A little Avalon update.

A Letter From the Farm - January 2026

Hi there,

Are you feeling the heat like we are? It’s been a hot week and with today being 44^oC, we are wishing our old farmhouse has air conditioning in every room like Avalon Farmstay! Thankfully weeks like this don’t last all summer and next week we have a cool change coming and will be 10-15 degrees lower.

Did you get to have a break over January? I know not everyone is able to get away or take leave during this time, if this is you hopefully you have a break coming later in the year that you can look forward to?

School holidays in our family force our focus away from business - kids have an incredible ability to influence the direction of our attention! Apart from the non-negotiable tasks of livestock welfare and essential maintenance, we have tried to enjoy the holidays with the kids.

At the start of the year I enjoy thinking about and planning what I would like to achieve over the next 12 months. Part of this process is reflecting on the last 12 months, what we have achieved and where the challenges were. In this newsletter I wanted to share with you some of our achievements in 2025, I’m really proud of what we have done and a little surprised of what is possible in 12 months!

Early in the year I completed my Diploma of Agriculture Certificate through Tocal College. I thought it would be a 12 month effort and ended up taking 18 months of my time and energy. To be honest a large part of the 18 months was spent thinking about it and the only energy used was convincing myself that other things were more important! Please tell me you are the same, and that you are just as good at putting off tasks that require effort like me?

The biggest lesson I learnt was that student led online learning is not for me. No accountability, no deadlines and nobody in my corner sharing the journey is not how I thrive. I’m not sure how I added study to the juggling act that is my life but I’m proud to say I finished what I started.

On the farm we have continued our commitment to regenerative farming and 2025 was our 5th year of independent farm audits through Holistic Management Co-Op membership. Our results for 2025 provided our highest Ecological Health Score. What a nice reminder that our day to day management choices are making a difference to the health of our farm. In simple terms the soil life, plant life and organism life is better than ever and that in turn helps us to grow healthy strong lambs!

We’re excited to share that in 2025 we installed a soil moisture probe on the farm which adds a new dimension to how we care for the land and maintain sustainable farming long term. The soil moisture probe is a tool we use to better understand what’s happening beneath the surface of the soil and remove the guess work throughout variable seasons.

We use the website https://farmingforecaster.com.au to gather the information and as a result we can make more informed decisions about grazing, pasture growth and ground cover. The data is free and available to anyone. To all our neighbours that now have accurate local data to inform their farming decisions – you’re welcome!

At Avalon Farmstay we enjoyed offering a local family a beautiful setting for pre and post wedding photos and accommodation. The wedding was on their family farm close by and Avalon provided the perfect space to enjoy time with family and friends, prepare for the special day and relax after the event. Thank you Maddie for sharing your photos, it was a privilege to be part of your story!

Fast forward to January and we were so happy to attend the Jane McGrath High Tea charity event at Allianz Stadium in Sydney. We donated a 3 night stay, meal and farm tour at Avalon Farmstay for the silent auction, something we have donated every year since opening the farmstay. This is a charity that holds a special place in our heart and a cause that we happily support. (Add to that the request to dress in pink and that is no hardship for me!)

There is always something in the world we would like to change and we have the ability to help make that change. Our time and energy are incredibly valuable and money is too. I would love to challenge you to consider how you would like the world to change this year and what can you do to help make that change? To which causes? You know that even the smallest gift is priceless right?

From a hot desk in our 100yr old farm house, with the fan on and the swampy (evaporative cooler) struggling to keep us comfortable, I’m hoping you are feeling much cooler than me! I hope you have had a great January and my letter has encouraged you to think of what you have achieved over the last 12 months and what might be possible for 2026.

Until my next letter,

Sending my love from the farm, Em.