Our next intake will begin in June, 2025! The application window is yet to be announced but please feel free to contact us with any questions if you're interested!
Winderong Farm is offering 6-month residential internships to people who are interested in all thing’s plants and sustainable living!
Winderong Farm is an experimental project encompassing regenerative agriculture, bush regeneration, permaculture, sustainability and communal living. Our farm is set on 810 acres of stunning wilderness and farmland in beautiful Dharawal country, Kangaroo Valley. Our community consists of around 12-15 full-time residents, 6+ local employees, and a host of beautiful and much-loved farm animals and wildlife. We aim to embody the permaculture principle of “we are nature working” and develop a deep understanding and respect for the land we steward, all the time aiming to regenerate the earth and learn from her and each other.
Learn how to grow organic, nutrient dense vegetables, herbs and fruit using a variety of techniques including permaculture, natural farming, and biodynamics. The growing area is around 2.5 acres, with an annual cropping area, native plant windbreak, herb garden, hugelkulter, poly tunnel and an orchard. You will also have the option to work with our bush regeneration team using 100% chemical free techniques. Native seed collection, germination and planting is also integrated.
Skills you will learn include:
- Planning and planting with the seasons
- Soil health and bed preparation
- Seed saving and seedling raising
- Cover cropping
- Integrated pest management
- Irrigation and hydrology
- Harvesting and storage
- Orchard management (eg. pruning, netting)
- Food processing, fermenting and preserving
- Bush foods and bush medicine preparation
Additionally, you’ll learn how to make a variety of inputs for the garden:
- Seed raising and potting up mix
- Compost - lactobacillus, biodynamic techniques and chicken compost
- Compost tea - both aerobic and anaerobic
- Natural fertilisers
- Biochar & bone char
- Biodynamic CPP
You’ll also be involved in various tasks to support the day-to-day management of the farm and community, eg maintenance, house cleaning, food preparation.
This is a working internship and is most suited to those who learn through doing. Additional educational opportunities include a weekly meeting for discussion, visits to local growers, and the option to participate in any workshops or events hosted by the farm.
We are happy to tailor the internship to your interests and meet any institutional requirements you have if you are doing formal study. We also welcome couples and families to apply.
Additional benefits that come with living at Winderong Farm:
- Living in a community of diverse people with shared values
- Access to an extensive library exploring permaculture, regenerative agriculture, growing guides, herbalism and other books
- A great local community with monthly Crop-Swap, farmers market and other activities
- Weekly Zoom yoga class
- Seasonal celebrations
- Communal gatherings such as singing/mending/crafting circle
- Local First Nations community connections and activities
- Beautiful bushwalks on and surrounding the property
- Access to educational webinars and films
Our internships incorporate both volunteer and paid hours. Volunteer work is exchanged for accommodation, high quality food, and educational opportunities. This is generally structured from 8:30am-12:30pm, Monday-Friday (20 hours per week). All work beyond this 20 hours is paid work (generally completed in the afternoon). Occasional weekend work is required. Paid work commences 2 weeks after arrival and interns are expected to eventually contribute 10-15+ hours beyond their volunteer requirement each week. This internship is intended for people who are enthusiastic to deepen their involvement over time and support the growth of our farm through the growth of your own knowledge and skills.
Accommodation in a decked-out bus and delicious organic food is provided.
We are very open to interns extending beyond their 6 months to become long-term residents and employees. A post-graduate program is in development to provide further learning opportunities and reciprocity for involvement. We are also open to long-term residents developing their own microenterprises on the farm.
Note that Winderong does not currently sell fruit or vegetables commercially. The food we grow is primarily to feed our community, with any major excess being either swapped, sold at the monthly markets or donated to food banks.
Internship intakes occur every 4 months and the official application window is advertised via our social media. Feel free to contact us and express interest at any time via the email below!
To apply, send an email to winderongfarm@gmail.com with:
- Your resume
- A cover letter telling us:
- Who you are
- Why you would like to intern with Winderong
- Which internship stream you have chosen and why
- What skills and experience you bring
Testimonials:
“The experience of living and working at Winderong Farm can’t be put into words. Frosty mornings working in the garden as the early rays warm your back, planting seeds and looking after them until you see them grow tall, picking the first juicy tomato of the summer season which you've been waiting for all year, identifying unique native orchids clinging to mossy tree stems, standing in awe under age old trees and remembering how small you really are. These are only some of the special moments which come to mind when I think about my Growing internship at Winderong Farm.The wide spectrum of projects going on at the farm have enabled me to delve into areas of interest: for me that has been understanding biodiverse food production systems, bushland regeneration and conservation within an agricultural context. I was well supported in learning and work through sharing of resources, guidance by knowledgeable mentors and practical learning by doing. Sharing the knowledge I have gained and teaching others about growing food and better looking after our ecosystems has added great meaning to my experience at Winderong. Whilst living in the same place that you work may not be for everyone, for me, it has enabled me to deepen my knowledge on growing food and living closely withing the ecosystems that we are part of. After all, we are nature, working! I would recommend anyone interested in growing and eating food in a community living context to apply.”
Inga, October 2023 - April 2024
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"Spending 10 months here at Winderong Farm, on this very magnificent piece of land has truly been an all-encompassing experience. The role I’ve served is primarily as a gardener, yet over time has extended into a chef, compost supervisor, contour manager, hide skinner, board game night curator, cheese taster/tester, and everything else that being a member of this community entails! This all goes to say that not much exists in separation from each other here, especially not us humans. From the corroborees and cultural immersions given by Gadhungal Marring to John Seed’s “deep ecology” weekend, the feeling of interconnectedness to this land and its lifeforms (and to all land and lifeforms) has been nailed home. Who knew simply chopping wood, carrying water, giving cows a good scratch on the neck, and tending to the needs of the tasty vegetables we consume would be so darn fulfilling?! Maybe it's a seemingly obvious insight to have, yet it seems a somehow radical testimony to be offered in this day and age. Thus, I feel so gifted to have tasted the vitality of life on the land here at Winderong and would massively recommend a stay to any folk from any walk of life."
Sam, October 2023 - April 2024
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"During my internship at Winderong I was incredibly fortunate to immerse myself in all aspects of seed raising! I arrived at the farm with limited knowledge of the intricate world of seed raising and saving, but quickly formed a profound passion and connection to the seeds and seedlings. From packet to plate and everything in between. I had the opportunity to raise the seeds I saved, and actively experience every stage of their life up until harvest time!
I learned how to apply a biodynamic approach to gardening and nurturing the seedlings, whilst working closely alongside the principles of permaculture and carrying these principles with me outside the garden and into my life."
Ethan, January - July 2024