| |
FEATURE STORY: Country vs Coast in Queensland’s Capricorn
Life on a farm can be pretty dirty work, but a beachside hideaway is the perfect spot to wash off the dust, finds Jessica Reid.
I’m not a country girl. Let’s get that straight from the outset. I’ve lived in cities all my life and had never thought too much about where the food in my fridge had come from prior to its journey from the supermarket shelves to my home. So when I found myself on Myella Farmstay squeezing breakfast juice from oranges I’d picked off a tree, cooking an omelette with the eggs I’d just collected from the chook pen and pouring milk on my cereal that I’d squeezed the previous day from ‘Mia’s’ udder just a few metres away, it awakened a whole new sense of appreciation for the food sitting in my fridge at home.
Getting back to basics is one of the main attractions at Myella Farmstay, which is situated a 90 minute drive south-west of Rockhampton in Central Queensland.
The family-run operation was started by Olive and Peter Eather in 1993 with their three children Lyn, Peter and Barbara. Today 38 year old Lyn rules the roost, coordinating the staff, daily activities and answering the hordes of naive questions from curious visitors like ourselves.
“Doesn’t that hurt her?” a concerned guest asked Lyn as she pulled young Mia’s teets to fire milk into the bucket below.
“Not at all – just wait until you see how brutal the calves can be when they’re feeding,” she replied.
Moments later Mia’s baby calf Milo came storming in and took over from Lyn and we saw just what she meant.
And while I’m sure Lyn could milk two cows at a time with her eyes closed, for a first-timer it’s not as easy as it looks. But after a few practice goes, our groans of frustration were quickly followed by squeals of delight as we each contributed to filling up the creamy bucket.
For visitors to Myella, the days are your own. Although activities at the farmstay are optional, most guests take full advantage of the daily experiences on offer.
Mountain and motor bikes are on stand-by, horses wait patiently to be saddled for daily rides and 4WD farm tours are a regular event on the 1,050ha property. The whip cracking and lasso lessons are always popular, as are the resident kangaroos and Pink Floyd the gallah who call Myella home.
Like moths to a flame, guests are drawn back to the main homestead at mealtimes where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at large communal tables with the Eather family.
You can certainly work up quite the appetite at Myella, but it would be hard to go hungry. A hearty feast of fresh salads, home cooked dishes, roast vegetables and beef from the farm is spread out buffet-style for guests to indulge. And following the meals, guests gather around the fire to tell the stories of their day, compare animal sightings and discuss their new-found farming skills.
The Eather’s promise to leave guests ‘stiff, sore and dirty but happy’, is one that certainly rings true and after two days on the farm we’re sad to leave.
Driving back towards the coast we stopped in at the historic mining town of Mount Morgan for an award-winning pie and tour of the town with TMC Tours. Once a thriving mining town of 16,000 people, the TMC Tour takes visitors on an eerie and interesting journey through Mount Morgan, its now closed mine and nearby dinosaur caves.
Back on the road, we soon arrive at the new Seaspray Resort, which is situated on a picturesque strip of coastline at Zilzie Bay, in stark contrast to the dust and flat plains we had left behind at Myella. When the resort opened in December last year, Seaspray became the first real development in the area and it’s fair to say that the owners have really splashed out.
The first stage of the resort development (there are also residential areas and another nine stages planned) features 17 huge two and three bedroom fully self-contained loft apartments and a superb rec club with a two-storey gymnasium, pools, tennis courts, and kids club.
Chef Michael Hoare heads Seaspray’s fantastic bar and restaurant, Coco’s @ Seaspray, with a menu featuring local produce such as a tender crocodile meat from nearby Koorana Farm, fresh scallops from Yeppoon and beef from local cattle farms. But before Michael hit the kitchen for dinner, he joined us on the beach for an afternoon sea kayaking adventure.
The regular trips take off from the sands of Zilzie Bay, walking distance from Seaspray, and take in the calm coastal waters of the area. Left, right, left, right we paddled as the sun began to set and we visited two of the small islands in the Keppel Bay Group sitting pretty just offshore.
Riding the gentle waves back into the beach I realised I’d worked up quite the appetite. And when I sat down to dinner at Coco’s later that evening I savoured each delicious bite and silently thanked the team at Myella for my newfound admiration of the food on my plate.
The Essentials:
Myella Farmstay: www.myella.com.au
Seaspray Resort: www.seasprayresort.com.au
TMC Tour: www.tmctours.com.au
Holiday and accommodation ideas: www.capricornholidays.com.au
Getting there: Direct flights are available to Rockhampton from Townsville, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, with connections from other major cities. Rockhampton is an eight hour drive north of Brisbane. Self drive, jump on a Greyhound Bus, or enjoy the comfortable coastal rail journey with Travel Train.
~Ends~
Go back one page
Go to the New Tourism front page
Go to the archive
|
|
|
|
