What to See + Do
The Farmstay experience
Join us at 9.00am daily for the experience of a lifetime, hand feeding all our pets and farm animals for about 2.5 to 3 hours. You can walk in with and talk to all our animals as they adore visits from guests. They are all very inquisitive with individual personalities.
Kid around with the miniature goats Simon & Garfunkel.
Kiss the Camel Alana - and treat her with some carrots.
Cuddle some alpacas
Ride some sheep
Hunt to find a fresh egg from one of our chickens.
Bottle feed milk to baby lambs and calves (seasonal) .
Feed hay to the horses
Drive the huge John Deere tractor through a paddock to feed out hay to the cattle
Learn how to test an electric fence like a farmer.
Watch 340 cows being milked on a rotary dairy farm for Australia’s famous organic, single-origin milk called Otway Pastures - owned by our cousins, the McGlade family. FUN FACT When our baby camel Alana was born (and rejected by her mother) Tim & Sally gave us 10 litres of milk each day to keep Alana alive. A decade later they still visit Alana and the animals each week, now with their grandchildren. In an industry known for ownership by huge multinationals, the McGlades (along with three other local families as fellow co-founders) are committed to revolutionising the way the Australian Dairy Industry — if not the world — produces milk. Innovating and challenging convention, their vision is to provide Australian families with a healthier milk, made on healthier farms.
Feed native birds, including iridescent parrots, rosellas, cockatoos, galahs, willy wagtails, kookaburras and magpies. Keen eyes could also spot a trio of wedge-tailed eagles out over the horse paddock.
Cook up a true blue Aussie BBQ in the covered BBQ Pit using mouth-watering produce you can easily pick up locally. Share tippling and tall tales while seated around a genuine whiskey barrel from Timboon Distillery
Grab a cuppa tea and soak up the majestic views and tranquility from the front deck - we are on a hill at one of the highest points of Scotts Creek.
Take bush walks bursting with native flora and fauna. Sharp eyes along bush tracks often can spot a koala or two in the tall gum trees, or on special occasions, kangaroos bounding over the back paddocks.
Learn about Bellevue’s history – we’ve kept the original historical woolshed, built in the early 1950s, where we used to shear up to 3,000 sheep annually.
Enjoy a taste of real farm life on a real Australian working farm which runs beef cattle, young dairy cows and some sheep.
Curl up with a favorite book in front of the roaring wood fire.
PLANNING TIP: A four night stay at Bellevue will give you three sessions of animal feedings (9am-midday daily), while a three night stay offers two sessions of animal feedings.
For more photos of the farm and animal experiences please click here
AND THEN ….
Use Bellevue as a central hub to explore the Region
12 apostles, great ocean road, port campbell (20mins)
Visit the majestic 12 Apostles, as well as the equally stunning geological wonders of Loch Ard Gorge, Gibsons Steps, London Bridge, Bay of Martyrs, the Grotto, Bay of Islands and much more. [Drive time from Bellevue: 20mins]
For a small region, we’re BIG on taste! As well as our spectacular coastline, vibrant towns and holiday attractions – we now boast the 12 Apostles Food Artisans Trail – the ultimate indulgent road trip of gourmet cheese makers, single malt whisky, wine, fresh local crayfish, ice cream, chocolate, fudge, olives, eels, snails, jams and strawberries. Many of these artisans have tasting and tours. [Drive Time from Bellevue: 10mins - 25mins]
In Port Campbell township itself you’ll find great local cafes including Grassroots Deli, 12 Rocks Beach Bar and Real Pizza, Salads & Pasta, Local Tip: grab fish & chips from the Port Campbell Takeaway and walk down to the foreshore or the jetty. [Drive Time from Bellevue: 20mins]
Download a copy of the Port Campbell Map and Visitors Guide click here
timboon (12mins)
Timboon is a picturesque township set amongst natural bushland with a colorful local history of whiskey distilleries, stately trestle bridges and railroad lore. Today we produce some of the finest gourmet products including Timboon Fine Ice-Cream, The Timboon Distillery, Schultz Organic Dairy Brendan Bouchier’s Butcher and Berry World. Timboon is also home to the famous “Camperdown to Timboon Rail Trail” with spectacular remnants of railway trestle bridges set in beautiful rainforests. Local Tip: Hire a bike (or ebike) to do the Trail Ride from Ride With Us - run by knowledgable friendly locals Lindon and Sandra. [Drive Time from Bellevue: 12 mins]
Treat yourself to Schultz Organic Creamery Cafe, with a seasonal cafe menu celebrating the best of Schulz Organic Dairy products alongside hand-selected local produce. The Schultz family have been at the forefront of organic farming since 1972, producing the highest quality milk and dairy products right there on site. They also offer behind-the-scenes tours of the dairy.
Some of our favorite Timboon cafes include: The Fat Cow, Timboon Railway Shed Distillery, Berry Good Thai @ Berry World, The Timboon Pub (aka Railway Hotel,) and The Timboon Provedore.
