Country Life

For the past few weeks, Erik has been quite taken with the idea of living on a farm, so last weekend we decided to find out about farm life first hand up. Farmstay are fairly common in Australia, and apparently vary considerably in accommodation. The property we visited, Bunyip Springs, was recommended by a mum at Erik's school and proved to be well worth the two and a half hour drive up to the Darning Downs region northwest of Brisbane. We stayed in a renovated 1926 Queenslander cottage that had been moved from a nearby town. They also a have a lodge that sleeps up to eight for those who are interested. We could help out with the daily farm work and were free to roam the one square mile property that included paddocks, gum forests, springs and creeks.




Erik took on his chores with varying enthusiasm. He loved feeding the chooks (chickens) and collecting eggs from the “secret” nesting places in the hayloft. Offering a “bit of morning tea” to the calves and horses was also great fun. Milking the cows, however, was a bit intimidating and required Mark’s assurance and assistance. Actually it was the first time for any of us to milk a cow, so we all gave it a go. Another new experience for Erik was riding a horse around the yard. But best of all was playing with Hector, the farm’s boarder collie. I was relieved to see Erik so relaxed and comfortable with a dog since he is often a bit afraid of them.




Our host, Kathy, was a wonderful woman who had lived most of her life on farms, and was running the farm stay as a way to ease out of cattle ranching into retirement. We could really sense her love for animals and the land. She was one of these people who could tell fascinating stories in a matter of fact way as of everyone lived that way. Needless to say we had a fantastic time and hope to return again perhaps next fall when the land is a bit greener.

Bunyip Springs Website