Animal Land Children’s Farm is an interactive farm experience for children of all ages, offering a fun, sensory and educational environment for exploring farm animals and agriculture. At their own pace, families can uncover what it’s like to live and work on a real-life farm – and it’s only 30 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD.
The children’s farm is open year-round, and visitors can enjoy a variety of activities such as feeding, holding and petting cute farm animals. There’s also the opportunity to play on two playgrounds, take a pony ride, eat at the Holy Cow Cafe and explore various other daily activities run on the farm.
Animal Land Children’s Farm, Diggers Rest
Animal Land Children’s Farm is a family-owned and operated farm that was established in 1990. Since then, it has been providing a fun, hands-on experience for children and families to learn about farm life and the animals that live on a farm.
It’s animals galore! Whilst wandering the farm grounds you can expect to see cows, sheep, pigs, ducks, chickens, goats, horses, alpacas, peacocks, guinea pigs, rabbits and more. All of these animals are friendly and approachable, making it easy for children to interact with them.
Each animal pen is fenced, so timid kids can feel comfortable approaching most of the animals from a safe distance. However, we found there were many occasions where different animals got out of their paddock or pen and roamed the paths among the visitors, which seemed to be a normal occurrence. As the animals were very tame this just added some frivolity, and made it all the more authentic.
At the Nursery there are soft cuddly rabbits and guinea pigs for visitors to hold, and sometimes other baby farm animals too.
Information signs are located at each pen for families to learn about the farm animals with QR codes, fun facts and even bad Dad jokes.
One of the most popular activities at Animal Land Children’s Farm is feeding time. Visitors can collect buckets of food and feed the animals along their way throughout the farm. Children will love getting up close as they feed the goats, sheep, cows, and alpacas and learn about the different diets of each animal. They can also feed the ducks and chickens and learn about the importance of egg-laying and how to collect eggs. Then there is hay to feed the horses too.
For horse lovers, the pony ride is a must! Led by experienced staff members, your child will safely experience what it’s like to ride a horse, and can learn a bit about them too. This was a great way for our preschooler to experience a pony ride for the first time, and she was just thrilled.
With two playgrounds on the farm, parents might get the chance to have a rest while the kids continue to play and explore slides, a wooden wagon, cubby house, tractor and large sand pit. Or everyone might choose to join in on more fun with giant jenga and checkers.
Several outdoor tables and chairs for dining are located next to the Holy Cow Cafe, or you can bring a picnic blanket and set up on the lawn. You can bring your own food, or buy from the Cafe that has a wide range of yummy canteen-style food including meat pies, potato cakes, sandwiches, hot dogs, milkshakes and hamburgers. Depending on the season, you can enjoy fresh food grown on the farm. There’s also an indoor area with tables and chairs, however these may be booked out for party hire.
The gravel paths throughout the farm are suitable for prams and strollers (just a little bit bumpy!) and there are toilets with change table facilities.
Keep an eye on the website as we hear some exciting new activities are coming soon, including canoeing on the dam and tractor rides!
Located in Diggers Rest just off the Calder Freeway, this is an easy and accessible way to share in a real taste of country life. Animal Land Children’s Farm promises a full day of fun getting up close to feed, pat and cuddle these friendly farmyard animals.
This experience was one of the most effortless days of endless fun for the whole family. We were chanting, “E-I-E-I-O” all day.
Adult tickets are $22, children up to 14 years are $17 and babies up to 14 months are free. A family ticket for four is $75 and a family of five is $90. Ticket entry includes unlimited pony rides, animal feed and a bottle of hand sanitiser.
Another thing to love about Animal Land Children’s Farm is that it promotes environmental sustainability. The farm uses sustainable farming practices such as composting and recycling to reduce waste, and minimise its impact on the environment. Families can learn about these practices and how they can be applied in their own lives.
For an even deeper delve into farm life, families can book an authentic Melbourne Farm Stay at Animal Land Children’s Farm where they will spend the night in a self-contained cottage with wooden fireplace, outdoor fire pit, large deck and breakfast included. Fresh eggs can be collected from the nearby chicken coop during your stay!
Animal Land Children’s Farm: Things To Note
- Ticket entry includes pony rides, animal feed and a bottle of hand sanitiser
- Bring your own lunch or purchase food at the onsite Holy Cow Cafe
- It gets muddy – gumboots are a great idea
- There are toilets and a change table
- Gravel paths throughout are suitable for prams and strollers (just a little bumpy!)
- Exciting activities coming soon to the farm include canoeing and tractor rides
- Book an authentic Melbourne Farm Stay at Animal Land Children’s Farm
- Check online for their Annual Membership options for unlimited entry
For a list of other great animal farm experiences in Melbourne – Click Here
For a list of the best farm stays in Victoria – Click Here