Wollongong's urban farmland tours back on in time for the school holidays
Great outdoors: Kids and adults are able to explore the 11-acre Green Connect farm, which is back open after months of being closed to the public.
In the industrial hills behind Warrawong High School, the Green Connect farm is a little slice of bucolic paradise.
Pigs, goats, chickens and sheep roam freely through 11-acres, and a market garden bursts with purple kohlrabi and leafy winter greens, which are packaged into boxes and sent out to homes across the Illawarra.
After being closed to the public due to coronavirus restrictions, the farm is back open and running tours just in time for the school holidays - with organisers describing it as the perfect antidote to months of being cooped up indoors.
"We have chickens, goats, sheep and pigs and kids are pretty delighted by that, and you get a little bag of feed to take with you on the tour to feed the goats," Green Connect activity coordinator Vanessa Fookes said.
"We walk around and see if we can spot the sheep, check out the pigs and give them some veggie scraps, and then we walk through the market gardens and check out the salad bar, and we run our hands over the more fragrant vegetables, like the fennel leaves, to get a full sensory experience."
"I think that's so important, because we've been indoors for months, so to be outside using their senses like smell and taste is do important.
"They also get a bit of a workout, moving up and down through rocky bits and muddy bits, and getting out and getting their bodies moving especially in winter is exactly wha kids need."
Ms Fookes also said parents who had attended the farm tours had noticed an increase in their kids' interest in eating healthy foods.
Hands on: There are pigs, goats and sheep to be fed, and fresh produce to taste and smell. Pictures: Supplied.
"If you're having trouble getting your kids to eat broccoli or kohlrabi, you can show them where it grows and bring that farm to table experience," she said.
"Kids are full of questions and excitement, they want to know 'what is that, and why is it purple' and sometimes we even have tears when it's time to leave.
"They also often want to sign up to get one of our veggies boxes, because they've seen where it's all grown."
The one-hour tours will run on most Fridays and Saturdays of the holidays at 1.00pm and 2.30pm.
Green Connect sells 15 tickets for each tour, but allows up to 20 guests, as kids under three can attend for free.
Tickets cost $14 per person, with any proceeds going towards Green Connect's social enterprises, which employ young people and former refugees to grow fair food and reduce waste to landfill.
Any visitors will be asked to follow standard COVID-19 safety measures, with hand washing/sanitisation and social distancing to be observed.
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