Willing Workers On Organic Farms (WWOOF) is a great way to see Australia. WWOOFers generally live with the host family, exchanging 4-6 hours of their labour a day, and learn about:

gardening and the skills of organic growing
the area they are visiting
WWOOF Australia and their hosts make travelling in Australia easy, safe and more fun for both Australian and Overseas Visitors. .

 

Above section copied from WWOOF.com.au

Rainforest Hideaway is not a real farm but a house hidden away in two hectares of privately owned rainforest with about 1000m2 of cleared land for a garden. Two rooms are run as a bed and breakfast with guests from all over the world experiencing sleeping in the rainforest for a night or two.

What sort of work is there to be done?

This year in 2010 I want to establish herb gardens to grow mint, lemongrass and a few more simple things. Also there is work maintaining fruit trees, weeding, and planting some more banana trees.

Besides gardening some help with the bed and breakfast is also appreciated, there's always something to clean, breakfast to be made, or guests to receive.

Also this year I want to make a start with a sculpture trail through the rainforest, so there is lots of work landscaping, making walking tracks, mixing cement for the sculptures etc.
Artists with an interest in this, and especially with some experience in sculpture or cement work are very welcome!

In 2008 I have made a start with the sculptures, more info below....

What do you get?

In exchange for your time ( around 4 to 6 hours a day as is usual with WWOOFing) you get your meals ( we usually take turns cooking), a comfy queensize bed in the office/loft, a few beers and wines, the experience of living in the middle of the oldest rainforest in the world, wildlife encounters ( cassowaries, golden orbs, bandicoots, goannas, brushturkeys etc.)
Vegetarians are no worries, vegans are a bit too much trouble, but breatharians are easily catered for.

Your hosts is: an ex-Dutchie who came to Australia in 1985 on a 12 month working holiday visa and is still here, testimony to what a great place this is. More info below...

 

Rosslyn and Michael from England cooling off in the pool after a morning of hard labour.

Public transport before the road was sealed...

How to get here:

Country Roads Coach Lines - This bus does a run all the way from Cairns to Cooktown, so is a good option if you plan to head further north after your Cape Tribulation stay. They depart Cairns at 07:00 in the morning, arriving in Cape Trib about 10:10 but not every day, only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, at the time of writing this page the one way fare Cairns to Cape Tribulation was $46.- See their website for up to date info and prices.
The return journey leaves Cape Trib at 10:10 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and arrives in Cairns around 13:30.

Sun Palm Coaches leaves Cairns daily at 07:00 and 13:00, arriving in Cape Tribulation around 10:25 and 17:25. They pick up from Cairns airport, some Cairns accommodation, all Port Douglas accommodation, (they only go into Daintree village on demand) and drop off at Rainforest Hideaway. One way fare Cairns to Cape Tribulation is $78.- p.p. , which makes renting a small car an attractive alternative considering it gives you the freedom to go and stop where ever you want. The return trips leave Cape Tribulation at 07:00, 10:30 and 18:00, getting into Cairns at 11:00, 14:00 and 21:30. See their website for more up to date details...

 

If you have your own transport and need some directions have a look at the maps page. After the "Welcome to Cape Tribulation" sign take the first turn left into Camelot Close, keep driving up the hill, first Moai on the left.

A very old photo from Holland above and a more recent from Thailand to the right Your host Rob was born in the famous cheese town of Gouda in the Netherlands where he spent more than 20 years battling arctic conditions, until he started travelling the world and found the pleasant tropical climate of north Queensland, Australia. My travels have taken me all over the world until finally settling down in Cape Tribulation in 1993. While holidaying at the backpackers I went for a walk, saw a "For Sale" sign and started questioning the locals on how you could buy land in the National Park. They explained to me that blocks of land had been subdivided in the early 1970's, about 10 years before the National Park was even declared, and that these blocks were still being bought and sold. So a few visits to real estate agents and the bank later I found myself the owner of two hectares of the world's oldest rainforest. I went back to Darwin where I was making maps for a gold mining company, sold my house, quit my job, and changed the Monday to Friday office lifestyle for a home in the wilderness. Things started off a bit basic, living in the garden shed until the first stage of the house was up, but gradually things grew bigger and bigger. I had never built a house before, only a coffee table and a pergola, but I figured any idiot can cut bits of wood to the right length and then nail the ends together, and so Rainforest Hideaway came to be. Initially I occupied myself with building the house, then became the local Harley tour operator, then a sea kayaking guide, bus driver, long distance tour guide (Cairns to Darwin 6 day outback camping trips), a couple of weeks as a rambutan packer at the local fruit farm and then a B&B owner: I am a Gemini, described by the horoscope as "Jack of all trades, master of none", which is a good starsign for a B&B owner as you have to be host, reception staff, cook, mechanic, electrician, cleaner, website designer, book keeper and tour guide all at the same time, and I also occupy myself with house building, furniture making, drawing and painting, and am also a part time computer nerd. In my spare time I do website work for the local tourism association, have built this site, and my project www.amazingaustralia.com.au . If you take any good photos on your travels around Australia that you'd be happy to share I'll be happy to add them to this site. I usually spend the wet seasons in Thailand, my favorite little island was Koh Kham, now unfortunately sold to developers, last year I spent some of the holiday up in northern Thailand in Chiang Mai doing some Thai massage courses and Thai cooking courses. In 2008 I decided to get in to sculpture too, these are all made of cement; Rob and his Easter Island Moai Two Moai guarding the entrance A third Moai overlooking the big fishpond African Woman The new mail box Buddha The entrance to the house The front steps The latest project; a bridge on the new walking track to the creek Even on holidays in Thailand in 2010 I got a bit creative....

How to make a coffee table......

Find a suitable bit of wood	Make some adjustments to the shape	Turn bit of wood to do same on other side
Remove some bits to achieve shape	Shape a bit more	Put coffee table on some rollers
Drive in to position	Voila! One crocodile coffe table!