Having lived in amongst a farming community for so many years now, I feel as though myself, among many locals here in Yarrawonga/Mulwala and closely surrounding towns, take the beauty of the farm country for granted. The ability to gaze over hectares of luscious crop and see no sign of any major infrastructure interfering with the canvas like panorama that sits before you is blissful. It makes it seem like the land never ends and as you stare way out in to the distance it’s almost as though you can see the land just roll over the edge of the earth – a similar experience to looking over the open ocean.
The ‘Sheppard’s delight’ sunsets at this time of year that make the whole sky glow with rippling waves of vibrant, warm colours illuminating the whole troposphere around you makes you feel as though you’ve entered a different world; there’s a reason photographers chase this kind of photo-op and creatives do art workinspired by this extravagant display in the sky – its simply stunning!
I’ve seen plenty of sunsets over the ocean and the high country, and boy are they impressive! But, I don’t think I’ll ever not be completely captured and mesmerised by the sunset over flat, open farm land – It’s a different experience all together and it is just as beautiful. In my opinion, it’s even a little more unique as there are few people who opt to holiday in the flat, ‘middle of nowhere’ farm country and therefore, we don’t see these views snapped and splashed all over the internet as often.
There are so many people out there who would have never witnessed this kind of landscape and aren’t to know where to look until someone points it out to them.

My wonderful new found friend Alison Plunkett and her family are so very lucky to own and run a cropping farm here in Mulwala NSW (when I say lucky, I keep in mind that they are dedicated to putting in the hard yards to be able to do so!) on a beautiful property called ‘Bellfield’ where for around 5 years now, they have been settled in to life on the farm. Having Matt - Alison's Husband run the farming business on the property for quite some time prior to the family making the move all the way from Ocean Grove, the Plunketts’ used to treat the old farm house on Bellfield as a holiday home to visit him on weekends and school holiday periods until they eventually gave the run down house a bit of replenishing TLC to make for a comfortable, reorganised new place to call their family home.
These guys have got. It. Right. They have created the perfect outdoor living space by reconstructing a big beautiful outdoor area from one of the oldest structures left standing on the farm that was said to be built in the 1880’s, as well as building a small, self-contained, bungalow style guest cottage right beside it, originally with the intent to house family and friends.
The outdoor living space welcomes the morning sunrise in with open arms, looks over a beautiful big pool area with the crops as the back drop and is equipped with an outdoor dining table, a lounge, hammock, barbeque and beer fridge; Ideal for bringing family and friends together to sit back, relax and socialise over good food, a couple of beers, weather appropriate wine and in the cooler months – warmed by the open fire place. The age-old brick fire place is an original centrepiece of the living area in an age-old home that they assume housed a family who were some of the first residents in the region back in the day! How amazing!
The Plunkett family make much use of the fantastic, antiquated outdoor open living and entertaining area and soak up the peaceful, secluded, stunning tranquillity of the farm – Oh how I wish I could step out the back door every evening and be greeted by these surroundings! This kicks my little courtyard-like back yards’ butt!
Excitingly though, and how blessed are we, that a combination of Alison’s sociable, bubbly and welcoming persona, her willingness to form new, friendly relationships with people as well as her recognition of just how beautiful the area is and how many people are simply starved of the opportunity to experience what is right outside her back door, was the perfect formula to prompt the lightbulb moment for her that lead to a new idea - To open up a fantastic opportunity for others and offer the spare bungalow on the property for a holiday rental, allowing others to experience the true farm life that she and her family lead each day.
“The more people that I talk to the more I hear about the desire to experience which made me realise we really had something to offer… open spaces, gorgeous sunrise and sunset ad small taste of farm life.” - Alison Plunkett
The accommodation is named ‘Bellfield Cottage’ and is a fantastic country getaway as a real point of difference to other offerings in the area. The family invite you in to not only make yourself at home in the bungalow and explore the farm but also to come in and share their outdoor living space with them and use it at your leisure if you please.
I recently stayed in the Bellfield Cottage with my partner and like it a lot we sure did! It was such an idyllic setting and one that anybody can enjoy – you don’t have to be the outdoorsy type to be able to handle the cottage. When you hear of something categorised as ‘self-contained’ and ‘outback cottage’ you can’t help but think BYO towels, linen, soaps, and definitely keep thongs on hand to shower and for the short trek to the long drop toilet – but I assure you this isn’t like that at all! The cottage is fully equipped with the necessities for a comfortable stay and is the perfect example of simple living. It consists of one main bedroom with a queen size bed, kitchenette, breakfast bar and hanging space for clothing, an ensuite with a shower and toilet as well as a gorgeous little porch out the front that is set up with vintage, cane arm chairs, an electric BBQ, outdoor dining table and chairs and an open fire pit – What more do you need, really?!

