A Day at Jonai Farm, Daylesford

Moments from Melbourne, but worlds away from its hustle and bustle, Daylesford is a quiet and quaint town in Shire of Hepburn. This is the place to unwind, pamper yourself, indulge your senses, or simply enjoy an enticing menu of natural attractions.

Surrounded by pristine bushland and freshwater springs, Daylesford is a tranquil place to enjoy a farm stay and farm tour or just relax by the lake and soak in the atmosphere in the Australian outback. During my recent trip to Melbourne, I had the privilege to visit Jonai Farm at Daylesford.

Stuart, Tammi and their three kids have been raising rare breed Large Black pigs on their 69 acres of volcanic paddocks since 2011, and started selling ethical pork in last year. They respect what Salatin calls ‘the pigness of the pig’. Their animals are free to roam around as they would in the wild and feed on crushed grain mix.

We wandered about checking out the heritage-breed large black pigs, lowline cattle, chooks, a huge rooster called Marlon Brando, hens called Gertrude. I loved the rambling seasonal garden and the refrigerated container where the charcuterie magic happens. They do the butchering themselves and are able to confidently share with you how is their bacon cured. We ate bacon and sausages from the farm and they tasted delicious.

With agritourism growing more popular worldwide, it’s time to put farms and farmers at the centre of your next holiday, and sneaking a period of back to nature into your daily life. My day trip to Jonai Farm has been an eye opener. It allows me to escape the rat race for some special moments of farm life. On our way back, we even met a couple who is going to spend 3 months working in their farm. This is the real Australia I wanted to experience.

I had a great time meeting Stuart and Tammi who live and work there. And I learnt so much more about bacon and sausage, and not just any other ingredients you can find in the supermarket. And being in Australia’s rural regions means you are up close to nature with wide range of activities and experiences. Not only is it a wonderful escape from our daily lives, I believe it also helps the farmers to run viable businesses.

Jonai farm is a gorgeous, peaceful, hospitable, relaxing place to visit. So if you are looking for a unique place to hit the hay on your next gateway, consider visiting a farm, ranch or winery. You can feed the pigs, pick your own apples or even just spend time to daydream.

Jonai Farms
129 Morgantis Rd
Eganstown VIC 3461
8km west of Daylesford just 1km off the Midland Hwy

Celebrating Australian food with Tourism Australia. To find out more, check out the best of Australian road trips.