Redwing Farm | Moonta | Yorke Peninsula

We have enjoyed a number of stays with the kids at Redwing Farm. Beautiful, family-focused and an easy 2 hour drive from Adelaide at the top of Yorke Peninsula. It is officially a favourite place to spend a long weekend! Located just out of Moonta, this beautifully appointed farm accommodation is perfect for families, in a great location and certain to continue as a regular tradition for our family.

There are four delightful self-contained accommodation options available at Redwing. The Shearers Quarters, Redwing Barn, Florence The Bus and the glamping-style caravan ‘Little Patty’ are also excellent options for your next family farm-stay. Hosted by owners Nicola and Damien, if you’re looking for somewhere to go with a few families all together, booking all four would be perfect!

In addition to the gorgeous accommodation there’s also a fully restored 1950’s shearing shed- ‘The Shed at Redwing Farm’ – perfect for weddings. The Shed itself can fit 120 people seated, and up to 200 for cocktail style functions. The picture perfect country setting outdoor area can fit many more and is a popular option from Spring through to Autumn.

The highlights we loved were:

• All the friendly, gentle animals who love hand feeding.
• The awesome hay maze. The kids loved playing ‘adults vs kids hide and seek’ in the maze!
• The Bike Shed, where kids can grab a bike and helmet to ride around the farm.
• McGee the gorgeous Border Collie and Maxi the Golden Retriever are both super friendly and great with kids.
• The superbly renovated, well-appointed accommodation options – this is a farm stay but with style and comfort!
• The lovely owners Nicola and Damien who go out of their way to make sure you enjoy your stay. Damien had the kids following like the Pied Piper when he went out feeding the animals.
• The location – proximity to Adelaide (1hr 45min) and lots of family friendly places nearby.
• Heaps more – read on for all the info…

The farm animals are obviously a large part of the drawcard of Redwing Farm and they certainly will not disappoint. Young kids are often intimidated by the larger farm animals but the locals here are both gentle and friendly. All 4 accommodation options are located right next to the animal paddocks, so are perfect for animal watching, with sheep and cows that come right up to the fence out the front – especially if you feed them! There are two small Dexter cows, Ranga and Caesar. The cows were very appreciative of some fresh fruit scraps that we gave them daily.

Just down the driveway from Redwing Barn, over the back fence of Redwing Shearers Quarters is where the friendly goats, sheep and pigs reside. We were lucky to be there when the awesome owners were doing the feeding rounds one morning and the kids got to see pigs, sheep, goats and others all being fed. Close by you will also find chickens, a rooster, geese and ducks housed securely in their run. There is a great egg collection area where even the youngest of kids can view and collect the eggs. (I have a sneaky suspicion the owners make sure there are always a few eggs in there for the kids!)

It was love at first sight for our 8 year old upon seeing the donkeys. As soon as we came towards them they would come over to the fence, eager to be fed and Miss 8 was only too happy to oblige. We all loved giving them scratches and pats but she went the extra mile with some donkey cuddles and found it very hard to say goodbye to them when we left!

The other animal highlights for our family were actually the two resident dogs – Maxi the Golden Retriever and McGee the Border Collie. The dogs were within the house fences when we were there, but the kids were stoked to be told that we could let them out to run around with us (as long as we keep an eye on them and put them back when we were done playing). I swear those dogs accompanied us for hours of wandering around feeding animals and collecting firewood on the farm for the combustion fire in our room.

Redwing is a real working farm, so they have broad acreage cropping and plenty of sheep and cattle across their 4,000 odd acres (that’s over 1600 hectares if you have advanced to the metric system unlike me.) Farmer Damien makes sure to bring a few sheep in for the kids to see, in addition the friendly ‘house animals’. McGee accompanied us on a walk or two and it was great to show the kids some cereal crops. I even learnt that the farm is currently growing lentils – a first seen for me, and that Yorke Peninsula produces some of the best and highest quality + highest yielding grain crops in the world. Go Yorkes!

