibility,
however some Hosts will pick you up from the nearest train or bus stop by prior
arrangement.
Once you have arranged to stay with a
Host, please turn up! The Host who has offered you a place on their farm is
counting on you to arrive, has arranged additional food supplies to feed you and
has often arranged to meet you at the bus or train. If you do not arrive
they will be worried about your safety, will have paid for food that will go to
waste, may have turned away other WWOOFers AND will not have the help you had
offered to give them. If for any reason you do have a change of plans it
is vital that you contact the Host immediately and let them know so they can
offer your place to another WWOOFer, and so they don't send out a search party
for you!
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Find a Host on the WWOOF Bulletin Board
As soon as you join WWOOF you can use your WWOOF Membership number to register for the online WWOOF Bulletin Board
New Hosts (who are not in a WWOOF Book yet) and Hosts who are urgently looking for WWOOFers advertise on the Bulletin Board making it a good place to look for a Host. WWOOFers can reply to Host advertisments or send a message to a Host. There is a forum where WWOOFers can advertise for a Host and another forum to advertise for a travel companion. It is a good idea to set up a profile on the Bulletin Board to tell the Hosts and other WWOOFers about yourself, your skills and where you plan to travel and go WWOOFing. You can also add your photo and once you have been to a few Hosts you can list them in your profile as a reference.
There is also a forum for sharing your WWOOF experiences where you can list your favorite Host to tell other WWOOFers to check them out. Hosts also recommend their best WWOOFers here to encourage other Hosts to give them a place.
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What to take with you
Sunglasses, Hats, Boots
& Gloves: While work
can be anywhere in a garden or farm situation, always anticipate the worst weather
and wear these to protect yourself from sunburn, ultraviolet rays, injury, bites
and stings.
Sleeping Bags.(Useful but not essential) Mostly accommodation is in a spare room within the family home - but see the
Host's entry for variations. Usually bedding would be supplied, but this is not certain. Check when booking, but it would make sense to
have a sleeping bag with you for emergency use.
Goodwill,
honesty, your manners and respect for
the privacy and lifestyle of your Host,
remember in most cases you will be living with a family in their home, so please
be polite and respect their private space and the rules of their home. Many Hosts live
alternative lifestyles, have water restrictions, work very hard and don't have a
high income. Please respect their lifestyle but do not judge it, it may
well be very different from your own, which is one of the advantages of
WWOOFing, learning from and taking part in different cultures and different ways
of living.
Most Hosts
are hard working farming
families, many with children, who get up
early in the morning.
It can be a big change from late nights partying at Backpacker Hostels and
sleeping until lunchtime, to living on a working farm and getting up early each
morning. It is important to respect your Hosts' family and their personal space,
leave alcohol and drugs behind and enjoy the great outdoors and healthy country
living while WWOOFing.
Common Sense ... and
a willingness to ask questions about places, people, tasks and processes.
A sense of humour: You will be taking part in a lifestyle that may be very different
from your own, you will meet people from diverse backgrounds with some
alternative beliefs and ideals, sometimes you need to be able to laugh at the
differences, not be intimidated by them! Enjoy the difference: people
relate to each other because of their similarities and learn from each other
because of their differences. Some of the work you will do on a WWOOF Host
property will be very new to you, see this as a fun experience to add to your
life skills and think of the interesting additions to your résumé.
How much Money do you need? If you are travelling on a Tourist Visa, you must have access to enough money to support yourself for your holiday in Australia and you may be asked to show evidence of this upon arrival. If you are travelling on a Working Holiday Visa, you must have access to enough money to support yourself for the initial stage of your holiday in Australia and you may be asked to show evidence of this upon arrival. To enter Australia on a Working Holiday Visa you are required to hold a return ticket or sufficient funds for a return fare - generally AUD $5,000. You may be asked to provide evidence of this on arrival by showing a bank statement or return ticket, though this may not be checked. We suggest arriving in Australia with at least AUD$3000. The amount will depend on your travel plans and the length of time you plan to be in Australia.
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Hints on WWOOFing
It is best to phone your Hosts between 5.00 pm and 9.00 pm, local (Hosts)
time, do not call after 9.00pm. If calling from interstate or overseas, check
local Australian times, so your call is not received at 4am! If you leave a
phone message, please speak slowly and clearly so the Host can understand
your message. It
helps if you sound enthusiastic and promote your skills.
You must give the
Host:
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your WWOOF membership number and date of membership (so the
Host knows that
your membership is current)
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your Passport/Drivers Licence number
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your name
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your contact phone number and e-mail address
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details of skills, abilities, things you are experienced and good at doing, which you feel may be useful to the Host
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when you would like to come and for how long you would like to stay
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if presently staying with a WWOOF Host, the name and contact details of that Host
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Why you have chosen this particular Host
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Any allergies, physical limitations, diet restrictions the Host will need to be aware of if accepting you as a WWOOFer
Your acceptance depends on whether or not you are actually a WWOOF member or willing to join. (Some Hosts will accept you if you are prepared to join as soon as you get to their property, Hosts can arrange this for you when you provide them with your identification and pay them for your membership, WWOOF will send your book to you at the Hosts address)
Ask the Host to clarify the accommodation you will have and the number of hours they expect you to work. You are expected to eat the food provided by your Host, ask what sort of meals they provide (some are vegetarian, some are not) - if you are on special diet, please bring your own food. Many Hosts live a long way from shops and you may not be able to get supplies once you arrive.
