A Blissful Family Getaway At Morvern Valley Farm Stay

By: Hannah Calgaro-Booth, 22 May 2020

Going on a holiday with a baby is always a daunting task. You always pack the whole house with all the baby gear in the fear you will be caught without enough bibs, baby bottles or their favourite dummy. Then throw two older brothers into the mix and the thought of a relaxing weekend away seems impossible.

After arriving at Morvern Valley, my fears disappeared and I realised I need not have worried, as it is the perfect escape for families who need to unwind.

Located in the Southern Highlands, only a short 90 min drive from Sydney, Morvern Valley is a farm stay, offering a unique hands-on experience with farm animals as your fellow guests.

We were lucky to stay in Braedon Cottage, one of three cottages on the property, which had a welcoming big red door which made my boys eyes light up as we arrived. It was the perfect size for our family of five, with three bedrooms allowing us enough space to sleep, and unpack the enormous load we brought with us.

As we entered the cottage, owners Julie and Jason had turned some lovely Jazz music on to set the mood, and we were welcomed with a lovely fresh food basket, complete with homegrown eggs, veggies and essentials like bread and milk. 

The cottage is completely set up for children, including porta cot, highchair and a huge choice of toys for all ages. There is also a large selection of DVD’s for cosy nights in, and we got to enjoy some family movie time which was a nice change from screen time and YouTube.

We arrived on a rainy weekend, but that did not stop my boys from venturing out on the farm.  We remembered to take raincoats and boots, but they also had a selection of children’s and adult’s gumboots at the house for guests to use.

Once we started exploring the farm we were welcomed by horses and llamas at the gate who happily let us through and wander down to see the rest of the property. In addition to the horses and llamas, you also get to meet sheep, cows, donkeys, ducks, rabbits, geese and chickens. In fact, our cottage had its own hen house that the boys were able to enter and collect fresh eggs from!

Jason helped guide us through the farm (riding down to meet us on his moped which was super cool!). He also gave our oldest boys a ride on the farm tractor which was the highlight of their lives.

Aside from the farm animals which the children were allowed to pat, including the rabbits and chickens which they picked up and held, there were also swings set up on the trees, and a cute little cubby house to be explored.

On our second day it was raining quite heavily, so we decided to go out and have some lunch in the quaint little town of Bundanoon. We found the child friendly Bundanoon Hotel, a beautiful grand tudor style pub and ordered some lunch by the fireplace which was the perfect thing to do on a chilly day with a glass of wine in hand. 

That evening we also decided to go out to eat, and found an amazing local Italian restaurant Bottega B Pizzeria who managed to fit us in without a booking at the last minute on a Saturday night. Talk about service! The food was equally outstanding.

Our stay at Morvern Valley was unforgettable and a completely unique experience. We loved it, especially our children who keep asking when we can go back to the farm. Julie and Jason were the perfect hosts and we will definitely return soon.

Top Tips for a Farm Stay Holiday

  • Take comfortable and practical clothing. Children will be walking around on dirt tracks and through mud so don’t take any clothes that you don’t want getting dirty.
  • The Southern Highlands climate can get really cold. Be ready to dress for sunny warm days that turn into really cold nights
  • Enjoy unplugging from devices as the WiFi signal was not strong and we found we couldn’t connect a lot of the time – which was a GOOD thing!
  • Make the most of the hands-on experience and don’t be afraid of the animals

Find out more about Morvern Valley Farm Stay here.

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