Caldermeade Farm (Caldermeade)
.jpg "Caldermeade Farm (Caldermeade)")
Caldermeade Farm - Where the Country meets the City. Caldermeade Farm offers a unique experience for family and friends to enjoy great country food in the natural settings of a large commercial dairy farm.
At Caldermeade Farm up to 400 Holstein cows are milked twice daily (4.30am and 2.30 pm). Two operators take approximately one hour and twenty minutes to complete the process, each cow being on the rotary milking platform for about 10 minutes. The whole operation can be watched for free from a comfortable, glass fronted viewing room and provides a good insight into the workings of a modern dairy farm.
The free animal nursery is a special treat for visitors of all ages especially children. Under parental supervision they can hold pat and feed a variety of baby animals in a safe environment. Depending on the season this may include calves, lambs, goats, chickens, ducks, turkeys or geese.
The lawns of Caldermeade Cafe provide open spaces for children to play and exercise or just kick a footy (but away from the buildings). Look out for the giant cow, three old tractors to ride, small paddocks with animals such as long horned cattle, goats and deer.
Tractor Trailer Rides - Includes a 45-60 minute guided tour around the farm, including visiting the calf shed (depending on the season) and a trip out to the paddocks to feed our milking herd.
Runs at 1pm on Saturday and Sunday during the school term, and every day during school holidays. Tickets can be bought in advance or on site.
Opening Hours:
Open daily 9am-5pm summer, weekends and holidays
10am - 4pm winter weekdays
Cows are milked daily at 4.30am and 2.30 pm
Cost:
Activities are free except for the tractor trailer ride.
Review:
There is an elevated viewing room which gives a great view of the milking shed which is a giant carousel for fifty cows. The viewing room has two colourful painted cows with some bad cow jokes drawn on their sides - a case in point - How do you make a milkshake? Give a cow a pogo-stick.
Outside is a very nice playground, big log for climbing, panels which you can stick your head through and chook, ducks and other animals in a kids nursery petting area. The cafe also serves delicious food but can get crowded. Make sure you go at cow milking time (2:30 in the afternoon) for the best experience.
Access for Dogs:
Dogs are permitted in certain areas but there are strict terms and conditions.
Some questions and answers about the cow milking are:
How are cows identified? - Every cow has a name or number on an ear tag. The orange tags record the cow's temperature and movement so that we can monitor their health The tags use the same motion detection technology as a smartphone
How do the cows know to get off the platform? - Cows are creatures of habit, so they learn to do it from practice. There are also several reminders for them, for example their herd mate leaving just before them
What happens on the other side of the rotary that can't be seen from the viewing room? - The cows are checked to ensure all four quarters of their udder have been milked evenly, then their teats are sprayed with a sanitiser to help prevent mastitis.
What are the red flashing numbers beside the cow's legs? The numbers are alternating between the cow's identification number and the volume of milk she has produced. This tells the machine to take the milking cups off the cow when her milk flow slows. The data is then stored after each milking to help us track how much milk each cow is producing.
What are the cows being fed in the dairy? - Each cow gets 2-6kg of grain as part of a supplementary feeding program for increased production and cow contentment.
Do cows get scared of the platform? - Cows enjoy the ride and some like to go around more than once if they get the chance!
What are the sprinklers spraying the cows in the yard for? - This is to cool the cows in summer and reduces the impact of flies, It also makes cleaning easier.
Photos:
Location
4385 South Gippsland Highway, Caldermeade 3984 Map
✆ (03) 5997 5000
Email Enquiry
Web Links
→ caldermeadefarm.com.au
→ Caldermeade Farm and Cafe on Facebook