Be prepared to get out and meet local people. Get the most from your visits, stay a few weeks at one place, then try a different style of Host to broaden your experience. The Hosts in the WWOOF program offer many different types of farm and different types of lifestyle, so there is something for everyone.
Potential Participants in the WWOOF program should satisfy themselves that they are able to cope with the physical and mental demands of the WWOOF experience. Participants should have at least average physical fitness. The nature of the program is such that WWOOFing is generally unsuitable for persons suffering from psychiatric or psychological conditions. If in doubt please contact WWOOF to discuss and/or discuss the matter with your Medical Practitioner.
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Complaints
If you have a complaint about a WWOOF Host, we ask you to contact us with your
concerns so we can follow it up. Please see our
Complaints
Procedure for more details.
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The WWOOFer Guide
Adam
Greenman has WWOOFed his way around England, Scotland, France, Spain
Portugal and Hungary and has written an A-Z pocket handbook for WWOOFers, called The Practical Guide to
WWOOFing.
This can be purchased direct from Adam in paperback or as an e-book
directly from WWOOF Australia
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WWOOFing with Children
Many
Host farms welcome children by arrangement - please look at a Host's entry in the
WWOOF book to check. The most important point to make is that - please - never
WWOOF with children except by prior arrangement with the Host. Although you may be keen to
WWOOF, your child may not like the idea of a strange place, new faces, different food, and not sleeping in their own bed. It would be sensible to start with a short visit.
WWOOFing is about helping the Host, and if you are also looking after a child
then the help you can give is limited. Children must be supervised at all times.
You cannot just tell older children to "go off and play". Farms can be dangerous
places - they are not playgrounds. Younger children may not have the patience
needed to allow you to hoe a long line of vegetables, nor should they be near you when you are chopping wood etc.
One solution is to travel with another single parent or a partner and take turns to supervise. Remember that the
Host will be feeding and accommodating several people in exchange for one person's help, so a contribution to the cost of food might be needed. Many
Hosts have limited resources, which is why they ask for WWOOF help.
Some Host farms are in remote places and those with children welcome the company of others. Being remote means that you need to carry everything your child might need since popping down to the local shop won't
always be possible.
At many farms there will be other WWOOFers - some will like children, others may not - and you may well be sharing accommodation and have to consider the fact that everyone, including yourself, needs a good nights sleep after a hard days work.
Please do not think in terms of giving the children a nice holiday on a farm. There are specialised farms which offer this sort of holiday. We receive many reports of excellent
WWOOFers with children but there have also been some disastrous ones. Those that go wrong, are usually due to poor arrangements prior to the visit - expecting behaviour from the child beyond their capabilities at that time - or expecting unreasonable facilities from the
Host.
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WWOOF Guidelines
for WWOOFers and
Hosts
WWOOFing Guidelines for
WWOOFers and
WWOOF Host guidelines
To read these guidelines in other languages, please use
Google Translations
You can use Google Maps to
find WWOOF Host locations.
Join WWOOF
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The History of WWOOF in
Australia
WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) was started in England in 1972 when the first WWOOFers spent a weekend helping on an organic farm in exchange for their keep. The organization was initially called Working Weekends on Organic Farms, but was changed to Willing Workers on Organic Farms in 1982 after people asked "why only weekends?"
Today there are around 50 WOOF groups all over the world, including France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Italy, USA, Austria, UK, Nepal, India, Korea, New Zealand and Canada. All the groups are independent, but operate in a similar way, by putting people into contact with each other. Throughout the world the WWOOF philosophy is the same; WWOOF Hosts provide food and lodging to travellers and students in exchange for between 4 and 6 hours work per day.
Lionel Pollard started WWOOF in Australia in 1981, and over the last 30 years WWOOF has grown into an organization that employs 7 people, and publishes a WWOOF Book of over 2,300 Host farms and properties all over Australia. This book provides contact details, a description of the property, the work to be done and the accommodation and meal situation. The WWOOFer simply browses through the list, chooses a place they would like to go and contacts the Host to arrange a mutually suitable time to visit. The choice may be based on geography (close to a route they are travelling); or philosophy (such as biodynamic farming practices); cultural (many of our
Hosts speak other languages as well as English) or it may just sound like an interesting place to visit. WWOOFers live and work with the Host families in the same way as relatives and friends do when they visit.
Many of our Hosts are involved in Landcare and Land for Wildlife organisations throughout Australia. WWOOFing is a hands-on way of learning about organic farming and environmental rehabilitation.
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World Wide WWOOFing
WWOOF is a worldwide movement linking volunteers with organic farmers and growers to promote cultural and educational experiences based on trust and non-monetary exchanges, helping to build a sustainable global community.
To WWOOF in other countries,
you will need a separate WWOOF membership for any country that has a National WWOOF Group. Our WWOOFing around the World page has contact details for these WWOOF groups
and information about WWOOFing in countries without a WWOOF Group.
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WWOOF Pty Ltd (A.C.N. 085-920-690) 2166 Gelantipy Road, W Tree, via Buchan, Vic 3885 Australia
E-mail wwoof
@ wwoof.com.au (no spaces)
Phone (03) 5155-0218
From outside Australia,
Telephone +61-3-5155-0218
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