Farmstay is boots and all

A FARMSTAY in Queenland gives families a chance to be involved in the running of a working cattle property and reconnect with Mother Earth.

Rural ritual ... a young guest lends a hand with mustering calves at Glassford Creek Farmstay.

IT is a fairytale story. Pretty young southern English girl meets handsome Aussie farm boy. They court on horseback under the wide-open sky. He teaches her to crack a whip and she dreams of life in the country.

Before long they sport matching Akubras, get hitched and buy a 1600ha property called Boxvale.

To round out the story, they open up their lives to similar travellers wanting to experience life on a farm.

Glassford Creek Farmstay is near the small town of Builyan, about an hour's drive west of Gladstone. Opened in October last year, it is one of a handful of places in Australia where you can be involved in the day-to-day running of a working cattle property.

We enjoy the drive along country roads where wattle trees are in full bloom and white cockatoos cover the ground like flourishing mushrooms. Railway tracks and rickety bridges crisscross dry creek beds where towering gum trees spread their backbones and stretch protectively over what feels like the heart and soul of Central Queensland.

We are met by Kate Oram and her husband Paul, who settle us into our rooms in the guest quarters, a house moved to the property 50 years ago. It has been renovated to accommodate up to 10 guests.

We jump into a four-wheel-drive to take in a small portion of the property and head to a high vantage point to watch the surrounding mountain ranges fade gently into the blushing sky.

Dinner is a social affair with delicious home-cooked food shared around the campfire interspersed with stories of romance, travel and farming. We drink red wine, toast marshmallows and resist the urge to throw our chairs (made from stumps) on the fire as the temperature drops dramatically.

In the morning, cattle and horses have come from everywhere and I steer myself through the rising steam from cowpats to get my hands warm by the campfire and a hot cup of coffee.

The children start their day mixing buckets of powdered concoctions to feed hungry animals and help with selecting and catching horses needed for the morning's activities.

On the farm there is always something going on and Paul and Kate try hard to involve their guests in the daily chores. They don't go so far as to make work but if there's mustering, branding, shoeing, fencing or whatever going on, they will involve you if that's your wish.

A huge drawcard for guests is the horse riding because you can enjoy as much or as little as you want as part of your stay. Even better is the fact that they are not into the traditional nose-to-tail trail rides, enabling you to really experience the freedom of the property.

This morning we have calves to muster from different paddocks in readiness for sale.

I am on horseback in a picturesque paddock weaving through cactus, rocks and fallen trees. A wedge-tailed eagle circles in a cloudless sky and I revel in the feeling of space and life.

At first you might think it's just a night away on a farm. But clearly for many guests it's much more than that. It's a chance to pull on the riding boots and reconnect with both yourself and Mother Earth.

Sunday Mail (QLD)