“What is that noise?”
I open my eyes to find my inquisitive five-year-old standing over me. “Does that mean it’s time?” The excitement in his voice is evident.
Despite the early hour, I smile. Soon, we are up, dressed and crunching our way along the gravel road toward the early morning wake-up call – a rooster who means business.
And the rooster isn’t the only one. We can barely keep up with our young boys as they scamper off towards the sounds in the distance, eager for the activities that lie ahead.
A rooster crowing, cows mooing, goats bleating.
You’d be forgiven for thinking we had woken up on Old MacDonald’s farm.
We turn the corner past a big green shed and come face to face with the mayhem of breakfast time. Five wide-eyed calves are lined up waiting for their morning milk. Meg Cork is already there, armed with bottles of cows’ milk. As the wife of a third-generation farmer, she has the morning routine down pat.
Our two boys eagerly help feed the calves before moving on to the boisterous goats, who dive headfirst into cups of feed. Vegetables are then hand-fed to two fat pigs.
At Wittacork Dairy Cottages, the goal is simple – to educate the younger generation on where their food comes from and give them a firsthand look and hands-on experience about life on the farm. Time here also comes with an added advantage – connecting with community and nature rather than technology.
Based in Witta and home to the Cork family, this is a modern working dairy farm with around 120 cows lazily grazing across the 238 hectares of land.
It is also one of the Sunshine Coast’s most popular farm stays – a form of tourism that is growing rapidly.
Queensland accounted for about one in seven agritourism trips nationally, according to the Australian Government’s Agritourism in Australia Report 2025. It also had the highest proportion of on-farm agritourism experiences in the country, with 67 per cent of Queensland experiences located on farms.
The report found that agritourism trips recorded growth in visitor numbers, overnight stays and spending. Agritourism travellers spent more per trip and per night than travellers in Australia overall.
Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel says our region has all the right ingredients to be one of the nation’s leading agritourism destinations.
“People really do travel with their stomachs, choosing where to go and what to do based on the food and drink experiences on offer,” he tells salt. “It’s no wonder food, drink and agritourism experiences are such a great way for travellers to explore a region and uncover its local flavours.
“The Sunshine Coast is proudly known as Queensland’s Sunshine Pantry, and we’re home to more than 900 producers. That gives visitors countless ways to taste the region, from farm gates and local markets to paddock-to-plate dining and hands-on experiences with growers and makers.
“The growing popularity of farm stays reflects a broader desire among travellers to slow down, reconnect with nature and better understand where their food comes from. On the Sunshine Coast, they can enjoy that authentic hinterland experience while remaining close to our beaches, villages, restaurants and attractions.”
For one, I have to agree.
Forty-eight hours on the farm was the perfect reset. Our cottage – one of four on the property – was not only affordable but comfortable. With two bedrooms, a fireplace and a deck overlooking Lake Baroon and Kondalilla National Park, it was an escape from everyday life.
Our family spent the evenings playing Uno by the toasty fire and barbecuing, while the days were filled with feeding the animals, a pony ride for the kids, mini-tractor rides, long walks, reading and a visit to the neighbouring hinterland town of Maleny. We didn’t switch on the television once.
Farm stays really are about slowing down, unplugging and reconnecting.
This is exactly what Chris Pires hopes to continue at Glasshouse Mountains Ecolodge, a property that combines ecotourism with elements of agritourism.
“The Ecolodge is a small coffee farm stay with 56 types of fruit trees [and] is a place to disconnect and connect with our loved ones – playing board games, listenting to records and enjoying nature,” Chris says.
The lush grounds are home to a range of accommodation options, including quaint and unique train carriages, as well as a restored 125-year-old timber country church.
Chris bought the property in 2026, taking over a retreat with a history stretching back more than a century. The former 40-acre soldier settlement block was cleared for pineapple farming in the early 1920s before Keith Murray purchased it in 1982 with a vision of creating a place for travellers to rest and reconnect with nature.
Over the following decades, Keith and his family planted hundreds of trees, relocated the church to the site and brought in four former railway carriages. The ecolodge opened in 2004, offering accommodation centred on sustainability, environmental care and a respect for the surrounding landscape.
Those values are evident across the property. Rainwater is collected and stored on-site, solar hot water and low-energy lighting are used, greywater is recycled through the 400-tree coffee orchard and food and garden waste is composted. Guests can also pick produce from the vegetable and herb gardens and tropical orchard, explore the rainforest restoration area, learn about local wildlife and explore the cultural significance of the Glass House Mountains.
Guests have also planted more than 800 trees as part of its ongoing restoration work.
“Keith and guests have regenerated the land at the Ecolodge, with it now having its own ecosystem within the billabong, with more than 60 bird sightings [recorded] on [bird-recording platform] eBird.
“The kids also just love it when they pick fruit from the trees,” Chris says. “We’re really focusing on being with nature, resting, reconnecting with your loved ones or partner. It’s a peaceful place; it’s a place to pause. There are no screens here. There are no TVs.
“You’re playing with old board games, puzzles, fruit picking, learning about coffee.
“We produce our own coffee and serve it at breakfast… straight bean to cup,” Chris says.
“It’s not like a general hotel here. When you come here, you don’t know what you’re going to experience.”
Chris grew up in Caboolture and he remembers the Glass House Mountains fondly from his younger years. His career in structural engineering, however, took him across the world, from the UK to the Middle East, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai.
Back in Australia, he looked for his next move. When the opportunity arose to purchase Glass House Mountains Ecolodge, he knew it was meant to be.
“It all connected up… I was like, okay, this is a time for this. You can do this,” he tells salt.
“I came from an Airbnb background and sold my Airbnb in Brisbane and jumped on this opportunity.
“I will continue on with Keith’s legacy. Chapter two is going to be… driving experiences at the Ecolodge. Storytelling of past and present stories right here in the Glass House Mountains – Kabi Kabi Country.
“These Dreamtime stories are so beautiful and amazing by the Kabi Kabi and Jinibara peoples, and important for all of us to know.”
Chris acknowledges that the lodge is a unique place – a place for others to create their own memories.
“People are shocked when they visit. They’re like, ‘Wow, I had no idea it was like this’.
“You can’t really describe it… you have to come and experience it.”