You’re lying if it’s not a dream. Think timber cottage farmhouse with provincial French interiors. Days spent milking the cows, riding horses and feeding goats. Muddy gumboots and valley views. Drinking local wine on the verandah and collecting freshly laid eggs in the morning.
Of course, farm work is hard work. But what’s to stop you trying the farm life without all the hard work?
Australia boasts some of the most beautiful farm stays with varying levels of involvement. Here are our top five farm stays.
Minimbah, NSW
A fully operational cattle property with animal feeding and its own flowing creek. Timber cottages with wide stretch verandahs, open fields and nearby cellar doors. Minimbah is one of the NSW South Coast’s favoured Farm Stays for a reason.
Nestled in the heart of the Kangaroo Valley, this escape is the perfect education for little farmers. Feed goats, alpacas, chickens, sheep and baby cows, and take a gentle walk through the rain forest. Minimbah also has a play fort with rope swings and a river for rock hopping and swimming.
Minimbah has a range of classic farmhouse cottages, including kids bunks and large group accommodation. Open fields mean letting off steam while the parents kick back with a glass of wine. Surrounding activities include bushwalking, lookouts, swimming, horse riding, golf, tennis, cellar doors and a nearby museum.
Rivendell Farm Cottages, VIC
This opulent farm stay gives you a fresh breath of country air without sacrificing luxury. The large open plan cottages are the original Rivendell water tanks and dairies. They now boast outdoor entertainment areas and open fireplaces, perfect for evenings board games and wine.
Rivendell sees magical evening sunsets fall across the Tambo River. The working beef farm boasts a truffière, magnificent manicured gardens, a 200-tree orchard and an extensive veggie garden. It’s also pet-friendly and has a large range of farm animals.
The farm includes family-friendly intimacy. Orchards, egg collecting, animal feeding, spa swims, kayaking, swimming and home cooked pastries are all part of the daily routine at Rivendell.
Pump Hill, WA
This four-star farm stay boasts classic mudbrick cottages and misty valley views, only 1.5 hours from Margaret River. The soft forest sunrise over Pump Hill means a coffee on the verandah and baby ducks visiting the cottage door.
Enjoy a morning hayride with one of the friendly horses. Journey on a traditional hay cart through the farm to feed the cows, donkeys, goats and sheep. The animals at Pump Hill love pat, and the chickens always have fresh eggs to collect.
Enjoy bushwalking and bird watching, or a private barbeque with a sunset.
Blackwattle Farm Stay, QLD
This ‘Back to Basics’ farmstay offers the serenity of a remote farmstay in a central location. Blackwattle is situated in the Sunshine Coast, 30 minutes from coastline and only 10 from Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo.
The Organic farm hosts spacious suites with claw foot baths, and guests have access to the entire farm. You can join in with feeding the cows, miniature pigs and goats, alpacas, pigs, chickens and dogs.
Blackwattle also has an organic vegetable garden and hold kitchen garden workshops where you can learn how to create your own fresh produce.
28 GATES, TAS
This classic grazing property is 5500 acres of Tasmanian beauty. The sweeping pastures and lakes are only an hour from Hobart and are brimming with activity year-round. At 28 Gates, you can learn about the wool process and the shearing shed or take a tour of the original property.
28 Gates is all about sparkling wine, local cheese and homemade cake. The original stables and grain lofts have been transformed into luxury farm properties surrounded by hiking trails and rolling hills.
Try fly fishing or feeding the horse, sheep, rabbit, chooks and dogs. On a wildlife night tour, you might see wallabies, kangaroos, potoroos, quolls, possums, wombats or even an endangered Tasmanian devil.
The property hosts an abundant selection of strolls, hikes and walking tracks for all abilities. Finish your days with secluded sunset picnics of local cheese, biscuits and Tasmanian wine.
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