QLD AGRITOURISM 9

We all know children’s minds are magical but few things are as mysterious as their notions of where their food comes from. Their ideas of spaghetti from a tree, yoghurt as a plant product and meat that comes pre-packed in polystyrene containers are as alarming as they are cute. As for milk, well, apparently, many city kids insist that it comes in cartons. From the supermarket. Or a tap. Nothing to do with cows.

QLD AGRITOURISM 5 QLD AGRITOURISM 4

 

QLD AGRITOURISM 11

Since Dave and Kay Tommerup have been opening their farm for tours and farmstays, they’ve heard multiple versions of what goes on inside children’s heads. They’ve had city parents practically drag their children away from their PlayStations so they can physically show their  children that milk comes from a cow’s udder and that it’s always white (ie not chocolate-flavoured if it comes from a brown cow).

QLD AGRITOURISM 3 QLD AGRITOURISM 7

“A generation ago, most city people had country cousins,” Dave observes. “But with our increasing urbanisation that’s no longer the case, so it’s little wonder that people are becoming increasingly disconnected from their food producers.”

QLD AGRITOURISM 2 QLD AGRITOURISM 1

While the Tommerups’ decision to do their bit to bridge the gap was inspired by their need to diversify to supplement the farm’s income in the wake of the deregulation of the dairy industry and the ensuing supermarket milk price war, they say the move has been enriching for both them and their visitors.

QLD AGRITOURISM 8 QLD AGRITOURISM 6

Kay and Dave’s children, Harry, 13, and Georgia, nine, are the sixth generation of the Tommerup family to run their property at Kerry in the remote and beautiful Lost World Valley of south-eastern Queensland. Dave’s great-great-grandfather, Matthew Horan, settled in the valley in 1874 and there has been a dairy on the farm ever since.

QLD AGRITOURISM 12

After the floods in 1887, the Horans moved out of their original slab hut on the farm and built the district’s first sawn-timber homestead on a hillside site well above the high-water mark. Dave’s parents still live in that house, though its detached kitchen has been moved to the other side of the dairy and converted into a guest cottage where the Tommerups now welcome paying visitors who want to extend their farm experience to overnight and longer stays.

QLD AGRITOURISM 10

The original story was published in Australian Country issue 15.5. For more updated stories, subscribe to our magazine here.

Click here for more farm-life stories.

Words Kirsty McKenzie
Photography Ken Brass

More Like This

The Eternity Project

The Eternity Project

Ange Boxall and Mike Travalia are tackling a huge restoration on Tasmania’s East Coast with equal measures of hospitality and hard […]

Verdigris Visions

Verdigris Visions

Sculptors Rachel Burns and Ulan Murray work mostly in recycled copper wiring from their home and studio on the NSW South […]

By A Billabong

The Rutledge family have created a haven of hospitality on Moble station near Quilpie in Queensland’s channel country. For a family […]

An Organic Process

An Organic Process

The Mcintosh family has been custodians of Denbigh on Sydney’s South-Western periphery for 156 years. They are working hard to ensure […]

Channel Country Charms

Channel Country Charms

A 1000-kilometre circuit through south-western Queensland reveals a host of surprises and level of amenity uncommon in the outback. Corey Richards […]

Branching Out

Branching Out

Honouring their mother’s English traditions, a NSW family haws established a Christmas tree farm selling authentic, vibrant pine trees at the […]

Bush Oasis

Bush Oasis

Sarah and Ben Dunsdon are raising their young family on a sheep and cattle station near Cunnamulla in South-Western Queensland. Frankie […]

Peace in the Valley

Glenlowren offers you peace in the Yarra Valley

Pieter and Tinne van Beeck always wanted to return to their country roots. With Glenlowren, they’ve achieved their dream in Victoria’s […]

Follow Us on Instagram