Yarramba is associated with the HelpX organisation: http://www.helpx.net/. There are series of host properties throughout the country... HelpX is provided primarily as a cultural exchange for working holiday makers who would like the opportunity during their travels abroad, to stay with local people and gain practical experience. Volunteer helpers are invited to stay and work on a short-term basis in exchange for food and accommodation.

We accept visitors all year round, and offer them an exciting opportunity to experience life in the bush, working in a horse training and trail riding business.

Our helpers usually work six hours a day, with typical duties including:

• Morning and afternoon yard cleaning
• Helping with feeds and hay
• Assisting with fencing, firewood collection, mustering stock for neighbouring properties
• Helping with the training of young horses (experienced riders only)
• Taking the horses to/from their paddocks
• Grooming and tacking up horses in preparation for trail rides
• Weeding, mulching, helping with gardening

 

 

In exchange they receive:

• The opportunity to ride daily, often one-to-one tuition
• The chance to learn or develop many kinds of horse and farm-related skills
• The experience of life in the Australian bush
• Their own comfortable room or caravan
• Substantial home-cooked meals
• A friendly and welcoming home

“I stayed at Yarramba for three weeks. It was a fantastic experience and I learned a lot about handling and riding horses. In exchange for helping in the yards I got high quality riding lessons and trail rides in a really spectacular landscape. The food was also great! Thank you Mark and Rosemary!”
Mareike, East Germany, February 2006

“We had a really great time at Yarramba, one of our best experiences in Australia. Mark and Rosemary were great to stay with (especially Rosemary's cooking). Also they were very accommodating of our different riding capabilities (Rowan’s being zero!). All the horses were clearly very well trained and responsive, making them great to ride. Yarramba is in a beautiful setting and we watched many stunning sunsets from the caravan. The dogs were great fun too, but the highlight for both of us was without a doubt the mountains of horse poo!”
Rowan and Becca, England, March 2006

Please contact us if:

• You are or intend to become a genuine member of the HelpX organisation
• You are prepared to stay at least two weeks
• You are happy to work six hours per day, with appropriate time off for long-stayers
• You have a reasonable level of fluency in English (necessary for safety reasons when working daily with horses)
• You are happy to stay on a farm out in the bush – the nearest (very small) town is Cooma thirty minutes away, and there is no way of reaching this unless you have your own transport
• You are happy to share a mixed diet of meat and vegetables, home cooked and generally organic or home grown
• You are cheerful and hard-working!

Horse and riding experience is desirable, but not essential. We are very happy to host those with no prior experience but who are interested and keen to learn, or those with other skills or experience to offer (carpenters, fencers etc especially welcome!).

To arrange a visit to Yarramba, send an email to , telling us:

• Who you are - your name, age, nationality and a bit about yourself
• Any background, experience or interest in horses, training and riding
• What dates you are interested in staying at Yarramba
• Your contact details including telephone/mobile number

We will try to reply to your email within a few days. If space is available on the dates you want we will reply to let you know and ask you to give us a call to make further arrangements. If space is not available, we may suggest alternative dates you might want to consider.

Once you’re booked in with us, it’s very important that you let us know as soon as possible if you need to alter your dates, or are unable to come to us for whatever reason.

Most of our visitors come to us on public transport from Sydney. This is easy to do in one day, taking about six hours in total. It is best to do this on a Friday morning, as this is the day we regularly drive into Cooma so we can conveniently collect you from the bus stop.

visitors usually find the easiest route to be:

• 08.00 Greyhound Bus from Sydney Central arriving 11.35 at Canberra Jolimont
• Change at Canberra Jolimont to the 11.55 Countrylink Bus to Cooma, arriving 13.30 at the Snowstop.

The Snowstop is usually the first stop in Cooma, is located amongst the shops next to KFC, and is announced by the driver. Note that other bus companies, such as the Transborder Alpinexpress, do not use the Snowstop but stop at Centennial Park in Cooma instead.

If possible, bring with you clothes and workboots suitable for wearing each day on the farm. If you don’t have suitable things with you, we have clothes and boots you can borrow, and spare gloves and hats for cold weather.