Breakaway Farmstay

We had a really easygoing, hospitable stay. The owner checked in from time to time to see how we were doing and was always around if we had questions. We spent three nights at the campsite, where we could look across the paddocks at the friendly sheep and goats. The toilets and showers were clean, and drinking water was available. It’s a short ride into town or out to some lovely beaches. We left without getting to say goodbye to the owner, so thank you so much, and all the best!

Rob, the owner, gave us a miserable welcome. He accused us of wrongdoing and assumed we’d interfere with his highland cattle. The hot showers seemed like a big plus at first, but then I saw a notice on the shower door, presumably from Rob, setting a maximum shower time of 3.5 minutes. That took away any enjoyment I might have had.

The animals, especially the highland cows, were a real highlight for us. Our powered site was very reasonably priced, and the amenities were spotless. Rob and Tracy were extremely friendly and helpful throughout our two-night stay at Breakaway Farm. We thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend staying there.

The customer service was really poor, and we didn’t feel welcome at all. I paid $720 for the whole weekend for my 40th birthday, but the owners never once came to me with their concerns. At 10.30am they tried to make my sister leave, saying she was only booked for one night. When my Aunty came by on Saturday afternoon, they said visitors weren’t allowed, especially during fire season. There’s no mention on the website of a no-visitors rule or the lack of service. The barn had a list of emergency contact numbers on the fridge, but it’s no use if nobody has signal. You may as well list the actual emergency services numbers. There should be a visitors book to account for people in an emergency, like a fire in the barn with guests trapped inside who can’t contact the owners because there’s no service. There’s virtually no internet in the barn. We had to walk to the owners’ house to get any signal. There were no walking trails or lake, and with just a few goats, two sheep and a few cows in the paddock, it didn’t feel much like a farm stay. The swimming pool is the owners’ private pool, in a shed attached to their house at the front of the property. The kids were told off several times over petty things. Four kids lying on the trampoline isn’t breaking the rules if they aren’t all jumping on it. There wasn’t any padding or safety netting, either. They were told they’d be banned from it if they were caught breaking the rules again. They also weren’t allowed to swim without an adult, even though they were all strong swimmers and the youngest was 10 while the oldest was 15. One of the baby swings had chains that were completely rusted out. Telling kids off for being kids isn’t how you make families feel welcome. Updating the safety features, like the rusty swing chains and adding trampoline netting, would be a good start. Big fat 0 stars for this way below average farm stay.