Killabakh & Lower Cedar Party Farm Gate Tour
Killabakh & Lower Cedar Party Farm Gate Tour
Open farm day exploring worms, permaculture, heavy horses, honey, bees, books and morning tea
Local Links - Stronger Communities -
LLCI015-009
The issue
The Killabakh & Lower Cedar Party Landcare Group wanted to showcase small scale, rural enterprise in the Killabakh Valley.
The group discussed possible properties within a set geographic area with facilities that would be of interest to the public.
The aim was to highlight sustainable living, small scale farming, The Killabakh & Lower Cedar Party Landcare Group regeneration works, permaculture, bees and vegetable growing.
The solution
With the help of the Landcare co-ordinator we approached landholders. Tour times, logistics and practicalities of opening farms were discussed with owners. Once landowners were fully briefed and had agreed to participate risk assessments conducted. Signage was made for each property to make traffic control flow smoothly.
"Community event in progress" signage helped to make road users aware and to slow down, especially on the gravel narrower sections of road.
A flyer was developed with a short description of each property, the address and what could be seen. A local map drawn on the back. This flyer was widely distributed in the local communities by rural mail runs, Landcare data base and shared on social media.
The Landcare co-ordinator assisted the group by contacting local media to advertise the event, liaising with landholders and making sure that the event ran smoothly on the day.
The impact
The day of the Tour, the 13th of April, 2019 was perfect Autumn weather.
Five properties were open covering a broad range of small farm activities.
All stops were well attended with 75 people signing in at the permaculture garden and over 70 people watching the heavy horse demonstrations. A taxi service was operated by group members to the worm farm as access to this site is steep with limited parking.
Tour stop 2 was Killabakh Hall. This allowed Landcare Group members to show participants the native bush regeneration taking place in the grounds of the Hall following the removal of mature camphor laurel trees. The Landcare Group also set up tables and chairs in the local Hall with morning tea. Many participants enjoyed locally made cakes and treats with a lovely cuppa.
Key facts
- Landcare Groups can work together to produce quality experiences for the wider community.
- Keen public interest in rural living/Agri/Eco tourism opportunities.