Anlaby Station | Spring Festival Review

Flowers, face paint and family fun at Anlaby Spring Festival.

Review by Angelica-Hazel Toutounji

Anlaby Station is an incredible heritage listed property and the oldest merino sheep stud in South Australia. Based in Hamilton, half way between the Barossa and Clare Valley, Anlaby Station is a homestead with a lot of history and heart.

An old country home with 10 acres of gardens to explore, this is a lovely place to take children. Not only does Anlaby Station ooze history and have ample space for running around, the Spring Festival held in October provided the perfect excuse for a country drive and a visit to this old homestead.

As you drive through Kapunda and make your way into Hamilton there is plenty of signage to guide you towards the homestead. Pulling into the car park, we coughed up a gold coin for the Eudunda Show Society, parked in the field and made our way towards the entrance.

Before we even stepped foot inside the property we stopped to marvel at an old horse drawn carriage with rides on offer (for a fee). With impatient children in tow, we sadly declined the ride and made our way down the garden path. At the end of the path there were gardens in every direction and markets set up on the lawn selling plants, leather goods and weaved baskets. Instead of indulging in retail therapy we made a bee line for the free face painting stall and left with two pussy cats and a batman.

We then walked a few metres ahead and found a lovely little van that was set up selling Barossa Valley Ice cream.  The kids each had a cone and then we headed into the Clydesdale Pavilion. The beautiful barn was adorned with flowers, fairy lights and white table cloths which made it the perfect setting to enjoy a Devonshire tea.

After getting our sweet fix in we made our way to the barn and met three gorgeous horses that were gentle enough for the children to pat and fuss over. Right next door there was a harness room filled with interesting items to look at with old world charm.

After exploring the various rooms, we called past the gift shop and made our way next door to pick up our family activity pack. The packs contained paper activities such as colouring in and they kindly gifted us a wilted spinach plant too. We then explored the shade house, grotto and cucumber house before making our way to the other side of the property. This was where so much of the action was. There was live music, food for purchase and tables and chairs set up on the lawn amongst the water fountain. Instead of relaxing in the sun the kids wanted to see what else this house was hiding. We followed the well trodden path past the roses and apple house and eventually found ourselves at the peacock house which you guessed it, housed real peacocks!

Through out the day there were free tours and presentations that you could join or listen in on about the farm, gardens and history. With energetic kids with us there was no way this was going to happen for us. However, we still had a lovely day exploring the gardens, indulging in sweet treats, having faces painted and seeing the animals.

We did hear that giant chess and jenga were on offer but after a day in the sun and a long drive ahead, the kids were ready for an afternoon nap. So we bid farewell to Anlaby Station and headed for home.

Whilst we visited for the Anlaby Spring Festival, this property also offers gorgeous accommodation that is big enough for families to enjoy. It is also very close to the town of Kapunda that boasts Australia’s first and oldest commercial copper mine, a historical museum, Pines conservation and the big Map the Miner statue.

If you are seeking out a country stay with a whole lot of history and charm, definitely look into Anlaby Station. They also offer a range of events throughout the year and tours of the house and gardens with a Devonshire tea to finish.

What we like about it

• So much room to run around, beautiful gardens, horses and country charm

Things to consider

• Anlaby Station is roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes from the Adelaide CBD
• There are toilets and accommodation facilities on site
• The closest town for food, drinks and toilet stops in Kapunda

Location:

829 Anlaby Road, Hamilton

For more information and all enquiries please visit the Anlaby Australia website. You can also follow Anlaby Station on Facebook and Instagram.

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. All photos are by Play & Go.

SUBSCRIBE

Follow Play & Go Adelaide on Facebook and Instagram

Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?

Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out all the best events & activities for Adelaide families. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may sometimes get a special offer exclusively for our subscribers only!