Want to get away from it all, without actually needing to go ‘away’? As something a little different to do on a winter weekend, we took the kids to the gorgeous Noosa Farmstay – Rosecliffe Boutique Cottages – for some much-needed R&R and screen-free time.
Just a 30-minute drive from Noosa, you are a world away from the bustling streets of the Sunshine Coast. As you drive up through the Noosa Hinterland and the rolling green hills, you feel the stress dissipate and the fresh air renew your soul.
Rosecliffe Boutique Cottages is perched on the ridge of one of these hills. It is a collection of four self-contained, and very private, cottages within a gated property and the owners live on-site in the main farmhouse. We stayed in their Treetops Cottage, with sweeping views of the hinterland and rainforest.
The cottage was very well equipped, with the comfiest beds we’ve ever slept in, sumptuous couches with blankets and a heater.
The kitchen had everything a family needs – coffee machine, plastic cups and plates, plenty of pans and utensils. There was even a juicer, so you can wander through the orchard, pick fruit, and juice it for breakfast!
Talking of breakfast … freshly laid eggs from the Rosecliffe chickens are a must!
Each morning at around 9am, owner Renee does a wonderful tour feeding and visiting the animals.
Kids can feed the cows, alpacas, horses, miniature ponies, and collect eggs.
Make sure you take your egg basket with you – it’s the cute basket on the cottage kitchen bench.
The animals were all lovely and gentle (though mind little fingers near the horses – they can accidentally nip if your little one doesn’t hold their hand flat).
As the animals are in paddocks within the gated farmstay property, you can go visit them whenever you like. The kids adored the miniature ponies so would happily go see them whilst we were making lunch or dinner.
The boutique Noosa farmstay also has a stunning infinity pool. We were visiting in the middle of winter, so the water was a little cold. But we’ll certainly be back in the summer to enjoy a swim!
This Noosa farmstay is dog friendly too!
Want to take long your pooch along to your farmstay? Yep, Rosecliffe Cottages is dog friendly, and our little fur ball had the best time! The cottage is fully fenced at the rear, so pup could happily enjoy everything we did. She loved sitting out on the deck, watching the birds. You must keep them on leash around the farm – which is totally understandable – as there are animals around.
Things to do around Rosecliffe Boutique Cottages
Rosecliffe Noosa Farmstay backs onto the Noosa Trail Network, so there are heaps of walks on your doorstep. As we have some very little legs in our family, we did a lovely (but nice and short) walk up to James McKane Lookout. It is a simple 5km stroll along a well-marked track – even the littlest ones made it without a worry. The views from the top were spectacular and there was a lovely park to play in.
There are plenty of other things to do in the area. Explore the small town of Pomona, pop down to Noosa to enjoy the beach and many kid-friendly things to do there. If you have a 4WD, Noosa North Shore is only a 30-minute drive away. Jump on the pontoon at Tewantin and drive along the beach to Double Island Point.
Other than visiting the animals and simple local walks, we’ll admit, we mostly hung out at the cottage enjoying the peace and serenity of the rainforest. We played board games, toasted marshmallows on the chiminea, spotted birds off the deck, ate lots of cheese and reconnected. Phones were switched off, iPads left at home, and nobody minded at all. The kids had a wonderful time switching off and not running to a schedule for a few days.
Tip: Do your grocery shop on the way. Once there, you won’t want to leave to do groceries, so take everything you need with you.
If 2020-21 has taught us anything, it’s that the simple things really matter, and this weekend was one of the simplest, yet one of the nicest, we’ve had in a very long time.
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