Bestbrook Mountain Retreat & Farmstay

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Posted 2023-04-28 by Chandra Clements ⇒ follow

Tucked away behind Cunningham's Gap and the Great Dividing Range, is a place that beckons kids from near and far. A mountain retreat and farm brimming with character and enjoying views that will make you believe you have left the real world behind, Bestbrook Farmstay is special. It's homely, it's dusty, it's nowhere near a shopping centre or street light, it's full of animals, and it's special. Special, special and special.

Bestbrook is a family-owned and operated property offering a traditional Australian farm stay experience. Living arrangements range from self-contained cabins to bunkhouse rooms and the best bush camping around for tents, camper trailers and caravans. You will be greeted in the carpark by a mounting yard full of Aussie stock horses and a grand old wooden reception area with an expansive verandah and loads of memorabilia to boot. It feels very much like you have arrived at your aunt's farm and that all of what is on offer is part of their home.

The FREE farm experiences include animal feeding, milking cows, making butter, billy tea and damper, whip cracking and boomerang throwing. Horse riding is Bestbrook's specialty, with all levels of experience from beginner to advanced catered for. The horses are beautiful; almost as beautiful as the backdrop you will experience while on your ride. My kids, Miss Seven, Miss Five and Master Two, had a ball playing with the baby goats and couldn't decide whether the kids sucking at their fingers was the funniest or weirdest experience known to them. They rolled about in the dirt playing with them and nearly caused a couple of breakouts but that is another story for another day. The peacock perched in the old dairy stalls was another highlight and a great photographic opportunity too. Mr Peacock seemed most impressed by Master Two's attempt to get him to fly. Eventually, my boy gave up and left to try his hand at entertaining the sheep. He was pretty comfortable with the fact that they couldn't fly!

The owners have utilised an old metal show carousel with painted horses to make a seesaw and merry-go-round set on the side of a hill. I couldn't help but reflect on my time as a child at the local country show lining up to ride one of these grand horses. What a special use of a popular and retired attraction. The seesaw and merry-go-round are located alongside the goats, sheep, chicken shed, and bird aviaries so we were kept busy running from one "ooohhhh" moment to the next, all under the beautiful Autumn Aussie sun. We stocked up on some hot chips and snacks from the onsite restaurant and sat outside enjoying a rustic lunch on the lawn in between attractions.

An easy 90-minute drive from Brisbane and 2hrs from the Gold Coast, this is your next long weekend getaway with the kids. You can add in some education and explore the monument at Cunningham's Gap, which pays homage to those who made the early trek over the vast and very steep Great Dividing Mountain Range. Yet, once you are settled in your accommodation at the farm stay, it will be a matter of city clothes off, jeans and a t-shirt on, and a pair of boots that will inevitably trek some serious countryside. Stress will leave your body, Dirt will find its way under your nails. Fresh air will invigorate and heal your mind and body. The animals will bring you back to a state of simplicity. Nighttime fires will create memories for all of you against the clearest of night skies.

Located at 9790 Cunningham Highway, Tregony QLD 4370, great specials are on offer via their website. You can also call in for a day visit if you prefer and simply grab some lunch and lie about on the lawn. Old farm machinery and equipment is scattered about the land and there is a lot of history buried in the trinkets you will find inside the main building. Whether you stay for a day or a week, I am certain you will leave feeling refreshed, calm, healthier and happier. I can say that my kids and I did.