Stylish hinterland villas embrace hot new farm stay trend

Lovers of farm stays have a lot to thank Italy for. A relatively new concept in Australia, it was as far back as 1965 that the term “agriturismo” was coined to describe the idea of farm tourism as a way of mitigating the post-World War II exodus from rural villages as the country embraced industrialisation and sought to expand from its primarily rural economy.

Cabins at Sixty6 Acres on the Sunshine Coast.

By some accounts it was eight years later, in 1973, that the first “Agriturismo” popped up and the concept was made official by law in 1985. Today you’ll see signs proclaiming a property’s involvement and availability on fence posts across the Italian countryside. It’s a heavily regulated sector and as such, generally a quality one, which has provided the benchmark internationally.

There’s no such regulation in Australia, but the farm stay experience here is evolving and improving. And the best farm stays these days are about connecting to farm life, balancing the art of sitting passively and watching the country sun set with actively getting involved in agriculture, or at least getting up close with it.

The proprietors of a new farm stay in Queensland, Jo and Andrew Pitcher, stayed in dozens of these kinds of properties around Australia as well as in Canada and England to glean what worked and what didn’t before creating theirs.

Free-standing tub with views.

The couple bought a rundown farm at Woombye, home of the Big Pineapple in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, and armed with their do and don’t list, transformed it into Sixty6 Acres. They built six villas while also reviving the property as a working farm that offered a meaningful agriculture experience for guests.

They put in 7200 pineapple plants, in homage to Woombye’s once prolific pineapple industry, and planted a small sugarcane crop. Grapes, citrus, coffee, macadamias, and mangoes are also now under cultivation, and they also planted more than 2000 native trees across the property.

In The Stables, there are animals, including miniature English donkeys, Galloway “belty” cattle, Babydoll Southdown sheep and chickens from a range of breeds, all of which guests can feed and pat.

The resident donkeys.

The self-contained, two-bedroom villas which sleep up to four guests, feature private decks, wood-burning fireplaces, freestanding baths, full kitchens and decor by stylist Belle Hemming from the Belle Bright Project.

“The beauty of Sixty6 Acres is that it is set in a lovely country environment but is just 15 minutes from beaches and the airport, 30 minutes to Noosa and just five minutes to the Big Pineapple, which has the Sunshine & Sons distillery, Treetops Ropes Adventure and Wildlife HQ,” says Andrew Pitcher.

“It offers guests the best of both worlds. You can treat Sixty6 Acres as a cocooning sanctuary, where you can just read books on the verandah, curl up in front of the fire, and cook great meals using the Sunshine Coast’s legendary local produce. Equally, you can get out and about and enjoy an active short break. What we can guarantee is that all our guests will leave richer and relaxed for the experience.”

See sixty6acres.com