Our Story
Shane & Yuko are originally from warm, tropical Cairns but have decided to make the pristine wilderness and idyllic, calm surrounds of the Meander Valley their new home. Our very own 'Escape to the Country' provides us the ideal location to explore all our hobbies and dreams while also providing an excellent place to start and raise our new family only a short distance from some of the incredible natural wonders such as Cradle Mountain, the Great Western Tiers, and the expansive Mole Creek Caves.
Dreaming big, we have wanted to find a place where we could live off our land and provide for ourselves in a way as to live sustainably while also maintaining all the modern comforts of our connected and increasingly hectic world with none of the drawbacks.
Cutting firewood from fallen trees on the property provides natural, clean carbon neutral heat while sourcing our water from the crystal clear skies and growing our own food crops in our expansive greenhouse ensures that everything we consume is as natural and clean as can be.
“Coming originally from a highly urbanised culture, Yuko thrives in the wide expanses and narrow alleys of the Blackwood Park gardens with dreams to create a little slice of Zen and a beautiful fruit orchard.”
Clean living doesn't have to be all the mess and fuss typical of organic farming; Blackwood Park thrives with careful approaches to pest management and food recycling via our poultry and controlled management of compost, worm farms, and natural pollination via our bee hives.
The ultimate joy is in the learning and application of new skills and the plethora of new experiences we can undertake. Caring for the sheep, goats, alpacas, assorted poultry, bees, and a whole host of new and exciting plants is an amazing pleasure. Sharing our joy with our guests and experiencing the incredible diversity of each of the 4 distinct seasons and the changes in our land is a true calling of passion.
“A great challenge moving to the country is learning new skills. In the last few years we’ve learned how to deliver and raise lambs; make our own cheese, lemon curd, vanilla essence, Sloe Gin; brewed beer from 100% natural sources through growing the barley and hops and wild harvesting our yeast from our ancient cherry trees; and we’ve harvested strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and a whole selection of vegetables.”