If you prefer a fancy hotel, this one may not be for you! Don’t expect 5 star facilities as seen in some cottage stays in the hills with a ginormous king size bed, coffee machine, spa bath, vintage leather sofas and modernised facilities; the little cottage is made from corrugated tin sheets, polished concrete floors and has been plastered and tiled on the inside with a bathroom and kitchenette fitout big enough to suit two adults, nothing too extravagant added to it – you are on a farm in the country after all! It wouldn’t be the real deal if it were anything too upmarket and lavish!
What you can expect though, is a 5 star experience – It’s peaceful, there’s enough on offer to keep you entertained but not too busy to relax, you enjoy each other’s company during your stay rather than being too distracted by other happenings, there are bikes to ride around to get to know your surroundings, chickens - Penny, Prudence, Phillipa and Peggies eggs to collect, a gorgeous little Border Collie ‘farm dog’ (that is more concerned about making new friends than herding any sort of farm animal) that goes by the name of Maggie. She makes you feel very welcome and is sure be the first face you see when you wake up in the morning as she greets you at your door!
The views outside your window are amazing, the star gazing opportunities on a clear night are like no other, the fresh air is invigorating and the whole atmosphere and feel of the farm is something you can’t not stop to immerse yourself in and truly live in the moment.
You have the option to spend your stay completely secluded in the cottage, making the most of being in a quiet, outback retreat by your own fire pit and outdoor setting if you need a break and some time to yourselves. Or, you can get to know the family over quality, home-made food and drinks in their fantastic outdoor area and pool. Alison offers to have you join them for dinner where she caters for you with a delicious, platter or a wholesome meal, a beer if you like and offers you a taste of 'Sam'- the Victorian grown and made wine by Matts brother that goes by the name of ‘Wine X Sam’ and is a great drop if you ask me!
Alison shares with you a few of her favourite hot spots in town to shop, eat, grab coffee etc. etc. upon your arrival in case you wish to make a trip in to town (only a short 7km in to Mulwala by car). Boasted with the BBQ and necessary utensils right outside your door and a fridge filled with hearty breaky essentials, you have the option to cook up a feast! You can also head in to town to the grocery stores, local butchers or the farmers market and collect ingredients to have a cook up of your own for dinner if you wish.
You know when you meet certain people for the first time and you needn’t spend any more than half an hour chatting to them to feel as though you’ve been friends for years? Well, this is the Plunkett family (I love meeting people like this!). They’re so welcoming, chatty and easy to relate to - networking and acquiring new relationships with people, learning of their life experiences and exchanging stories is what they look forward to when having guests come to enjoy their property. You can tell they are genuinely interested in you and any story you have to tell - they have willingly created the opportunity for themselves to share their beautiful farm with people who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to grasp anything like it. So many people, whether they be from the country or the city who are used to more confined areas have the desire to seek wide open spaces and beautiful land scapes as a contrast to their day to day life and will be blown away by the Bellfield property - I guarantee it.
“We feel very privileged to live in such a beautiful part of the world and wanted to be able to offer the chance for people to experience something special and unique - especially people who do not live in the country.” Alison shared.
It’s not often you go and stay somewhere where the host is happy to let you utilise sections of their own family home and are willing to sit and have a chat with you over a nice bottle of wine and offer to whip up a beautiful, wholesome home cooked meal for you! I strongly advise making the most of your stay this way!
Nothing beats leaving your normal, everyday busy surroundings or city lights behind for a few days to get a breath of fresh air in the elemental outdoors; only camping isn’t for everyone! So why not stay in a cosy cottage where you get the best of both worlds – a comfortable bed, shower and toilet as well as the open fire and the outdoorsy experience. This is definitely something to add to your bucket list, even if you are a local. Now I might be bias, as kicking back, having a good yarn whilst enjoying alfresco dining and a glass of red and soaking up the ambience of being by the open fire is my absolute favourite thing to do! So it was inevitable that I was going to love Bellfield, but I can honestly say you'll never get a true taste of the farm/country lifestyle in a holiday rental that is quite as authentic as this!