Our Animals
Our Horse
'Big Sav'
‘Big Sav’ came to our farm from the wonderful team at Silver Shadows Rehoming and Education as an ex-racehorse. Savanero was born in New Zealand and is the son of Savabeel, best known for winning the 2004 Cox Plate. Savanero had quite a successful racing career in his own right, taking home over $150 000 in prize money from several wins and places in his career. However, following the end of his racing career he found himself in need of a new home and a second chance.
The team at Silver Shadows fell in love with him for his beautiful nature but came to the realisation he no longer enjoyed being ridden or venturing out to new places and needed a different kind of retirement. And so he became the inspiration for a new adoption program for their ‘sensitive souls’ seeking companion homes. We are so happy we could give Sav the family and future he deserves and are proud to welcome the ambassador for this new program to our family. For us, all animals are worthy of love and care- regardless of their performance on the track, willingness to ‘work’, or dollar value. So grateful to the amazing Silver Shadows team for matching us with this gentle soul and glad to see him enjoying his retirement life so much. We adore him!
The 'Highloways'
Meet Splash and Oreo
We are fortunate on our farm to have two beautiful miniature Highland x Galloway boys. One is named Oreo (can you guess who? Clue: He got his name for being black with a white centre) and the other is named Splash because he looks like someone splashed milk up the side of him. Did you know that the word ‘cow’ actually refers to female cattle so these boys are called ‘steers’.
Fluffy steers are just about the cutest thing ever and enjoy having a good brush to keep their coats looking nice. Highland cattle have horns while Galloways do not so when you cross these breeds there is a 50/50 chance of them having horns or being polled. At our place Splash has the horns while Oreo does not. This makes Splash the bovine boss!
Our Jersey Boy
Our sweet boy 'Spot'
Our beautiful boy ‘Spot’ came to us when Farmer Darcy put a call out to the community to say there were several Jersey bull calves in need of being saved from a dairy farm and she was already at capacity. When we picked up Spot he was just 48 hours old and could fit in the back of our car!! We bottle-fed Spot and forged a very special bond with him through the earliest months of his life, that we still share today.
He is hands-down the sweetest cattle friend we have ever met and frequently follows us around the paddocks for scratches and pats when we take the dogs for a walk! Spot is also an interesting boy as we learned later in life he was cryptorchid, meaning his castration was a little trickier than usual and he needed a visit to the amazing specialist team at Roseworthy Hospital. We hear the vet nurses there fell in love with him as much as we did! Fortunately all went well with his procedure and he now gets to live out his days hanging with his Highloway buddies.
The Merinos
Meet Lewie and Tauro
We have two merino lambs who came to us when they were just a few days old. Unfortunately, they had lost their mum and needed extra care and attention, which is how they became our ‘bottle babies’. As precious newborns they spent their earliest weeks with us in the house (and we can assure you they are just as mischievous as a young puppy!) before gaining the strength and confidence to explore the big wide world on the farm.
These boys (named Lewie and Tauro by our children) spent a lot of their young lives snuggled up with their humans and having scratches and pats and so they have grown up to be very affectionate sheep and continue to enjoy human companionship. They’d love you to come and say hi when you next visit the farm!
The Babydolls
Our 3 Musketeers
We have 3 babydoll boys on the farm - Arlow, Gandalf (the one with the beard), and Bear. Babydoll Southdown sheep are a type of miniature sheep originating from England and very popular for their gorgeous looks and sweet personalities. They are aptly named babydolls as they are fluffy little guys with woolly legs and faces, adorable little smiles and teddy bear looks. These three came to us from a farm in Victoria and their favourite thing is a treat of hobby farming mix!
The Valais Blacknose
The World's Cutest Sheep
The newest addition to our sheep flock are our four Valais Blacknose X boys- Henry, Bobby, Clancy, and Felix (who our boys nicknamed Steelix like the Pokemon character). Valais Blacknose Sheep are relatively new and not so common in Australia, with these boys being among the first of the breed in South Australia! This breed originates from Switzerland and have been called ‘the World’s Cutest Sheep’. Not only are they adorable with their unique black markings and fuzzy wool but they are also incredibly sociable and affectionate with their human companions. They love to come and say hi when we have visitors to the farm!
The Alpacas
A stack of Alpacas
We have 5 lovely alpaca lads who call the farm home. The leader of our Alpaca herd is our fawn coloured boy named Scout. He is always on the lookout for potential danger and alert to ensure he is keeping his buddies safe. Alpacas are actually wonderful protectors and are found on many farms alongside sheep companions as they help to keep the foxes away and little lambs safe. Alongside Scout, our black-fleeced boys Al-Pacino and Pac-Man also help to take care of the smallest members of the herd, our little chocolate coloured alpaca Baratone and our little white Lancelot. Their favourite food is lucerne hay!
Our Dogs
Our Pawsome Protectors
If you visit our place, you might be lucky to run into one of our lovable dogs! We have two maremmas, a breed made famous by the movie Oddball. Maremmas are Livestock Guardian Dogs (not to be mistaken for guard dogs) who are gentle giants who use their large size and loud bark to deter potential predators (such as foxes and birds of prey). They are big softies at heart and like nothing more than taking care of their ‘family’.
As well as our brother-sister Maremma duo (Charlie and Savannah), we also have our adorable mixed-breed Cattle Dog x rescue Digger. Digger came into our lives as an 8-week old rescued from a NSW pound and quickly made his way into our hearts and home, becoming a foster fail and permanent resident as part of our family! He is small but mighty and has a heart of gold and the best recall of any dog we’ve ever had (unlike his Maremma siblings)!
Our Chooks
A flock of feathered friends
We have 13 heritage breed chickens and roosters living with us on the farm. These include Barnevelders, Easter Eggers, Polish Frizzles, and Bantams. Our eclectic bunch have grown up together from day-old chicks and have formed a cute little family unit! We try to be as self sufficient as possible around our place and the chooks help with that by producing our eggs in a delightful range of colours! The chooks also happily play their part in the farm system by eating our leftover fruit and veggies and making great compost for our vegetable gardens.
Our Bees
Our busy little bees..
Down in the back of our vegetable garden you might spot our busy bees. These bees play a really important role in the garden by helping to pollinate the plants and they love living nearby the vegies and orchard because it means they have an abundant source of food. Our resident bee colony live in a fabulous flow hive. What we really like about the flow hive is that the lower section of the hive (or the 'brood box') houses the queen and stores all of the honey the bee family needs, while the upper section (the 'super') contains additional honey that we can harvest and share with minimal impact to the hive.
The Wildlife
Our lovely locals
We are fortunate that our property is regularly frequented by native wildlife including Kangaroos, Koalas, Possums, Echidna, and a beautiful array of birdlife including Kookaburras, Cockatoos, Honeyeaters, and little Fairy Wrens. We engage in regular planting and revegetation to help preserve habitat for these local animals & adore starting and ending our day with the 'laugh' of the kookaburras. Keep your eyes peeled when you visit as you never know who you might be lucky enough to spot.