Escape to the Country: Sydney's Best Farm Stays For Families

Looking for a refreshing family getaway? The best farm stays near Sydney for families promise starry skies, fresh air, and endless fun with farm animals. Time to book your rural retreat!

A farm stay experience is just the dose of nature and tech-free family bonding that you need. Sydney is home to some gorgeous working farms, including Bilpin Country Lodge, Mowbray Park Farmstay, and Morvern Valley Country Cottages, all offering a mix of nature, fun activities, and cosy accommodations. Start booking!

The Best Farm Stays Near Sydney For Families

1. Bilpin Country Lodge

Bilpin Country Lodge offers a quintessential family farm stay experience on the cusp of the beautiful Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury regions.

The generous country retreat is surrounded by 10 acres of gardens and bushland and is designed for comfort. The B&B is well-equipped for the perfect escape and all guest rooms boast queen beds, ensuite bathrooms, and air-conditioning. There is also a giant spa, free Wi-Fi, a games room, and a daily breakfast.

The ample farmland offers loads of space for kids to run around, plus a trampoline and kids' playground, basketball, bushwalks, canoes, a campfire, table tennis, and a variety of resident animals to feed and pat! Further afield you can discover local apple-picking orchards, National Parks, and quaint villages.

We also love that you can book out the whole property for a big family gathering, anniversary or reunion – the lodge sleeps up to 20, so you can take over and make yourselves feel right at home!

Location: 46 Bilpin Springs Rd, Bilpin
Distance from Sydney: 90 minutes

Read about ellaslist’s visit to Bilpin Country Lodge.

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2. Mowbray Park Farmstay

Mowbray Park is open during NSW school holidays and on weekends that offers self-catering lodge accommodation and camping, as well as supervised activities each morning and plenty of fun to be had around the farm throughout the afternoon. You can try your hand at something new or hone existing skills through activities such as tennis, swimming, canoeing, archery, and table tennis and you can bring your fishing rods and push bikes, too.

Farmyard activities include feeding the cattle, collecting eggs, milking the cows and pony rides for under 8—meaning there's something for every member of your family, no matter their age or interests!

Location: 745 Barkers Lodge Rd, Picton
Distance from Sydney: 90 minutes

Read ellaslist's review of Mowbray Park Farmstay.

3. Morvern Valley Country Cottages

Morvern Valley is host-free, so a whole luxurious cottage is all yours!

Nestled in the gorgeous Southern Highlands, Morvern Valley is a must for families! Each cottage has a BBQ area, parking, fenced private gardens, and even its own hen house for egg-collecting fun. Children will be thrilled to meet the animals, including ponies, miniature horses, donkeys, sheep, chickens, ducks, giant geese, alpacas and other friendly farm animals that love a pat.

Location: 1 Grey Gum Ln, Bundanoon
Distance from Sydney: 90 minutes

Read our ellaslist review of Morvern Valley Farmstay.

4. McKeown’s Rest

One of the closest farm stays to Sydney, McKeown’s Rest is nestled in stunning Oberon and offers up a luxury bed and breakfast and farm experience for families.

The 200-acre cattle property is bursting with animals to intrigue the kids, including cattle, sheep, donkeys, goats, chickens, geese, ducks, alpacas, llamas, horses, ponies, and even some deer! On the accommodation front, guests will receive the full bed-and-breakfast experience with luxurious rooms, breakfast in the morning, a heated pool, and even a spa!

Location: 5194 Jenolan Caves Rd, Oberon
Distance from Sydney: 2 hours and 40 minutes

5. Redleaf Farm

With a brood of heritage breed Saddleback pigs, Highland cows, Border Leicester X Merino sheep and a menagerie of horses, dogs, ducks, chickens, geese, peacocks, goats and a donkey on an expansive 270-acre Southern Highlands property, Redleaf Farm offers two unique accommodation options that will ensure you immerse yourself in a relaxing country break!

Enveloped by serene bushland, the two gorgeous restored Redleaf train carriages make for a fun and quirky family farm experience. Redleaf also has safari-style glamping tents adorned with luxurious linen, cowhide rugs, fairy lights and a private outdoor hot shower for a dreamy off-grid adventure.

Location: Redhills Road, Fitzroy Falls
Distance from Sydney: 2 hours

6. Barranca

Escape to Barranca, where luxury meets nature in an eco-luxe vibe. This 400-hectare hidden gem is surrounded by stunning sandstone cliffs, making it the perfect getaway for some serious R&R.

At Barranca, wellness is the name of the game. Whether you're in the mood for a soothing massage, a spa treatment, or a private yoga session with epic valley views, you'll find your zen here. And for the kiddos? They'll love hanging out with the farm horses. Plus, Kangaroo Valley is packed with action – think fishing, kayaking, bushwalking, horse riding, mountain biking, and more. Get ready to chill, explore, and enjoy!

