Organic Farm Stays: New South Wales (2023)

Beside Barrington Tops World Heritage Area and the ancient Gondwana rainforest in New South Wales, Australia, The Tops is an award winning organic farmstay on a 2,000 acre estate.  THE ACCOMMODATION: Their accommodation is in the form of self contained, self catering cabins which are super comfortable and come with a full kitchen, a lounge with fireplace, bathroom with spa bath, and flat screen TV and WiFi. In the extensive grounds outside you’ll also find an outdoor swimming pool and a tennis court. The food here is another big attraction, with most of the ingredients coming direct from the farm or from other local organic farms, and they specialize in a variety of Sri-Lankan curries as well as other more mainstream Aussie food. Vegetarians will be well taken care of too, as will anyone with other dietary restrictions. It’s open for breakfast 7 days a week and for dinner on Wednesday to Saturdays. There’s a nice lounge area too at the main farmhouse with comfortable couches around an open fire and guests can play snooker, pool and table tennis or sample some of The Tops’ full range of Rosnay organic wines, Cooper ales and various home made organic juices. PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos on the booking page here. THE FARM: Their huge farm, all two thousand acres of it, is home to cows, goats, horses, geese, ducks and hens as well as numerous native wildlife including koalas, kangaroos, platypus, potoroos and rare white tailed eagles. Running through the farm there is two miles of the Dilgry River, well known as one of the cleanest in Australia, and a great fishing river. THE LOCATION: The farm stay is 2 hours from Newcastle and 3 and a half hours from Sydney, while the town of Gloucester is about 45 minutes away.  As mentioned before it is in an enviable setting; right beside Barrington Tops World Heritage Area with the ancient Gondwana Rainforest surrounding it.  Trips around, and tours of, the surrounding area can be organized at the farmhouse where you’ll find plenty of opportunity for fishing, horse riding, kayaking and mountain bike riding. WHAT READ MORE

The Donnybrook Eco-Retreat is an off-grid property that provides luxury, safari style, glamping tents in 100 acres of gorgeously peaceful, lush Hunter Valley countryside. THE ACCOMMODATION: There are three tents in total, all of which are doubles with queen size bed. One, the Billabong tent is self-contained with its own kitchenette, and sits by itself by a dam while the other two, the Valley View & Hill View, sit near each other on a small hillside. The latter two tents are linked by raised decks and separated by a lovely cedar clad yurt which has a well equipped kitchen and dining area for the use of guests in both tents. If looking for splendid isolation some might find them a little too close to each other and so will be happier with the Billabong tent, but they do allow for some degree of socializing with other guests if you so wish. Check out your options on the booking page here. The accommodation is self catering but a farm fresh breakfast pack is included in the rate and, as the name suggests, features some organic products straight from their own farm. You’ll find the surrounds remarkably peaceful, especially if you’re coming from Sydney. Feel free to wander around the 100 acres of bush and grassland with its farm animals; sheep, ducks, miniature goats and hens, and a huge amount of local wildlife. You can take a swim in the indoor swimming pool (seasonal), borrow a bike from the retreat, go kayaking or fishing too, and of course there is lots to see in the surrounds; the iconic Hunter Valley. Note: There is no Wifi at the retreat. PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos on the booking page here. THE LOCATION: Donnybrook Eco is close to the Hunter River and within a half an hour’s drive of some of the most well known towns in the area; Maitland, Paterson and Morpeth for eg., as well as lots of its most famous wineries and restaurants. The journey by car from Sydney should take less than two hours. WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “Such a lovely spot with a great view, READ MORE

The Heavens offers luxury cottages with spa baths on its own 160 acre, blissfully peaceful, slice of Kangaroo Valley countryside. It is very much a place to relax and completely unwind, and can make a tempting romantic getaway from Sydney, though it also happily caters for families too. THE ACCOMMODATION: There are two one-bedroom and one two-bedroom cottages to choose from. All are spacious and fully contained with top of the range kitchen facilities, lounge with satellite TV, comfortable beds and spa baths/jacuzzis in the bathrooms. They all offer plenty of privacy and solitude and, from the verandah outside, you have lovely views over the surrounding farmland, and your own barbecue facilities. Check out all the options on the booking page here.  The cottages overlook the farm where you’ll find alpacas, goats, pigs, hens, ducks and guinea fowl as well as a huge amount of the wildlife that Kangaroo Valley is famous for; kangaroos of course, plus wallaroos, wombats, wallabies, echidnas and plenty more. Guests are welcome to stroll around the farm and meet some of the animals go hiking around the bush or treat themselves to a massage package from their on-call professional masseuses. PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos on the booking page here. THE LOCATION: The Heavens is just 6km from Kangaroo Valley town and the whole area has loads to offer the outdoors types; horse riding, hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, rock climbing, fishing etc., and the scenery is, famously, simply gorgeous all around. Kangaroo Valley has plenty to offer food and wine lovers too. There are quite a few wineries which offer wine tours in the surrounding area and some lovely small towns with plenty of food culture, farmers markets etc. WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “Refreshing, relaxing, romantic, just perfect for what we needed. Thank you. The complete experience was exceptional, the walks, the room, the view, the service and the perfect place to feel away from home and be self isolated. My partner ended up having emergency dental surgery and the owners checked in to see how the patient was doing. Would have stayed longer if we could but READ MORE

The eco-friendly Crystal Creek Meadows has four very private, luxury guest cottages on their small farm in the midst of some typically gorgeous Kangaroo Valley countryside, just 3km from Kangaroo Valley village itself. It’s very much a place to relax and recuperate and guests can treat themselves to yoga classes and various day spa and massage packages in the privacy of their cottage or in a secluded spot in the grounds. THE ACCOMMODATION: You have a choice between the one double bedroom cottages; the Billabong and the Jolly Jumbuck, and the two double bedroom; the Fleur Farm and Rose Garden. Check them out on the booking page here. All are spacious and super clean and comfortable with King and Queen size beds and particularly plush bathrooms with free standing bathtubs and stocked with the owners’s own organic, handmade aromatherapy products. Other facilities include WiFi, satellite TV & DVD, cosy log fires and top of the range kitchens. The accommodation is self catering but you can enjoy a generous deluxe breakfast hamper in the mornings supplied by the farm owners, which include some free range farm eggs, home-baked scones and a range of herbal teas. Evening meals too can be arranged with a little advanced notice and if cooking your own you can feel free to pick some of the ingredients; organic fruit, vegetables and herbs straight from the gardens. You can while away the time at Crystal Creek just relaxing and detoxing from the city, but you can also go wildlife spotting, fruit or flower picking, picnicking or night time star gazing. If you want to tour further afield, around the enchanting Kangaroo Valley, you can borrow one of the farm’s bikes. PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos on the booking page here. THE LOCATION: Kangaroo Valley village is just 3km away from the farm and so you are very central to all that the Valley has to offer. There is much to do and see in the surrounding area, much of it food and wine based, but lots of outdoor sports, hot air ballooning, boat trips and the like can be arranged too. READ MORE