There are several other little surprise elements at Redwing Farm that will keep your kids delighted such as the giant chess board, the photo frame in front of the donkeys, many informative signs, the decorated bath to sit in, creative artwork and more!

A Farm Stay in Luxury

Luxury isn’t something that comes to mind when you think about farm-stays, but Redwing isn’t your basic shearer’s accommodation. The accommodation is spotless, the kitchen is stocked with all the essentials and the whole place is kitted out to make your stay an easy and comfortable experience.

The weather during our late winter/ early Spring stay was a bit chilly overnight but the Shearers Quarters and the Redwing Barn are both stocked with everything needed to build a fire that soon creates a beautiful, cozy atmosphere. There is also an efficient split cycle heater/cooler if needed, and ceiling fans in both of these accommodations. The bathrooms look brand new and boast a huge spa that could easily fit three kids to wash off the ‘farm life’ at the end of a busy day! With facilities like a private BBQ for each house, a huge outdoor fire pit and feed at the ready for the animals, there really is nothing the hosts haven’t included to make sure you love your stay here.

Little Patty – Caravanning in style!

In September 2019 the owners finished renovating a gorgeous caravan, which now provides a superb ‘glamping’ option. With a king-size bed and a double bed, it can fit a young family and sits right between the cows and the onsite games shelter so you can wake up to the best of Redwing right outside your caravan door!! The double bed converts to a table for 4 when not in bed mode and Little Patty comes complete with fridge, kettle, cooking options, A/C and even a TV tucked inside her humble frame – perfect for relaxing whilst still getting the full farm experience! Little Patty is a gorgeous and novel weekend accommodation, and perfect for families with young kids who could easily bunk together on the double bed. Open Little Patty’s front door and you’ll literally be steps away from a good morning from the cows and watching the lambs jumping around in their paddock. A great value, super fun stay on its own, Little Patty is situated between The Barn and the Shearers Quarters so it’s also brilliant if you are visiting with a few families as you can all retreat to your own beds at night.

Note: Redwing encourage all our guests to cook their food in the Hay Shed or BBQ rather than inside. The sink in Little Patty is no longer working and all the cooking gear is now in the Hay Shed. The outdoor sink has hot water. The water from the tap is suitable for drinking.

Florence The Bus – all aboard!

Ever slept on a bus? How about a bus on a farm? You can tick that off your bucket list at Redwing Farm and book Florence The Bus for your family! You’ll find Florence in the paddock next to the cows – she sleeps two adults and two kids, with bunks for the kiddies. How cool!

Other local highlights

• The local beaches in the Moonta area are perfect for young families with shallow waters. I remember endless days at the beach and rock hopping in my youth and it’s wonderful to see those beaches just as perfect for my kids now.
• Moonta, about 20min drive from Redwing Farm, is a lovely town to visit. With a pleasant Main Street, all the basics, plus a few of our faves listed below. 
• Nicola gave us a hot tip about the great coffee at Taste The Yorke – definitely worth the visit!
• Coffee Barn and Gelateria Moonta – a great, character filled eatery with top picks: breakfast crepes and (surprise!) gelato! Sadly closed on our most recent visit between July-September but outside those times don’t miss it. 
• Splash Town is a fun filled FREE water park at Moonta Beach open for the summer period.
• Moonta Mines is a great afternoon out for the family – especially those fond of trains or history. In addition to the Mines Museum there is an informative small train ride that takes visitors on a 50min journey showing the area and history – and the little Moonta Old Lolly Shop on site!

If you’ve been looking for somewhere to take the family to a place nearby that the kids will love and learn from, then be sure to book a few nights here at Redwing Farm. There’s plenty to do for a family for a few nights, and would work perfectly to get a couple of families together to enjoy a visit too. We will certainly be back and would love to book with another three families so that we can share the fun with others. You won’t be disappointed, but book early because they are popular!

For more information and to book head to: www.redwingfarm.com.au

Facebook: @Redwingfarmsa
email: hello@redwingfarm.com.au
Phone: 0459 289 298
Address:  226 Pipeline Rd, Weetulta SA 5573 (near Moonta)