Clovely Grove: Sacred Ground

Macadamia Trees!

In order to learn more about Australians, their culture and way of life, Scott and I decided to do some "Wwoofing". W.W.O.O.F, stands for Willing Workers On Organic Farms. (To learn more or become a member, click here.) 

How Wwoofing Works:
The basic principle of WWOOF is that you volunteer to work on an organic farm in exchange for room and board. It is up to you to seek a farm particular to your interests and speak with the farmers directly. I have done a lot of wwoofing in Canada, but it was all new to Scott. We decided to give it a go, and called "Clovely Grove" just outside of Byron Bay, New South Wales. A few days later My Roaming Backpack was unpacking for a few days at a Macadamia Plantation!

Clovely Grove:
Clovely Grove is a beautiful oasis on a Macadamia farm. Originally the land was over-run by invasive species, but Scott (the owner/our wwoof host) and his friend Mark removed them and replaced them by introducing native species. Only eight years later, the property has been transformed- the native species have flourished in their habitat. Yet, there is still work to be done. Mark picked us up from The Arts Factory and explained to us that we would be helping with the introduction of more new species and take part in the regeneration process of Clovely Grove.

I learned how to identify a fruitless grapefruit tree! ( See the leaves in my hand in above picture.) and I saw the tallest Bird of Paradise Ive seen yet- must have been atleast 20 ft. tall! But to top it all off, I watched a cow jump over a fence, LITERALLY. (Sorry, no pic!)

  In the meantime, our host, Scott was great. He welcomed us into his home immediately and went out of his way to make sure he showed us all the attractions in the area. Just to name a few we checked out Tea Tree Lake in Lennox Head, Boulder Beach, Sharpe Beach Belongil Beach, and the famous Lighthouse. 

Our wwoof host releasing a python after rehabilitating it/ Me cleaning the deck/ Scott dipping the chooks feet in Linseed oil to prevent parasites- this was pretty amusing to watch considering they had to catch the chooks first!

Brekkie & Fresh "Apple-Apple Juice" (Green-Apple & Pineapple)

Breakfast at Clovely Grove was always a highlight: fresh free-range eggs from the chooks, fried tomatoes and mushrooms soaked in butter, and freshly-squeezed juice, hells ya! Dinners were always fun too, and Scott's friend, Mark was an amazing cook! After dinner we would watch footie, or have some good laughs watching ridiculous Aussie reality shows like "The X-Factor" or something-rather, "The Farmer Picks A Wife"? One night we spent hours on end watching Australian music videos on youtube, and the following night Canadian music. It was great to show each other some of our favs, except I think we may have scared Scott a little with "Oh Canada" by Classified and "Rock you" by Helix. Oops! :P 

                               Australian Band, Goanna, Singing "Solid Rock" 
                                     a song about the aboriginal conflict

Goodbye New South Wales
Only a few days into our stay I was surprised with a call from an employment agency I had contacted a few weeks prior. I was being offered a position with a good salary in Queensland, about 3 hours away. Accepting the job would mean cutting my wwoofing experience short, and not being able to help restore the land at Clovely Grove. 

However, it also meant being able to potentially extend the overall reach of my travels. My flight to South Africa in 2013 has already been purchased, but I would also like to visit New Zealand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao, possibly India, and lately Ive been dreaming of Mongolia and Russia. Keeping my final goals in mind, I decided it was best to accept the job and carry on to Queensland. Scott (my travel-mate) and Scott (my wwoof host) were both very understanding. We enjoyed the relaxing weekend together before they both dropped me off at the bus station in Lismore. We went our separate ways, them back to Byron, me, Queensland bound. 

Thank you Scott (and Mark) for making me feel welcome and sharing your life :) 

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