WWOOF Australia

WWOOF Australia

Established in 1981. WWOOFers (volunteers) travel Australia-wide, volunteering on permaculture, organic & biodynamic farms & small holdings.

Learn real skills from expert WWOOF hosts. WWOOF Hosts invite volunteers to learn their methods while helping, spreading knowledge and skills.
Offset your carbon travel footprint & make friends for life. Work or study online in your free time. All food & lodgings provided by WWOOF Hosts.

WWOOF Australia has provided vital support for permaculture, organic and biodynamic growers over the past 40 years, not only with volunteers helping WWOOF Hosts, but with the exchange of knowledge and skills that comes from each volunteer placement.

Mission Statement

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.

A brief History of WWOOF

WWOOF began in England in 1971 when a London secretary, Sue Coppard, arranged with some friends to volunteer on Organic farms on weekends to get out of the city and do something worthwhile.

“Weekend Workers on Organic Farms” grew organically and over time became “Willing Workers on Organic Farms” as people wanted to stay and help for longer periods. The concept took off around the world and the name gradually changed to “World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms”.

49 WWOOF Groups are now independently run in each country and another 98 other countries with a small number of hosts are listed in an Independents list, administered by the International Association of WWOOF Groups.

WWOOF Australia was established by Lionel Pollard in 1981 to help fledgling permaculture, organic and biodynamic growers to have help on their properties while passing on their skills and knowledge to volunteers that they hosted.

WWOOF has undergone many changes in the 40 years it has operated in Australia and is now completely online, with Hosts and volunteers having their own Profiles on the WWOOF website and in the free WWOOF Australia App.

WWOOFers travel Australia-wide, volunteering on their choice of permaculture, organic and biodynamic WWOOF Host farms and small holdings. They learn real skills from expert WWOOF hosts and offset their carbon travel footprint, often making friends for life.

How Does WWOOF Work?

WWOOF is a membership program with WWOOFer volunteers and WWOOF Host members.

WWOOF Volunteers (WWOOFers)

WWOOFers join WWOOF and set up their volunteer profile to introduce themselves to Hosts. They can then search our database of Host Profiles for a Host who interests them on a List search or member only Map search, or they respond to a Notice on the member only Notice Board, make contact with the Host of their choice and offer to help. The arrangements are made to suit both the Host and WWOOFers, with many Hosts offering short stays initially with longer stays by negotiation if both parties are happy with the arrangement.

WWOOFers pay for their own travel costs & travel insurance and for any personal items they require. All food & lodgings are provided by WWOOF Host.

WWOOFers who are studying online or working remotely can search for hosts who offer this option for their free time.

For more information about becoming a WWOOF volunteer see: wwoof.com.au/volunteer/

WWOOF Hosts

WWOOF Hosts, who join on the WWOOF website, must be growing or producing organically, or bio-dynamically, many are using permaculture design principles. Hosts must be prepared to welcome volunteers (WWOOFers) to their properties and teach them about their techniques. Hosts provide all meals and snacks (preferably organic) and clean, comfortable accommodation. In exchange WWOOFers, who are generally unskilled, help for 4-6 hours each day (maximum of 38 hours in any 7 days) usually with a couple of free days each week to spend sightseeing etc.

Hosts create detailed WWOOF Host Profiles, providing information about their properties, what they produce, skills WWOOFers can learn, the types of accommodation and meals they will provide as well as any special conditions they want to stipulate. Profiles also include a gallery to entice WWOOFers, as well as a Map location and Availability calendar. Contact information, map and calendar are only visible to members, there is a short property description that is publicly viewable to encourage volunteers to join and see more details.

Once a Host Profile is completed, Hosts can advertise for WWOOFers on the member only Notice Board or look for a volunteer who interests them on a List search or a nearby volunteer on the member only Map search. All members can privately message each other directly from their profiles and can save interesting profiles to their Favourites list.

Hosts who have facilities available for WWOOFers who are studying or working remotely can also offer this as an option to attract long term stays. These WWOOFers do their normal WWOOFing hours, but Hosts do need to be flexible to allow them to attend meetings or lectures online. WWOOFers generally will do their study or work in their free time.

For more information about becoming a WWOOF Host see: wwoof.com.au/host/

Special Permaculture Australia WWOOF membership discount

WWOOF Australia is offering Permaculture Australia members a special 15% discount for all WWOOF memberships using the code on the member discount page when they join as a Volunteer or Host.

Need more information?

For more information about WWOOF Australia, see wwoof.com.au or call our friendly team during office hours on 0455 023 173