We booked a 4 night stay at Junabel farm for something a little different to celebrate Ava’s 4th birthday. Being on the road full time, it’s hard to know how to celebrate. She doesn’t have any friends or family here that could celebrate with us. So, as a result we tried to think of something different that she would really enjoy. Well, Junabel miniatures farm stay was exactly that. A beautiful, quiet and friendly place. Highly recommended by us, perfect for children!
Before you carry on reading, I’ll apologise now for the number of photos! It’s almost just a collage!
Our lovely farm stay experience
Richard and I have actually stayed at Junabel before when we were on our working holiday in Australia 5 years ago (before our daughter). We remembered staying at a farm stay local to Rockhampton, but couldn’t pin point if it was the same one. Well, we are pleased to say it was!
After arriving we were greeted by Ang and Mitch who are both very friendly ladies and fantastic with children. We couldn’t have asked for better hosts! After planning to stay 4 nights, we stayed a week! Every day Ava got stuck in helping with the daily tasks of looking after the animals.
Some of the tasks we joined in with were grooming, feeding all the animals and collecting eggs from the chooks. Ava really enjoyed collecting the eggs from the chooks and playing on their musical toy! Ang and Mitch gave us 6 eggs that first evening and we were then able to purchase them at a very reasonable price. We bought a couple dozen before we left, it’s nice to see first hand where they came from! Some very well cared for chickens.
Every afternoon after all the daily tasks were completed, both Ang and Mitch would join us for a stubby in the barn which was lovely. Ava had the best time as she also got to paint the chicken’s nails and say hi to the friendly dogs! Painting chickens nails was new to us, but it was awesome! What a great idea. Ava also got to paint Dixie’s nails! Lucky girl!
Ava’s Birthday
Ava had such a lovely birthday, it really was one to remember. After moving to Australia this year and taking the decision to travel full time, it comes as no surprise that we had no friends or family around us at the time. Despite this, I was keen to make sure Ava had a great day.
When we woke up, we found Baby-doll (one of the miniature horses) in our field. We were very grateful to Ang and Mitch for doing that for Ava. She loved petting her!
We started the day with opening some presents, some of which were timed well to video call family and friends from back in the UK. We took a quick trip into Rockhampton to get a few bits for the day. We then headed back to Junabel for some lunch and that is when the fun started.
We all got involved in brushing and getting to know two of the horses, Milo-Man and Guest. After that it was Ava’s birthday treat to be able to ride Milo-Man. Richard and I also got to ride Guest.
Ava was so excited and had such a good time. It’s an experience she has spoken about again and again since. Following that, Ava was just as excited to get stuck into the daily tasks of looking after all the animals.
In the evening, we spent some time in the barn with a stubby and had some birthday cake. It was a birthday celebration after all!
We can’t thank Junabel enough for celebrating Ava’s birthday with us and making it one to remember.
Facilities at Junabel
There are not really any facilities at Junabel farm stay. On wiki camps it says, ‘self- contained vehicles only’. From what we understand, you must have your own toilet and be able to carry water. The ladies were quite happy for our grey water to go onto the ground. If you’re unsure, you should just get in touch and ask. Ang and Mitch are always happy to help.
Location
Junabel is located between Yeppoon and Rockhampton. It takes around 30 minutes to get to either. This for us was awesome. To feel like your out in the middle of no-where, nice and peaceful. Yet just a short trip to the shops, beach, lagoon etc.
Yeppoon
Yeppoon Lagoon
Yeppoon was an awesome place to visit, especially if you have children! The lagoon there is just beautiful. It’s huge and suits every age possible. The infinity pool looks out onto the beach which is a great place to sunbathe and just spend the day. The amenities include toilets, showers, picnic tables and BBQ’s.
Parking in Yeppoon is somewhat limited. In saying that, we did manage to get parked on a weekend exactly where we wanted to be. Which was awesome.
Bluff Point Walking Trail – Capricorn Coast National Park
The full circuit is just 2.3km and well worth the time. This was such a lovely walk to complete. Along the way you’ll find a few lookouts to enjoy the views. There is one spot called turtle lookout. This is where you can spend a bit of time seeing the turtles beneath you. Unfortunately, we must have visited at the wrong time of day to see any! Much to Ava’s disappointment.
A local, who we got chatting to just before at a picnic area just down the road, advised us to do the walk anti-clockwise. He told us that this way, we would be walking down towards to view rather than away from it. He was spot on! So if you visit, head round anti-clockwise.
Just by the car park, there are also facilities and amenities to make use of. Toilets, BBQ’s and picnic benches are available. There are beaches nearby you can enjoy a picnic if you prefer, or even take it with you on your walk to enjoy at one of the lookouts!
Rockhampton
We spent a little bit of time around Rockhampton, only really to run all the errands. It’s a great place to get your shopping done as it pretty much has everything you need. A big shopping centre & all the usual supermarkets, camping shops etc.
Being full time on the road, we also used Rockhampton to get some water and visit the dump point etc.
Rockhampton Zoo
If you’re looking for something to do in Rockhampton, that won’t break the bank, then check out Rockhampton Zoo. The Zoo is Free entry to everyone. Ava had a lovely time wondering around looking at the animals. You could easily spend a couple of hours here. If you get there at feeding time, you may be able to get a little closer!
We headed to the zoo before running all the errands to give Ava some time to run about. There is good parking there and bus bays. (There were also a couple of caravans parked in them when we were there)
Thank you very much for reading my blog on Junabel. We really can’t recommend this farm stay enough. Fab location, lots of space, friendly hosts and some very beautiful animals. We will absolutely stop by again next year on our way through!
’til next time…
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