My experience working on a small organic farm in Australia

The former lives of our staff can be an interesting read. Little did we know that Lucy, our Chief Marketing Officer, was once a beetroot-packer on a small family farm Down Under. From dollar-shop forays to cowboy karaoke nights, here are her highlights of WWOOFing in Australia.

Working holiday visa granted, flight tickets booked, backpack packed, the wait was over - we were finally off to Australia. I never knew what to expect when finding a job in Australia. My friend Ellie and I had done research before we left but what we really wanted to do was travel Australia. Two hours later we booked our full trip down the East Coast.

Little did we know, it was the jobs we would do over the next 12 months that would make our Aussie adventure truly unforgettable.

Becoming a farmer

For those who aren’t familiar to WWOOFing, let me explain. It stands for ‘willing workers on organic farms’. In a nutshell, organic farmers throughout Australia ask for help on their farms in return for food and accommodation. More importantly, for those passport holders that need to do three months of 'specified work' to get a second-year working holiday visa, farm work can count - so a double win.

Over a coffee, we trawled through the WWOOFing handbook (also known as the farmer's bible) and came across something that appealed to us: “Helping hands needed for small organic farm in Lowood, Queensland. Friendly farmer living with his teenage sons. The farm specialises in cucumbers, onions, beetroots and lettuce. Helpers will have their own room and the farm has a pool". A pool! That's all we needed to hear.

Before we knew it we were travelling on a small local bus from Brisbane into the Queensland Outback. A few hours later (with the realisation that civilisation was a long way behind us) we had arrived in Lowood. The town boasted a handful of shops and a couple of pubs - all filled with men in their sixties wearing cowboy hats.

Memorable farm work moments

Having spent 3 months in Lowood, I could talk about it for ages. Instead I want to share my five most memorable moments from my time doing farm work in Australia.

Broken deams – the pool

Yes, the key deciding factor in choosing this farm to up sticks and head to the Outback. If only we’d known the pool was last usable two decades ago - now it bore more resemblance to a green swamp. Basically, the dream of sunbathing by the pool after work was shattered within two minutes of arriving!

Cucumbers, cucumbers, cucumbers

The star veg of the farm, we spent a lot of our time on the cucumbers. This included pruning the branches, feeding and watering the plants - eventually I was promoted to the packing station. This involved packing up 5kg of cucumbers ready for the market. I picked and boxed around 5,000 cucumbers during my stay. It's not a surprise I can no longer stand the sight or taste of them!

Karaoke – cowboys just want to have fun

Like I said, the only bars in Lowood were filled with men in cowboy hats. One night, we joined them and, to my delight, it was karaoke night. I don't know what was going through my head when I signed up to sing Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’! An eerie silence, a sea of cowboy hats and, next thing I know, everyone was joining in. This was one of those moments where I realised farm work in Australia is all about the random experiences that make your trip extraordinary.

Friends and dollar shop hauls

We made some awesome friends during our farm work in Australia. We worked with Niamh, who was Irish, and Tammy, a lovely Korean girl who was great at picking beetroots. Being thrown together in such a close environment brings you close together. Our favourite weekly activity to do together was heading into town, hitting up the local dollar shop and buying the most hideous random stuff we could find! Honestly, this is the type of fun you have when you are a million miles from the big cities.

Wildlife – koalas, kangaroos and cockatoos

The wildlife around the farm was awesome. After each day, we would take a walk and watch the sunset, which was always truly magical. On any one day, you could see koalas, kangaroos, snakes, cockatoos and so much more. I always preferred the type of snakes that couldn't bite me, of course.

After three months, our time was up. We had come to love Lowood and it was an emotional farewell. If you ever have the chance to WWOOF, I‘d highly recommend it. Australian farm work gives you the chance to experience a different type of Australia away from the cities, where local people become your friends, buying silk shorts for a dollar is normal and the unusual is the usual.

If Australia’s been sitting in the back of your mind – calling you with bigger skies, better weather, and endless fields of cucumbers – maybe it’s time to pick up your pruning shears and take a punt on a working holiday Down Under.

Find your feet, find a job, and meet your people with our new Australia working holiday packages starting in Sydney or Melbourne. Australia visa processing, 4 or 7 hostel nights, unlimited job services, and all the nerdy tax + banking stuff included.