Location: 408 Bunkers Hill Rd, Barrengarry
Distance from Sydney: 2 hours

7. Chesleigh Homestead

Chesleigh Homestead is an impressive 3,000-acre wilderness property in Sofala, a small goldrush village in the historic NSW's Central West, just a stone's throw from Bathurst.

The quaint and cosy residence has been built by hand over the past 40 years to create an authentic, rustic NSW farm experience, and it's famous for home-cooked meals, beautiful horse riding trails, and unique adventures learning how to pan for gold.

Families looking for unique farm stays near Sydney will love feeding farm chickens, snuggling up by the open fire, enjoying the old-fashioned games room and relaxing in the spa!

Location: 319 Hill End Rd, Sofala
Distance from Sydney: 3 hours

8. Callubri Station

If you're keen to explore outback NSW, you're invited to stay at NSW's most accessible outback farm stays.

Callubri Station is the ultimate outback escape in NSW. Families can experience an outback farm stay in one of their four Sky Suites. Dive into their 12-metre mineral pool with a swim jet, take a tour of the working farm, and watch kangaroos roam while you sip on sundowners. This is rustic luxury at its finest.

Location: 586 Dandaloo Rd, Buddabadah
Distance from Sydney: 7 hours

9. Waterfall Way Farmstay

Waterfall Way Farmstay in the NSW New England region is a generous, self-contained country house with all the luxuries of your own home.

Enveloped by stunning gardens and native bushland, it is a secluded private hideaway on a family-run beef cattle farm with amazing views over the extensive farmland and the picturesque Oaky River, where you can also fish for trout or try and spot the platypus!

The luxurious wood fire will keep you toasty during the cold winter nights! 

Location: 158 Wakefield Rd, Wollomombi 
Distance from Sydney: 6 hours

10. Ashmar Farmstay

You'll have a gorgeous self-contained heritage cottage all to yourself in which to experience an authentic family farm stay near Sydney!

Get started at Ashmar Farmstay by milking a cow, collecting farm eggs, feeding the animals and bushwalking through the ancient cycads. For kids, there is so much to see and do at the farm and plenty of wide-open spaces to play in. They'll learn all about farm animals and where food comes from - bliss!

Location: 1581 Waukivory Rd, Waukivory
Distance from Sydney: 3 hours

11. Kookaburra Farmstay

At Kookaburra Farmstay there's a farmhouse, cottages and cabins for your overnight farm stay, as well as a daily animal feeding schedule that includes cow milking, a tractor ride to feed the pigs, then the donkey, goats, alpacas, sheep and ducks.

The farm is also close to beaches and tourist attractions around Port Stephens and Nelson Bay.

Location: 564 Marsh Rd, Bobs Farm
Distance from Sydney: roughly 3 hours

12. Starline Alpacas Farmstay Resort

Starline Alpacas is a deluxe farm stay on a working alpaca farm with around 200 alpacas!

Visit and hand-feed them while you wander the fields, and you'll see the cria (baby alpacas) frolic in the late afternoon. There is also an orchard with quince, lemons, pears, apples and peaches, which you can pick during your stay.

Choose from a range of cottages to stay in, and there's a saltwater swimming pool, spa, sauna and children's playground.

Location: 1100 Milbrodale Rd, Broke
Distance from Sydney: just over 2 hours

13. Ocean & Earth Farmstay

Ocean & Earth Farmstay is a beautiful farm surrounded by natural bushland brimming with native wildlife and friendly farm animals.

You get the whole farmhouse to yourself, so you can completely relax, and there are plenty of activities to keep kids entertained.

While away the hours swimming in the dam, canoeing, fishing, yabbying, feeding resident farm animals (such as horses, cows, alpacas and chooks), bushwalking and bird watching. Plus, there's spectacular stargazing and a bonfire on Saturday nights!

Location: 560 Fords Rd, Limeburners Creek
Distance from Sydney: just over 2 hours

14. Kimo Estate

For those keen to experience farm life without roughing it too much, Kimo Estate is possibly one of the most elegant farm stays in NSW!

Located on a 2,800-hectare working sheep and cattle farm in Gundagai, Kimo Estate offers luxury eco-hut accommodations with the most incredible views of the countryside to wake up to each morning.

Helicopter tours, horse riding camps, and farm workshops are available for families to immerse themselves in the overall experience of life on the farm.

Location: 1218 Nangus Rd, Nangus
Distance from Sydney: 4 hours

15. Dusodie Holiday Farm

Dusodie Farm farm is set on the banks of the Chichester River, in the foothills of the Chichester State Forest. This is a true farm experience, with plenty of animals and wildlife for all to enjoy.

It makes for a great family getaway, where parents can relax while kids enjoy the cubby, sandpit or trampoline, hand-feed farm animals, and take advantage of the freedom of a country lifestyle.

Wake to the sounds of abundant birdlife and inhale the crisp, clean country air on your tranquil farm stay.

Location: 1707 Chichester Dam Rd, Bandon Grove
Distance from Sydney: 2 hours

Hero image: Ashmar Farmstay

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