Where does milk come from? Farmstays with a dairy focus.

 

I like a holiday with a simple goal. It sets the expectations low, because as long as you achieve that goal, then the holiday can be deemed a success. It doesn’t matter if you screamed at the kids twelve times a day or little miss left her favourite cuddle toy at home.

My little man, Hamish (4), shocked me the other day when he truly didn’t believe that chips were made from potatoes. Now I guess I have never made chips from scratch, the frozen oven-fries type is good enough for me, but still, that’s an educational gap that I can help with. I can remember at about age 9 being fascinated watching cows being milked by machine at a dairy farm, so I thought I’d start a little series on education-inspired holidays with some fabulous farm stays around the country on working dairy farms.

Wittacork, Queensland

NSW

The Pines, Kiama

A working dairy farm that bottles its own milk, makes its own gelato and has a 3 bedroom historic farmhouse to rent out? Yes please! Plus it’s only 1.5 hours south of Sydney overlooking the seaside town of Kiama. Heavenly! More information here.

VIC

A Fare With Nature, Wilsons Promontory

Deep in the heart of South Gippsland dairy and beef farmland with the gorgeousness of Wilsons Prom on your doorstep, at this farmstay you can watch the cows being milked, pat a miniature pony and wander around acres of fruit orchards. Rent out the self-contained accommodation – upstairs for 6 people or downstairs for 4. A 2 hour drive from Melbourne. More information here.

QLD

Wittacork, Maleny

The photos on this website take my breath away! A working dairy farm on 300 acres including 100 acres of rainforest. Oh and it adjoins a lake and a state forest. So not only do you get to watch the milking and feed the animals, you can also go on walks through the rainforest. I’m not sure I would be able to tear myself away from that view! 1.5 hours north of Brisbane with 2 and 3 bedroom cottages to rent. They’re the ones in the photo at the top of this post. Cocktail on the balcony anyone? More information here.

SA

Dairyman’s Cottage, Barossa Valley

This baby’s got style. Accommodating up to 5 in “a fusion of functional architecture and edgy style”, you’ve got milk, pork and wine grapes all being produced on the one farm. Watch the milking and feed the pigs. Perhaps you’ll squeeze in a visit to a winery or three. And only an hour north east of Adelaide. More information here.

Packing tips

• Gumboots for jumping in muddy puddles. Vanessa at Style & Shenanigans has a stylish selection for both mums and kids.
• Hand sanitiser for post-patting cleanup
• Baileys or Kahlua to mix with that lovely fresh milk
• Start here for what to pack for a weekend in cool weather
• Have a look at the Dairy Australia website for an easy-to-read explanation of how cows make milk. Might be worth printing out and talking to the kids about it on the way there.