As the sun begins to set over Tommerup's Dairy Farm one thing becomes immediately obvious – the stars.
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They blanket the night sky, a delight to gaze upon in the crisp country air, lighting up the dark in a way you never see in the city.
For urban dwellers like me and my two-year-old daughter the scene is entrancing.
In wonder, my daughter points to the moon.
"La luna," she exclaims in delight. "Look at the moon."
And this is just the beginning of the adventure.
Nestled in the Scenic Rim, just an hour south of Brisbane and 20 minutes from Beaudesert, Tommerup's is a hidden gem – a working dairy and farm stay providing visitors with an authentic farm experience and tonnes of country hospitality.
The farm has now been in Tommerup family for six generations, the latest custodians husband and wife team Dave and Kay Tommerup and their kids, Harry and Georgia.
Their herd also provides milk to the White Gold Creamery, a Gold Coast boutique cheese-making operation that lists Palazzo Versace among its clients.
In 2011 the Tommerups made a decision – diversify or die – and the farm stay was born.
"If it wasn't for the farm stay, the other side of the business, I don't think we'd be here today," says Kay.
"This farm had survived for five generations and we didn't want to be the ones to see it go."
On the property was a dilapidated building, the former kitchen of the main farmhouse built in 1889. In the 1920s it had been removed and turned into workers' accommodation, then left abandoned.
Beyond the cobwebs and rotting stumps Kay and Dave saw and opportunity and in 2011 converted the building into The Cottage, a rustic little house to accommodate farm visitors.
And they haven't looked back.
The property is consistently booked and at the beginning of the year they opened The Homestead, the renovated main farmhouse, for larger groups.
While the accommodation provides the perfect getaway for city-weary adults, it's the kids – big and little – that really benefit from the farm experience.
Every afternoon, at 4pm on the dot, the herd gathers at the gate ready for milking.
The Tommerups cows gather at 4pm for milking. Photo: Anne-Louise Brown
The kids get a chance to milk a cow and watch Dave process his well-behaved herd.
Then, in the morning, there's animal feeding.
Pigs eat pumpkins and whey from the farm's milk, calves are bottle fed and the chickens eat grain while the kids collect their eggs.
There are also goats, sheep and excitable farm dogs to keep everyone entertained.
In the Tommerups' mission to diversify they've also started producing small batches of bacon and milk-fed veal, free-range eggs and yearling beef. All the farm's produce can be bought at The Larder, a little shed of farm-gate delights.
The cows in the dairy. Photo: Anne-Louise Brown
To celebrate, the Tommerups will be opening their property to the public on Saturday, June 25, from 7am to 1pm as part of the Farm Gate Festival in the Lost World. There will be milking demonstrations, farm tours and, of course, the chance to sample some of the farm's fare. Bookings are essential.
Around the Kerry Valley it seems the Tommerups enthusiasm has been contagious, and for this year's food festival they've managed to rope in two of their neighbours to demonstrate their talents.
Ian and Sue Harrison are fifth generation graziers and owners of Ladybrook, where they run beef cattle for domestic and export markets.
Sue, a talented rider, will split the cattle ready for weigh in while Ian, behind an electronic crush and computer, weighs them in one by one, showing how the amazing software they use tracks the life of each animal from paddock to plate.
Kirro homestead. Photo: Supplied
A delicious country morning tea made by Sue, who is as good at baking as she is at riding, will be provided at their newly renovated Kirro homestead from 10am.
And if pizza is your thing, then make sure you drop in to Theresa and John White's house, right next door to Tommerups.
When Theresa's father, a concreter, went into semi-retirement he started making pizza ovens as a hobby and, for the Whites, a passion was born.
They use the freshest local produce to produce their delicious wood-fired pizzas and, for the festival, will be opening their outdoor kitchen to serve family pizzas at lunch and dinner.
On the trip back to the city make sure you pay a visit to Towri Sheep Cheeses at Allenview.
Carolyn Davidson in her cheese-making factory. Photo: Anne-Louise Brown
Here, Carolyn Davidson crafts a range of artisan sheeps cheeses from her flock of 300 awassi, east friesian and assaf milking sheep.
After growing up on a merino farm near Longreach, Carolyn fell in love with the woolly creatures and, after years of farming for meat and wool, turned her attention to cheese.
"I'd been making sheeps cheese as a hobby for years and after I couldn't ride horses anymore it became a real passion," she said.
"After that I decided to turn it into a business."
Carolyn went to Melbourne, where she studied cheese making at RMIT. Her products are now served at QAGOMA's restaurant and are available to buy at the farm gate and online.
A Towri open day will be held on Tuesday, June 28 from 10am, or you can contact Carolyn directly to organise a time to visit.
Scenic Rim Eat Local Week runs from 25 June to 3 July, with a range of activities to suit families, kids and those who enjoy the finer things.
