When: open daily from 9am – 5pm

Where: 18 St Heliers St Abbotsford, click here for map

What: A farm – in the city! Chickens, ducks, pigs, cows, sheep, goats, donkey, horse, ponies and more 10 minutes from the CBD.

Cost: Family ticket is $16, click here for more details.

Right next to the Abbotsford Convent (great cafe/food/monthly farmers market etc) is the Collingwood Children’s Farm – an opportunity for city children to experience farm life.

We have always enjoy our visit to the Children’s Farm – children of all ages love meeting the animals and having the opportunity to get up close (unless they are particularly afraid of animals – and even if that is the case this is a very unthreatening opportunity to see their peers interacting).

The farm relies on volunteers to help it run – and so there is a sense of trust given to visitors to respect the space like they would their own.

Some notes:

• During winter cow milking only takes place in the morning (10am)
• There are regular and one off events happening at the Children’s Farm – for more information click here
• Pack your gum boots if it’s been raining – excellent muddy puddle action!
• There are some chooks free ranging and also some pea hens and a peacock – they are friendly
• Grown ups need to supervise, especially with the handling of Guinea Pigs
• Plenty of places to picnic

So pack your trolley and stock up on amazing local produce… the kids particularly liked the orange juice icy-poles from a orange vendor.. perfect size to keep them happy for 5 minutes!

Click here for more info.

Last year we attended the Children’s Farm bonfire event with some friends – my advice, if you have ever had an opportunity to experience a bonfire in the country then probably give this a miss… the lantern parade was cute – but it was late in the day for the little ones, it was also kinda cold, very soggy, insanely crowded and, no surprise, dark.. we kept loosing the kids (in the crowd and dark), and whilst there was a bar (selling mulled wine, yum) we never bought a drink because you had to consume it within the bar area – all a bit tricky with little ones who were supposed to be eating picnic dinner on the other side of the absolutely sardine packed paddock. When the fire did eventually happen – it was all over within 10 minutes (maybe less). I believe there may have been some performers after the fire – but we didn’t stick around.. we packed up our mud trodden picnic blanket and herded our kids (ok carried them) back to the car (parked on the fringes of Richmond.. okay slight exaggeration, slight).