Start up hopes to help farmers by enticing holiday-makers to the land
IT’S JUST 2.5m wide and 4m high, but this tiny shed is up for grabs as a holiday rental.
Travel
Don't miss out on the headlines from Travel. Followed categories will be added to My News.
WHAT do the trends du jour— crowd-funding, micro homes and the sharing economy— have in common? The answer is Shacky, a savvy start up hoping to help farmers earn a little extra cash while giving cityslickers a chance to get a bit dirty on the land.
Shacky founder Joep Pennartz said his goal was to help holiday makers seeking a little time out connect with hardworking farmers who have plenty of space to share.
“We want guests to have a relaxing holiday, see what life on a farm is like and learn where their food or other produce comes from. The farmer makes extra income, which helps them stay on their farm,” he said.
Mr Pennartz hopes to launch the program in April with a tiny shack on the Tarndie farm in Birregurra, Victoria. The micro shack measures just 3m by 2.5m and is only 4m high with a mezzanine bed, couch, table, some storage and a small pot belly stove.
“After we open this first ‘Shacky’ we will include more farmers in our platform and open more ‘Shackies’. In that way we can help more farmers and provide more relaxing holidays to guests,” he said.
Tom Dennis, a sixth generation sheep farmer whose family has been on the Tarndie estate since 1840, is the first landowner to take up the Shacky challenge.
“I think from the point of view of the people who’ll be staying in the tiny house, they’re going to really experience a connection with the land,” he said.
Mr Dennis said he already offers farm stay accommodation on Tarndie but so far the experience for visitors, where they stay in a farmhouse adjacent to the family, has been slightly more glamorous than a potential Shacky stay.
“It’s only a very small space set up right in the middle of a paddock far away from any of our buildings. They won’t be able to wonder off and watch tele — it’s going to be a much more intense experience,” Mr Dennis said.
He said he wanted to share the slower pace of life he knew with visitors who needed to unwind without all the “mod cons”. Visitors can even buy yarn that has come directly from the sheep on the farm and get knitting.
“Hopefully it will be a slower experience than the life they’re used to, they might be able to finish that book they’ve been meaning to finish for a year or even make a scarf in a couple of days, while also getting to know the real meaning of the land,” Mr Dennis said.
In order to get the experience of life on the land off the ground, Mr Pennartz has been running a crowd-funding campaign due to finish on April 1.
“One of the ways in which people can support us during this campaign is by pre-booking their holiday in our first tiny house that will open in April in Birregurra. By pledging $175, people make a reservation for two people for one night,” he said.
“With the funds from our crowd-funding we can set up the bookings website, pay for the first Tiny House on the farm in Birregurra and give more farmers the opportunity to join Shacky.”
If the $15,000 crowd-funding goal is not met, then the pledger will be fully reimbursed. But if the plan takes off, those who helped Shacky in the early days will be remembered.
“We will engrave the name of everyone that books during our crowd-funding on the wall of the tiny house to eternalise their early support for Shacky.
To drum up support for Shacky, Mr Pennartz has driven a shack around in Melbourne, visited farmers’ markets with the micro home in tow and organised workshops about Shacky in Melbourne.
So far financial support for Shacky needs just $11,000 in pledges, but the ultimate goal is $25,000.
“I think struggling small farmers in Australia deserve support, and many people are willing to support them,” he said.
To made a pledge, visit Shacky’s fundraising page.
Originally published as Start up hopes to help farmers by enticing holiday-makers to the land
Alliance bucks trend with record year and ‘better to come’
Just like Rex, Alliance Aviation saw the opportunity to expand its fleet during the Covid pandemic but while one airline failed spectacularly, the other soared to new heights.
Hunger games: Qantas revamps menu as competition heats up
Faced with tougher competition from a cashed-up Virgin Australia, Qantas is looking to lift its game on the food front with a shake-up of what’s on offer on domestic flights.