Family Farm Retreat with GOATS circa 1850

A spacious family nature retreat minutes to Perth! Our farm stay is perfect for families with children to enjoy country living. Hang out with our goats and hens in the back, or enjoy our new fairy garden! Our 1850 log home features 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, a barn board kitchen, spacious living room overlooking Blueberry Creek, and warm dining room with rustic farm table. Our second living room with library, games and instruments invite you to play and relax. Please note no adults only bookings. The space Experience a Simpler Time This cozy family nature retreat is located on 2 1/2 acres and minutes from beautiful Heritage Perth. Our 1850's log home is equipped for families with small children, and perfect multi-generations to gather. We specialize in family reunions. It is really two homes in one, as the second addition was built in 1970 as a home for the former owners when it was Riverdale Bed and Breakfast. Full access to house and the land of Blueberry Creek Nature Centre, including our art nook. Ask about our free summer "Junior Farmer Program" where your little one can learn about the animal care and try some small tasks. Behind our garden you will find the ‘Wild Zone’. This unique space inspired by the UK is filled with logs and planks, sand piles, straw bales and forts, perfect for endless building and discovery. Comfort in a Pioneer Home There are three private bedrooms upstairs with two full bathrooms, and one bedroom with full bathroom on main floor. All bedrooms have comfortable queen size beds with local art and antiques dating back to 1850's. The upstairs master bedroom has an en suite with shower, a crib, and features an antique sewing base converted with a bakers table. All beds are new and soft cotton sheets to ensure a good nights rest. Extra pillows and bedding include antique wool blankets ready in the closets. Wifi is available throughout the house, but you won’t find a television here. We have yet a guest to miss this during their retreat! The home is filled with fairly traded rugs from Ten Thousand Villages. Our latest, a village scene filled with mountains, streams and forests, was placed at Blueberry by the fair trade programs son himself! These carpets are our pride and joy. The main floor features a reclaimed barn board kitchen built from the land (an old chicken coop) with large island, and open living room overlooking Blueberry Creek. The appliances have gone 50’s retro blue to add some whimsy, with a beverage cooler. The rustic dining room can seat ten and also works as an art space. The front entrance holds a screened in porch with sitting area and costume chest. Our second cozy living room is original to the home and invites you to relax and choose a book from our incredible built in library filled with books, games, and treasures. Our animals: Unfortunately due to severe allergies of children attending the school and the safety of our animals, we cannot allow additional animals on site. Goats - Blue, Meadow and Clover take centre stage for joyful antics and play. Always happy for a safe treat and a pet, our goats are happy to say hello! Please note Blue (merger brown goat with blue eyes) should not go out of his pen. Please do not feed the goats other than carrot shavings as they have special dietary needs, and grains can harm them. Chickens - We have 9 hens in the yard, including our Guinea, Americana, Barnevelder, Easter egger, Plymouth Rock, and Chantecler! We let the chickens in and out of their roost in the barn around 9 each morning and 6-8 in the evening. Many of our forest families volunteer for this so at that time you might see little people running around the yard for twenty minutes. The chickens are friendly and always happy to have a banana for a treat! Please see the "safe" list if you wish to share your scraps with them. Our two acre backyard has a picnic table for twenty with a sun shelter, and a beautiful fire pit area. Please ensure there is no fire ban on and provide your own wood, or wood can be purchased on site. Outdoor activities include badminton, cricket, soccer and a slack line/ ninja line and climbing tree. There is a ship and tree fort in the yard designed by the children that attend Blueberry Creek Forest School! We have added a grove of miniature apple and fruit trees, and a permaculture garden complete with herbs. Please do not pick the apples as they are a special to the Forest School children upon their return in the autumn. We can provide a selection of herbal tea from our garden as available. Blueberry Creek Nature Centre welcomes you to experience the beauty of our space and the endless opportunities to create memories with your family! Please note we are a family rental and not suitable for small parties. Maximum 6 adults. Guest access Our home and land is available for 8 guests, maximum 6 adults. Blueberry is perfect for large families and reunions, unfortunately we don't allow private parties. We have a crib, playpen, high chair and gates in the home, as well as high quality books, toys and games for all ages. Please let us know how we can make your family nature retreat filled with happy memories! Other things to note Situated on Blueberry Creek Nature Centre, a great place to soak in nature and go for a hike! Walk the land and lay out a blanket at night for some star gazing, or enjoy a picnic in the shade of a tree. We provide the picnic basket and blanket! There is a large propane bbq on site, as well as fire pit for an outdoor cooking fire. Please check there are no fire bans in effect and please use the fire-grate and cover. Camp/cooking fires can be from sunrise to sunset only per municipality rules. Please provide your own wood. Please ensure the bbq is clean, cool and covered before leaving, with the propane turned off. We are a scent free and pet free home due to asthma and allergies of our children and care team. Please leave nothing but footprints. For insurance reasons, the indoor fireplace cannot be used by guests unless with a special "coffee log" that can be purchased. We do have a one garbage bag policy per visit as there is no garbage pick up. Please recycle and compost whenever you can. We have a large rolling compost behind the house (to the right of the slack line). Please note there is a train that runs through town but the whistle is not heard. All windows are new keeping outside noises to a minimum. The view of the train from the large living room window is a treat for the young and young at heart. The hens love a treat of bananas!