School and tertiary groups at Murrnong

Murrnong can be an ideal venue for group tours, planned activities, and camping.

At 8 hectares Murrnong is a small rural property by Australian standards. Yet within the property the diversity of spaces and plants, the harmonious and integrated landscape layout, and the vertical dimension created by trees and shrubs all contribute to a safe and comforting feeling in an inherently educational environment.

For young people, an experience at Murrnong can be a glimpse of future possibility. It is a demonstration of self reliance, showing the possibility of providing for ourselves while changing the world, one home or property at a time.

Contact us to discuss the following options and to create a unique Murrnong experience for your group.

House, garden and farm tour for students

A tour can be a window into the design and systems in use at Murrnong. It can include exploration of the house, garden, tree crops and/or forestry to give an overview of life at Murrnong, and the interactions between each element of the property.

Meet the chickens, Alfred the friendly rooster, our lovely milking goats and the people that live and work at Murrnong.

Tours for school groups usually last for 1.5 to 2 hours and can be tailored for all secondary year levels. Tertiary level tours may be longer, as required. Any tour can be tailored to suit specific areas of interest.

Interactive outdoor activities

An activity based visit is an engaging experience that combines sustainability and home production education into dynamic group activities and team problem solving. Activities may involve participation in farm tasks, outdoor class games and roaming small group exercises.

For many years we have found that the farm animals help to engage peoples’ interest, young people and adults alike. For many people interaction with animals (usually pets) is their strongest nature connection. We use the various farm animals as a window into how different elements of the farm system are integrated – what they do for us, what they do for the farm, what the farm does for them, what care they need, etc.

This kind of visit can be designed for all ages, and can run from 2 hours to a full day.

Overnight stays

Campers in 2008, back when these trees were small!

At Murrnong we have multiple spaces available for low impact, ‘bush’-style camping. Staying longer at Murrnong can round out the experience, paired with our other options it can be an immersion into self-reliant regenerative living.

Murrnong can also be utilised for outdoor focused camps, by cycling straight from the farm to the nearby Strathbogie hills, or heading up to Strathbogie State Forest for a day hike. Our front gate is just 800m from the V/line train station, connecting nearby arts town Benalla, Wangaratta the entrance to the Victorian high country, and of course, car-free access to and from Melbourne. The combination of train and cycling works very well to get here, and for day trips from here.

We can assist organisers with meal planning for self-catering by providing ingredients grown on farm, and/or sourcing ingredients. We have fresh fruit available every day of the year. At most times of the year we can provide the ingredients for a delicious meal made entirely from Murrnong farm produce. The quality of the Murrnong food is a significant part of the visitor experience.

See the Camping page for more information.