When locals Katrina and David White found their love of animals overtaking their lives, they decided to make their animals their life!
Leaving their “day” jobs behind they started a mobile animal farm entertaining young and old alike at fairs and events across the region.
As their herd of animals grew, they knew they needed more space. When Katrina and David decided to make their dream a reality and take their mobile farm to “major attraction”, White Ridge Farm at Elimbah was born.
“We started with some llamas and alpacas (you tell the difference by their ears), goat, sheep and some chickens and ducks, and now we have something for everyone,” Katrina said.
“We have twenty acres, all fenced with corrals and sheds, function and party barns, quirky hay rides, pony rides and even jumping castles and putt putt golf.”
During school terms, White Ridge Farm runs educational programs tailor made for units the children study at school – such as paddock to plate or lifestyles and growth cycles.
During school holidays and weekends it is definitely more about fun and the animals, with Gypsy, the bucket-stealing camel, Babe, the 162kg “miniature” pig, Blue the three legged goat and some wonderful fluffy and lope eared rabbits which we rarely see in Queensland.
There are still chickens and ducks, but now there are even more and wandering through the farm, it’s definitely a “hands on” feeding and patting farm frenzy. There is plenty of staff on hand to help out and answer all those questions that children, and adults, need to know. You can wander around at your own pace or join the guided tour when you hold your birthday party at the farm.
“All our staff and volunteers are local, and really passionate about animals but, even better than that, they all love being part of an amazing environment that makes people happy,” Katrina said.
Katrina and David say White Ridge Farm is definitely still growing and evolving with a walk through bird aviary and some other big plans ready for early 2021.
From twenty acres with nothing but a single house, six years later White Ridge Farm is a wonderful family farm and event space and it definitely does have that”something for everyone”.
White Ridge Farm is open Wednesday to Sunday (excluding Christmas Day and Good Friday) between 9am and 3pm. Bookings are recommended – especially for pony rides which operate from 10am to 2pm.