Two positions available

Round 1, Spring internship - September 23rd - 20th December.

Round 2, summer internship- January 5th - April 5th

The internship looks like this.

Duration: 3 month internship

Contact hours: Three 8 hour days per week. 24 hours in total

Role description:

Successful applicants will be working side by side with farm owners Ryan and Portia as we take you through the many varied tasks and the learning opportunities the position offers. Spring is an exciting time to join us with lots of soil being prepared, beds mulched and crops sown. The Summer version features high intensity of harvesting as well as planting for autumn and winter production. This is an immersive learning style where you will be plugged into the process's required to produce a highly diverse and productive organic farm. We make sure to take time at end of each week to discuss and reflect on areas covered and make sure we finding the right balance between demonstrating and doing.

We will take you on a field trip to three other organic farms in our area where you will be exposed to a vibrant community spirit and a network of like minded passionate farmers who support each other's efforts where ever possible.

Upon completion we will provide information on courses, further resources and share our contacts in the field in an effort to support your journey towards becoming an organic farmer.

We will link you up with previous interns and introduce you to a growing number of likeminded and passionate young farmers

About Muddy Creek Gardens:

Founded in 2020 Muddy Creek Gardens is located in Belgrave South at the foothills of the Dandenong ranges 45 mins east of Melbourne. We operate using organic practises on 1.5 acres of land, growing 30-50 varieties of vegetables and fruits seasonally. We sell our produce direct at our weekly farmers market stall and a small amount to a restaurant wholesaler. We operate under the principles of Agroecology meaning we focus on local direct distribution, ecological farming practices and advocate for socially just and democratic food systems.

Muddy creek gardens social media.

Agroecology further reading.

Covered in the Internship will be topics such as:

• Soil health and amendments
• Planting, cultivating and weeding
• Pest and disease management for organic farming
• Marketing and selling your produce
• Pathways and next steps

Key selection criteria:

• A passion for small scale organic farming
• An aspiration to pursue a career in this field
• Ability to work outdoors in a range of weather conditions
• A willingness to engage and learn the various skills of market gardening
• The ability to work well in a fast paced team environment
• A vehicle and license is preferred though not essential.

Voluntary role:

Or though this is a voluntary role, Muddy Creek Gardens can contribute $500 per fortnight to assist the learning process. We know the cost of living is high and its hard to make the sacrifice of turning down paid work to make time for this voluntary learning opportunity. We hope this offer helps get you in the position to take on this great opportunity. We can also offer a seasonal vegetables/ fruit from the garden when in abundance.

Why run an internship:

We are very conscious that the average age of farmers in Australia is alarmingly high at 60 years old. Want to do our bit towards changing this. Our path into organic and Agroecological farming has been a windy one with very little formal education offered from any of the training organisations. If it wasn't for internships, WOOFING and on the job training we would not have been able to learn the skills necessary to become Agroecological marker gardeners. This is our way of giving back in a symbiotic way by sharing our knowledge with you, helping to empower the movement of earth friendly and socially just farmers in the food system.

Please see attached position description for more information about the role.

Feel free to call Ryan on 0403 523 962 to discuss the role further.