Snowy Monaro Farmer - Page 4
Wednesday July 5, 2023
Plan a retreat at Avonside Alpine Estate Lisa Ashurst OPTING to follow a lifestyle choice can be a challenge sometimes, but preparation, know-how and a determination to see the dream come true can all go a long way towards turning an idea into a reality. This is how it has turned out for Olivier and Jacquie Kapetanakos of Avonside Alpine Estate. Situated midway between Berridale and Jindabyne, the property is ideally located for the snowfields and at 1200 metres above sea level, it also gets its fair share of snow. Olivier and Jacquie purchased the property in 2015 and made the decision from the off-set to live and develop the property in as environmentally sound way as they could make it. In 2017, they moved into Jindabyne while awaiting the arrival of two linked cabins, which came in kit form from the Czech Republic, and following the cabins’ arrival, they moved into the main house.
Avonside Alpine Estate is a popular farm stay.
All animals on the farm are people friendly. The attractive cabins are completely off-grid and in 2019 won the LG Off-Grid Home Award. They can be booked separately as two bedroom and a three bedroom accomodation, but being uniquely interlocked, can provide five bedroom accomodation for a family or group. Avonside Alpine Estate also generates income from organic mixed farming with chickens, pigs, a couple of goats (who made short work of the blackberries and other weeds), Highland
Cattle, a breeding program for Polled Highland Cattle, permaculture for organic vegetables and the couple produce a couple of hundred kilos of organically grown garlic as a winter crop each year. Olivier and Jacquie also breed the very appealing South Down Baby Doll sheep; a short-legged, short-neck variety which are a meat and wool breed. The couple also utilise their pigs and chickens for crop rotation and they do a wonderful job of fertilising and digging the ground over.
But what has helped in leading the estate to becoming such a popular farm stay is the animals. They not only provide for the estate, but are also a huge attraction for guests, especially international guests, making Avonside Alpine Estate a very family-orientated place to stay. All the animals on the farm are people friendly, and guests, can interact with them, pet them, and join in at feeding times too, which is as enjoyable for guests as it is for the animals, and all goes
toward making it a unique farm experience for the whole family. Olivier and Jacquie also planted 400 truffle trees on the property in 2020 and expect to harvest from 2025-26. This will complement the 700 truffle trees, which supply Snowy Truffles to Sydney as well as around the local region, established on property bordering the Alpine Way. Truffles are a true winter crop best harvested in the Snowy Mountains region. With the way the property has developed,
its popularity required the Olivier and Jacquie to employ a farm hand to help with running the farm, and also to help with farm stay guests and day visitors. Bookings are essential for day visits, but for a very reasonable $60, a family visiting for the day can see the farm, experience unforgettable interactions with the friendly animals and enjoy a great meal. Visit www. avonsidealpineestate.com. au for further information and/or to make a booking.
Lavender farms a tourism opportunity towns and villages. “A ‘Lavender Trail’ of specialty niche products produced from different varieties on each farm will make for a unique country visit, adding another attraction to the Snowy Mountains experience. “Our vision is for an expansion into other traditional agriculture value-adding production and workshops so the Trail can co-ordinate and showcase our region to prospective tree-changers and city people craving that special country experience.” There are already several lavender growers throughout the Forbes: Tamworth: Cooma:
-2.7% -2.5%
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-19
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986
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Bombala area including Bibbenluke, Craigie and Delegate, while there are also prospective growers in Bredbo and Berridale. “The idea is that visitors would travel around seeing the different aspects of lavender farming. Each farm would be growing different varieties, and therefore producing different goods,” MCL’s Karen Cash said. “Growers would be matching what they produce with the most suitable varieties of lavender, and this in turn would add to the different appeal of each farm to visitors.”
AGRITOURISM: The lavender farming industry is booming, with Monaro Country Lavender working towards a ‘Lavender Trail’ to attract people to the region.
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NOT every farming operation lends itself to tourism, but there are some that provide the right mix of appeal and productivity, with lavender farming being one that could soon become a draw card to the Snowy Monaro region. With the lavender industry booming throughout Australia and the Snowy Monaro, the future of a local region Lavender Trail is looking bright. AgriFutures Australia has the vision of promoting Rural Destination Tourism
through ‘destination farming’, featuring value-adding traditional agricultural industries and niche marketing. “The Australia wide growth in lavender production and AgriFutures adopting it as one of its emerging industries has seen an amazing interest shown in our local region,” Monaro Country Lavender’s Jan Illingworth said. “Traditional lavender tourism involves busloads of day trippers, but MCL is working towards adopting a different concept to hopefully encourage longer-stay visitation, particularly in our small
Apr‐23
Sam Tonks
Source: AWEX
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