Top five places to stay like a shearer
Once they were barracks-style accommodation for the blokes who sheared sheep: now, some farms have turned their shearers’ quarters into farm-style accommodation.They’re great for groups who like the rural life with individual bedrooms, but communal cooking, eating and recreational facilities away from too much civilization. Thinking of getting together with friends and/or family in country style? Pack the car and hit the road and visit one of these regional getaways.
Kilmuir Country Retreat, Mansfield, Victoria
This beautiful sheep and cattle property was originally purchased in 1854 and quickly grew to a thousand acre farm – hence the need for proper shearers’ accommodation. Now, Kilmuir’s “cottage” is available for groups of up to 17 with various room configurations set in gorgeous gardens under the red gums. There’s a communal lounge and country kitchen or a barbecue on the deck, and being near Mansfield means you’re not far from the snowfields and all the Victorian high country has to offer.
Kimo Estate, Gundagai, NSW
The Murrumbidgee district is legendary pioneering country and to get a taste of the lifestyle the bush poets loved to write about you can’t do better than Kimo Estate. Just outside Gundagai, this 7000 acre farm is open to guests and sleeping options include the shearers’ quarters. The corrugated iron shed has six bedrooms for 12 people, retains its rustic charm (the kitchen bench is a timber slab, for instance) but is fully renovated for country comfort. The views are awesome, and the isolation perfect for reconnecting with friends and family.
Moolooloo Station, Flinders Ranges, South Australia
For typical Outback accommodation Moolooloo’s shearers’ quarters tick every box. The honey-coloured stone-walled building is planted in red sand overlooking a creek with shady eucalypts, has a big kitchen with wood or gas stoves and easily sleeps 24 people. You’re in the northern Flinders Ranges about seven hours from Adelaide, so there’s plenty to see and do and the property is perfect for groups of off-roaders perhaps heading further north. Or maybe, you’ll just want to stay and sing around the campfire.
Rathmore, Hollow Tree, Tasmania
If you can’t get a big group together to share a whole shearers’ quarters then Rathmore has the answer. This historic property in Tassie’s Derwent Valley has four rooms in the shed where the shearers used to sleep that are available on an individual basis. You’ll be sharing a bathroom and kitchen, but everything has been so beautifully restored and renovated it’s not a drama. Explore the farm and general area, then finish the day enjoying the open fire or maybe have dinner with hosts Cally and Richard in the homestead.
Yardup, Amelup, Western Australia
Just outside the Stirling Range National Park about 400km southwest of Perth is Yardup, a large sheep station where the historic shearers’ accommodation has been revamped and repurposed into a delightful place to stay. Book the lot (six rooms sleep 12) or take a room individually, it’s up to you. Either way, cook up a feast in the big kitchen, sit by the campfire with phenomenal views to the Ranges and enjoy farm life at its best (without having to do any of the hard yakka).
Related: Five of Australia’s quirkiest vehicle-themed accommodation
Related: Top five Australian glamping locations to stay at
Related: Top five quirky places to stay this weekend
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
