4 Fantastic Gold Coast Farmstays

Part of the Gold Coast’s appeal is that while it offers all the attractions of a major city, you don’t have to go far to find wide skies, rolling hills and fresh country air. If you’re seeking some time away from it all, we’ve uncovered four fantastic Gold Coast farm stays where you can reconnect with nature and each other, slow down and make new memories the old-fashioned way.

Kids will be happy as pigs in a puddle with cute animals to care for and plenty of time outdoors. Grown-ups can enjoy a break from the daily hustle and return home rejuvenated from the change in pace. So if you’re looking for a farmstay on the Gold Coast, we have just the country-style experiences to suit you and the family.

1. PARADISE COUNTRY FARMSTAY

Styled as an Australian homestead, Paradise Country offers an immersive experience of Aussie bush culture. Visitors to the theme park can spend the day soaking up an authentic Australiana vibe while watching skilled stockmen round up sheep on their horses, cracking whips and boiling up some billy tea, or catch a sheep shearing demonstration. There are endless activities and encounters for the kids and they’ll get up close and cuddly with a variety of farm animals and even some native wildlife like koalas, emus and kangaroos. 

Bottle feeding baby animals at the Nursery will have them wide eyed in wonder and so smitten with the cute critters they’ll never want to leave. Book a night or three at the adjoining Paradise Country Farmstay and you won’t have to! After a busy day panning for gold, patting animals and all the excitement, relax on the grassy hill at sunset for games on the lawn, wine tasting for grown-ups and roasting marshmallows around the campfire.

Camp out in your caravan/ motorhome, or truly retreat in one of the onsite Eco Tents with private ensuite available for couples or families. Your accommodation includes full access to Paradise Country during the day as well as exclusive Farmstay additions such as sunrise and sunset farm activities with farm animal feed up, nursery bottle feeding, egg collecting and cow milking.

Until November 2023, you can SAVE 20% off accommodation at Paradise Country Farmstay. With this deal, prices for camp/ van sites start at $84 and prices for family Eco Tents start at $228.

2. GOLD COAST TREE HOUSES

Country folk care for the land, and if you’re looking for a sustainable stay, you’ll find it here at Gold Coast Tree Houses. This unique eco retreat operates completely “off-grid”. It offers a wonderfully rustic stay with plenty of luxuries and mod cons to make it as comfortable as it is “country”.

Perched high amongst towering gum trees, with sweeping views down to the Gold Coast city skyline, this peaceful property gives guests an intimate experience with nature. It’s perfect for families with school aged children (the spiral staircases aren’t ideal for little ones) and a blissful retreat for couples. Free ranging chickens and ducks roam around the grounds and there are also peacocks, pet sheep, mini goats, alpacas peacocks and the resident dogs to pat.

There are 2kms of walking tracks winding through the property and a wide variety of local wildlife inhabit this area – try and spot a koala in the canopy as you explore. Springbrook National Park is right next door so you’re only half an hour from the beauty of this natural wonder and some of the Gold Coast’s most popular waterfalls and hiking trails.

Accommodation at this Hinterland hideaway consists of five individual self-contained, sustainable houses  (most sleep four people) and one is wheelchair accessible. Built over three storeys, they each feature a balcony on every level and two of the tree houses have a deep, luxurious bath on the top level so you can enjoy the stunning view as you soak in locally caught, pristine rainwater. Guests also have access to a large undercover entertaining BBQ deck and communal pool.

3. MYSTERY MOUNTAIN FARM STAY

Head for the hinterland to uncover the secrets of Mystery Mountain Farm Stay. Spoiler alert – said mysteries include breathtaking views across rolling hills to the coast and a menagerie of adorable farm animals including donkeys, goats, ponies, cows, alpacas and chickens.

Set on 55 acres, with a hundred-year old homestead on the property, Mystery Mountain delivers an authentic taste of country life with a generous serving of serenity thrown in for good measure. Wake to the sounds of abundant bird call and begin your day by inhaling lungfuls of crisp mountain air. End it gathered round a cosy wood fire pit with your friends.

Mystery Mountain is an educational farm stay catering to groups from 10-50 with accommodation facilities for all guests to sleep under one roof in bunk style accommodation. This magical property caters to school groups, research groups, weddings and team building trips or conferences. It’s the perfect place for a home base nearby nature-based attractions,  Binna Burra and the Lamington National Park – both only 15 minutes drive away.

4. INGLESIDE STUD FARM BED & BREAKFAST

Just inland from Burleigh, residential suburbs give way to acreage, tracts of bushland and a verdant green valley. Here in Tallebudgera, Ingleside Stud Farm B&B (a working horse stud) sits on 12 acres in a peaceful, pastoral setting. It’s only 15 minutes’ drive from the coast, but it feels a million miles away.

Enjoy the scenery and serenity from the wrap around veranda of a fully restored 3-bedroom settler’s cottage equipped with everything holiday makers could want, including free range eggs in the pantry. Kids can get a taste of farm life by helping feed the chickens, collect eggs, pick fruit straight from the tree and groom horses. The elevated BBQ hut is the perfect place for an evening meal – the sunsets over the mountains of “Tally Valley” are spectacular. This family bed and breakfast sleeps 9 (with room for 3 more in the main house on the property). Prices start from $189 a night.

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