A home gum trees

Rustling up her Akubra and riding boots, finds that a NSW farmstay is the perfect weekend retreat for families.

The idyllic idea of ‘going back to basics’ and living off the land is an increasingly popular fantasy for city families caught up in the hustle and bustle of the concrete maelstrom. Unfortunately, quitting your day job and moving to your own little rural retreat is not a very practical option for most. This desire to simply relax over a cuppa, breathe in that fresh country air and to immerse yourself in the slower-paced lifestyle of yesteryear – if only temporarily – has led to a unique type of holiday choice: the farmstay.

So trade in the city life in for a weekend in the bush – the kookaburras are calling (literally).

Mowbray Park Farm, Picton

Horse-lovers listen up: Mowbray Park Farm has your four-legged friends in abundance and for all ages and riding abilities. This family- owned and - operated property 90 minutes south of Sydney has been running since the 1980s, so the team knows a thing or two about life on the land. Regular farm activities include hay riding, animal feeding, cow milking and egg collecting, plus tennis, swimming and canoeing for the fitness-focused. On weekends and school holidays the farm runs a kids’ club for a couple of hours during the day and after dinner to give parents some time to themselves to really enjoy their scenic surrounds.

Children (and adults) love the animal nursery, which guests visit via tractor every morning, and then get hands- on feeding the local residents, which include creatures great and small – donkeys, alpacas, geese, ducks, goats and sheep. If the timing is right you can bottle feed a calf and help milk Lucy the cow. Pony rides happen twice a day and for ages eight and above, an optional horse trail ride will take you winding through the beautiful surrounds. Dinner is followed by a glowing campfire, marshmallows and camp songs included – it truly is a barn of a time!