What is WWOOFing?
2025-03-17T13:50:08+11:00
Established in 1971, the international WWOOF program allows organic farmers to share their home and experience with travellers.
WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) is a volunteer exchange program. Volunteer workers, known as WWOOFers, provide four to six hours of farming or gardening per day in exchange for all their food and accommodation.
“We have hosts located all across Australia who use organic, biodynamic or permaculture techniques,” says Tameson Linsen, the manager of WWOOF Australia.
Travellers can search for hosts on the WWOOF website.
“They contact the hosts that interest them,” Linsen says. “They might be interested in bamboo. They might be interested in yoga. They might be interested in only going to hosts who are vegan. We have all these keywords people can search by.
“They contact the host and say: I’m coming through in a few weeks. This is a bit about me. Would you have room for me?”
The minimum is two nights and the average stay is one to two weeks, Linsen says. Some hosts want people to stay for three months.
WWOOFers might find themselves weeding, planting or propagating. They might help with bush regeneration, digging drainage ditches for flood mitigation, cleaning up for bushfire safety, making tinctures from a herb garden or harvesting and preserving food.
Launched in England in 1971 by a London-based secretary who wanted people to learn about organic farms and sustainability, WWOOF is now a global movement. The Aussie branch (established in 1981) has 4,500 WWOOFers travelling around the country, visiting about 800 hosts.
While most WWOOFers are international travellers, the organisation would like to see more Australians having a go, to improve their gardening skills.
“We’re really encouraging people to WWOOF locally,” Linsen says.
“A lot of people are getting back to grassroots with growing their own fruit and vegetables. By going out locally, even if it’s just for a weekend, they can learn those skills.”
A one-year WWOOF membership costs $70 for one person or $120 for two people or a family travelling together. Host memberships cost $35–$70. For more information, visit: wwoof.com.au.
To learn more about the WWOOF experience, get a copy of our Autumn 2025 issue (OG 156), available here.
