Kids love getting up close and personal to animals and they can do just that at Mowbray Park Farmstay in Picton, just a 90-minute drive from Sydney. But this family owned farmstay in the lush Wollondilly Shire offers much more than the usual meet and greet animals.
Kids love making damper
Sure, there are cuddly rabbits, cheeky goats and inquisitive alpacas, along with donkeys, sheep and ducks to feed and fondle, and littlies will love the tractor and pony rides. But older kids, and mum and dad, can learn about natural horsemanship on a trail ride through paddocks, woodlands and wetlands.
Try your hand at archery, canoeing or whip cracking, enjoy a family game of tennis, then gather around the camp fire by the stream and make damper rolls to fill with finger-licking golden syrup.
History buffs will enjoy hearing about the property’s past as a repatriation hospital and Barnardos Home, while those with an environmental bent can learn about the revegetation and aquaponics projects.
Best of all, there are no shearers quarters here. Accommodation is in ensuite rooms in heritage buildings, from a small chapel to the large homestead. Lodges, with communal lounges, are great for extended families or groups of friends. You can self-cater or dine in the coach house on delicious home-cooked meals.
There is an early children’s dinner followed by Kids Club, so adults can dine by themselves if they wish. Sometimes there’s an after dinner sing-along or movie.
When you’ve exhausted all the farm activities, which could take a few days, then check outTrainworks museum in nearby Thirlmere, where the kids can meet Thomas the Tank and friends.
Mowbray Park
Mowbray Park Farm, 745 Barkers Lodge Road, Picton, NSW 2571. Phone 02 4680 9243
