The Woods Farm
Two Birthdays and a Proposal
We often try to start our year off with a mini-holiday to celebrate the twin’s birthday. Dan and his sister Liz were born on the same day (no, they are not identical; yes, they get asked that all the time) and they spent close to a decade living on opposite sides of the country, or even on other sides of the world, on their birthday. Being able to take quick road trips together to some of our favourite places is a special kind of joy, and makes for quiet and restful birthday celebrations for these two.
This year we booked in a two-night stay at the Woods Farm in Jervis Bay. Jervis Bay is a long-standing favourite of ours, from the beach-town hustle of Huskisson, to the convenience of Vincentia, and the pure beauty of the Booderee National Park. Over the last year or so, we’ve watched with eager anticipation as the farm-stay holiday escape (beautifully branded as The Woods Farm - I mean, that just captures my heart on so many levels) has added more and more treasures to their hidden gem of a property.
We stopped through Bowral to have breakfast at the Gumnut Patisserie and pick up some of their award-winning Salted Caramel Tarts. At Robertson, we stopped at the bakery for pies and shopped at the Robertson Cheese Factory (not just cheese, and well worth at least half an hour to stop and explore).
Our house for the weekend: The Stable House at the Woods Farm
Once in Jervis Bay, we headed to the Booderee National Park for a completely over-the-top grazing table in the quiet grassy picnic area, and then headed to Iluka Beach within the National Park for a swim. We loved the private feeling of the beaches in the National Park, and it was well worth paying a small fee for two-day access to be able to take the short drive to Booderee and go swimming or laze on the sand. The beaches were within easy access from the carparks, and had clean toilet amenities available.
We arrived at the Woods Farm right on 3pm and the Stablehouse was ready for us. It was clean, tidy, and had everything we needed, including Foxtel to keep our four-year-old entertained while the rest of us unpacked the cars. The houses were well designed, with plenty of space for the four cars we somehow ended up bringing for seven people.
The first afternoon was full of exploration. We visited the animals and found out that we could take Josh to feed them the next morning at 10. We wandered through the wedding chapel / yoga studio and spied kangaroos hopping past the on-site reception venue as we stood taking in just how beautifully this space had been designed. We dreamed of weekend-long wedding parties with guests in bell tents, chilling out by fire pits, and swimming in the pool. It turns out that it wasn’t only the ladies buzzing about beautiful weddings, and thinking about walking down the aisle. A few hours after sharing a cheeky photo of my brother Sam and his (then) girlfriend Alana walking towards the chapel, he took her on a walk through the secret woods and got down on one knee. Being able to share in that special moment, in such a perfect location, was such a wonderful experience.
We spent many hours that night enjoying our beautiful surroundings, picking herbs from the garden, collecting eggs, cooking on the Weber BBQ, drinking and laughing in the living room. We planned, we went for a nighttime swim (the pool is open until 10pm) and we just enjoyed being in such a beautiful place with beautiful people. One of the loveliest things about the farm was the way it lent itself to both group actives (dinner on long outdoor tables under a canopy of fairy lights) but also allowed for space to go off and reconnect one-on-one. We played board games on the couches, ate breakfast at the indoor dining table, chatted in the hammock, and lay next to the pool after a swim. There were just so many spaces to take in.
The twin’s birthday was filled with beautiful moments. Josh went with his Aunty Liz to feed the animals and found a confidence with them that I hadn’t expected, as he usually takes a while to warm up to new experiences. The staff at the farm were amazing and walked the kids through each of the animals and how to care for them properly. We fed chickens, goats, horses, alpacas and cows. Josh even played with the goats on their climbing frame, crawling around and making animals noises. Needless to say, he enjoyed playing with some real animals instead of his Minecraft ones, and still talks about the Woods Farm even now that we are home.
One of the aspects of the Farm that made our stay extra enjoyable was that it was very close to both the National Park and Vincentia. We were able to go to the shops without it taking an hour, duck back to the National Park for a swim, and go to Huskission to hire paddleboards all in one afternoon. It did take us a long time to get moving, but that was probably because there was so much to do at the farm, and it was just comfortable and relaxing being there. Having everything close by made up for the time we spent lazing around. At the same time, as soon as you turn into the driveway of the Woods Farm, you feel like you are a million miles away from everything. I didn’t even hear our neighbours for most of the weekend, save for some lovely British visitors who knocked on our door asking if they could borrow something. It would be very easy to make friends here, especially if you were staying in the Bell Tent camping area. We cooked up a storm for dinner, with porkbelly as a ‘side’ to the calamari and prawns. We sang Happy Birthday and ate caramel tarts and too many blueberries.
Being surrounded by bushland, but so close to the ocean is basically where I want to spend every single day, so for us, it was perfect. I’m already planning our next visit - with a very large extended family (there are eight kids in my family, so there’s an ever-growing number of in-laws and nieces and nephews!) the Woods Farm would be perfect to allow each family their own space, while also letting us be close together and able to meet up without a great deal of pre-planning. Can’t wait to return!