Nourish the soul at Springfield Farm

Two years ago, Pete Barge and his wife decided to curtail their busy corporate lifestyle and settle in the Southern Highlands.

Springfield Farm.

“It’s all about the soil,” declares Farmer Pete, khaki apron tied around his waist as he stands at a beautiful old table in his exquisitely furnished country home in the NSW Southern Highlands and pours water into two glass cylinders. One of the cylinders contains dirt, the dull, seemingly lifeless stuff packed hard, and the water he adds to it sits at the top of the cylinder, seemingly immovable, for ages. Then he turns to the other cylinder, this one filled with the lush soil he has lovingly nurtured for months, and just like that the water seeps down into its dark, nutrient-rich depths.

The view at Springfield Farm

At 70, and completely at ease on the land, Peter Barge has known a life of multiple guises. In one of them, he was a city-dweller and a teacher. He was also a hotelier and later worked in commercial real estate, eventually presiding over a workforce of 16,000 in a career that took him and his family around the globe for 25 years.

But it’s his most recent incarnation as a passionate purveyor of permaculture that has brought us to Farmer Pete’s verdant property today, to fields brimming with life and to a place where he has finally, and in a comparatively short time, put down his roots.

Produce at Springfield farm. Picture: Supplied

Two years ago, Barge and his wife Kinchem Hegedus decided to curtail their busy corporate lifestyle and settle in the Southern Highlands. They inspected close to 100 properties before settling on Springfield Farm – eight hectares including a beautiful sandstone residence, stables, a lake and two barn-style dwellings. They bought the place from designer Collette Dinnigan.

Then they set about creating the permaculture property of their dreams, producing their own compost, raising chickens and quails and planting organic crops. Over the past 15 months, thanks largely to Barge’s tenacious vitality – he’s up well before 4am most days, and even makes fine cricket bats in his spare time – they’ve created a stunning food bowl, still bursting with produce in the final days of winter. And now they’ve opened up their property to aspiring gardeners keen to learn the value and joy of eating home-grown food.

The accommodation at Springfield Farm.

Over a busy weekend at their first Home Grown retreat, there are talks on soil and bugs, and an introduction to the world of permaculture, which was developed in Australia in the 1970s and is based on the philosophy of working with nature and embracing seasonality. Mostly it’s practical outside sessions on compost-making and worm farming, tips on pruning fruit trees and lessons on how to save and plant seeds.

There is also plenty of eating. On this food-centric weekend, the quality of the produce is matched by its preparation as we feast on the season’s best from Barge’s gardens – broccoli and pumpkins, Tuscan kale, cabbages and Cape gooseberries – sometimes around a fire pit in the garden below his home but mostly in Rosemary Hall, a former barn that’s been lavishly converted into a French-styled gallery with an enormous fireplace, oversized lounges and a bounty of cushions and books.

Dinner around the fire pit.

Several guest rooms are located on the mezzanine level of this building. Other guests stay in the modern, self-contained farmhouse at the front of the property, which is also available for short-term rentals.

The farm also hosts regular writing retreats – Hegedus is a keen writer and reader, with an impressive collection of books scattered around the hall and adjoining studio. But even the keenest writer would find it difficult to drag her gaze from the view across rolling hills and garden beds bursting with life.

• Perfect for: Avid and aspiring gardeners.

• Must do: Find a moment to enjoy the property. Despite the relaxed vibe it’s a packed weekend so consider getting up early to walk the lush grounds or, in warmer weather, sit by the solar-heated pool.

• Dining: In this farm-to-table microcosm, the distance between field and fork is a matter of metres. Chef Eilish Maloney, a graduate of London’s Michelin-starred The Ledbury, prepares a succession of delicious meals.

• Getting there: Springfield Farm is on Sheepwash Road, Avoca, a short drive from Bowral and 130km from central Sydney.

• Bottom line: The next Home Grown retreat is on November 20-22. Rates range from $930 to $1680 per person for the weekend program and include accommodation (some with shared bathrooms), workshops and farm-to-table organic meals.

SPRINGFIELD FARM Southern Highlands, NSW

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