Timboon township also has an impressively diverse supermarket, a pharmacy, hardware store, bakery, takeaway store, large children’s playground and skate park. Retail therapy for homewares, clothing and gifts includes Milk & Honey, Wylde Home and Carramar Sage
cobden (20mins)
Home to the world-famous Cobden Miniature Railway, run entirely by enthusiastic volunteers, which also has a great Children’s Playground, 18-hole Miniature Golf Course, BBQ and picnic facilities, disabled parking and toilets. Open every 3rd Sunday of the month, and every Sunday school holidays, from 11am - 4pm. Cost is $3 per ride for anyone 2 years old and over. Be sure to try the handmade scones in the Buffet Car! Cobden is also home to the adorable Blue Wren cottage cafe which opens daily at 7.30am-5.30pm (closed Sunday) known for their excellent coffee and chic homewares. For Lunch and Dinner options there is the Cobden Fish & Chip Shop, (open noon-8.30pm Fri to Sun, and 4pm-8pm on Wed & Thurs. Closed Mon & Tues), Bistro on Neylon at the Cobden Golf Club (Tuesday through Sunday) and the historic Thommo’s Hotel built in 1904, which offers hearty traditional pub meals (Wed through Saturday afternoons, although the pub bar is open 7 days)
Bee-spoke honey (20mins)
Love honey? Visit Bees up close then afternoon tea at BUUKAAR WAARUUNG Boutique Apiary & Artisan Honey, a niche agrarian enterprise that seeks to elevate beekeeping, celebrate fine honey, and sustain ecology and pollination on the majestic volcanic plains near Camperdown. [Drive Time from Bellevue: 20mins]
Camperdown (30mins)
Explore sublime volcanic landscapes and deep crater lakes that punctuate the even carpet of rolling green farmland. Drive to the top of Mt Leura or the Botanical Gardens for breathtaking views of the countryside. Hand-made dry stone walls dissect the landscape, providing an aesthetic and practical solution to a landscape strewn with volcanic rock. Camperdown is the start of the famous Rail Trail - Cyclists, horse-riders and walkers traverse volcanic features, farmland, wooded grassland and tall wet forest on a 34 km descent into the wooded Timboon valley. Stop for a break on the way in Cobden (after winding through the golf course.) before heading south through farmland and tall forest to the iconic trestle bridges in the final 15km to Timboon. The old Courthouse is a visitor information centre and retail outlet, staffed by enthusiastic volunteers. The majestic gothic-revival style Clock Tower, built in 1897 and soaring 100 feet tall in the center of town, is open to the public on the first Sunday of every month. It’s well worth the climb of 100 steep steps to inspect the clock mechanism and enjoy the panoramic views before heading to the statuesque Avenue of Elms for the monthly Camperdown Rotary Market with tents of home made goods including cakes, produce, plants, clothing and novelties. Or to the Heritage Centre to learn more about the area and its fascinating history. Camperdown is also home of the world's oldest statue of the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns. Crafted in Scotland in 1830, the statue was brought to Camperdown in1883 by Scottish settler, William Andrew Taylors and anchors the annual Camperdown Robert Burns Scottish Festival with Scottish dancing, poetry, concerts, bagpipe parades and more. Delicious cafes include The Snout, The Farmhouse @ 153, Excuse Me, The Loaf and Lounge.
wildlife park (35mins)
Interact up-close with native animals such as kangaroos, dingoes, emus and wombats at the family-run Great Ocean Road Wildlife Center. an animal sanctuary with an eco-vision. Their Earthbound Cafe offers visitors a range of homemade and healthy food options and a cosy space (with fireplace) to relax and enjoy a good cup of coffee or organic tea [Drive time from Bellevue: 20mins.]
whale watching (40mins)
Between late May and early October, Southern Right Whales return to their nursery at Logan's Beach Whale Nursery to give birth and raise their calves. Reach the viewing platform at Logan’s Beach as you enter Warrnambool. [Drive Time from Bellevue: 45mins]
flagstaff hill - maritime village + museum (45mins)
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum at our closest city of Warrnambool (population 35,000) recreates a late 19th century port complete with original lighthouses and replicas of a sailmaker’s loft, bank, town hall and chapel.) It houses Australia's most valuable shipwreck artifact, the porcelain Loch Ard Peacock (valued at $4million) that was salvaged from the Loch Ard wreck in 1878. The museum is a replica of a turn-of-the-century port and stages a spectacular Light and Sound Show. Open every night except Christmas Day. Drive Time from Bellevue: 45mins
Aboriginal bush + nature tours (50mins)
Experience Australia’s first national park, Tower Hill, through an indigenous lens with fascinating guided bush & nature tours. Connect with a 65,000 year old culture, discover one of Victoria’s oldest dormant volcanoes and get close to some of Australia’s most iconic animals. [Drive Time from Bellevue: 70mins]
HANDY WEBSITES FOR TRIP PLANNING: Visit 12 Apostles and Visit Great Ocean Road