Australia's Golden Outback 2024 Holiday Planner

and guests can experience the full scale of the business, right down to sampling freshly cooked yabbies in a real paddock-to-plate experience. The family is proud to open up their property to visitors, inviting guests to meet the farmers and get a taste of the Wheatbelt farming lifestyle. Rather than a singular farmhouse, the property houses eight two-bedroom cottages, the picturesque country abodes nestled under towering native gums. By day, guests can soak up the farmland views with each cottage boasting a private verandah overlooking the paddocks and expansive crops, while by night they can gather around the fire pit for stargazing. After more than 100 years of operations, the farm remains a family affair. Guests will likely see patriarch, and hobby apiarist, Michael tending his bees, son Derek managing crop rotations, or daughter-in-law Lisa cooking for guests helped by their young children. These family links make it even more important

the seasons, that you truly appreciate the Noongar people’s six seasons and its cycles.” Working with a local horticulturist, Erin and Damien have rehabilitated the farm’s gardens with native species, and are happy to take visitors on flora tours on request. Through their sister agritourism business, Dark Stry , they also offer bespoke, self-guided driving tours between Perth and Kellerberrin, aimed at educating guests on the past, present and future of the land and the many crops being farmed along the way. The pair try to impress on visitors just how innovative the farmers have to be to make flourish in what can be a very harsh landscape. “There’s something really profound about the vast expanse of Australia’s Golden Outback,” says Erin. “Guests tell us that being out in wide open spaces, living life in the slow lane, really helps them appreciate the land that we share. There are so many stories out here —

from our first nation’s people, to the region’s farming founders, to what it’s like to live and work in the region today. There’s always something to see if you know where to look — the scale of each year’s harvest, the region’s dark skies, the stories behind its escarpments and the characters that you find at our local country pubs.” The Nenke family, owners of Mary’s Farm Cottages , have long known the value of the rich Wheatbelt soils, having established their farmstay in 1912. Now, they rely on those soils to nurture their crops of wheat, barley, oats, lupin, field peas, vetch and multiple hay species. “Our family embraces regenerative agriculture using biological fertilisers and practices to improve our soils,” explains Mary Nenke. Alongside their crops, the family runs Cambinata Yabbies, having diversified from sheep and grains more than 30 years ago. Now, their yabby operation is the largest yabby exporter in Australia,

Explore the wonders of the Wheatbelt with its vast landscapes, vibrant wildflowers and world famous rock formations. Follow us on Facebook @PathwaystoWaveRock or email marketing@pathwaystowaverock.com.au for further information.

Pathways to Wave Rock. WHICH PATH WILL YOU TAKE?

BEVERLEY - CORRIGIN - BRUCE ROCK NAREMBEEN - KONDININ - KULIN LAKE GRACE - QUAIRADING

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