Ewingsdale: Farm Life, History and Seasonal Cuisine

Between farm life, regional cuisine and local history, Ewingsdale offers a variety of ways to enjoy a stay. The scheduled activities at The Farm and the widely spaced dates associated with St Columba Church and Carabene are particularly illuminating.

Farm Tours and Learning Activities at The Farm

The Farm’s guided tours run on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; booking is required. As booking details can change, check them before your trip. The daily animal feeding is a separate activity: it takes place at 10 am at the Wishing Well. If this time is important to your day’s plans, confirm it in advance. The two activities involve different planning considerations: for the tour, the day of the week and booking; for the feeding, the daily 10 am time.

Farm Kids sessions are for children and begin with an educational and entertaining tour of the farm. Topics include cows, pigs, bees and chickens, as well as flower fields, the herb garden, orchard and vegetable crops. Other subjects include pasture rotation, pollination, organic farming, healthy soil, composting and other ethical farming practices. This learning format brings together animals, growing crops and ecological topics. Session details can change, so check the latest information before making plans.

Local bus services in Byron Shire are also relevant to planning: they pass The Farm in Ewingsdale. Check the timetable before travelling and compare it with the activity you have in mind.

Church and Settlement History

St Columba Church in Ewingsdale was built in 1914 and dedicated on 1 March 1915. Next to the church are Ewingsdale Community Hall, built in 1908, and an avenue of weeping figs planted by schoolchildren in the 1930s. The timeline is easy to see: the hall came before the church, and the avenue was added later. The church precinct’s history therefore includes several distinct dates.

Another historical landmark is Carabene, a historically significant late-Victorian mansion in Byron Shire developed by pioneer settlers William and Sarah Flick. It was built in the late 1880s, when William Flick took over 860 acres of farmland in Ewingsdale. Its history therefore reaches further back than the dates associated with the church and avenue: Carabene anchors it in the late 19th century, while the other dates mentioned span from 1908 to the 1930s.

Seasonal Cuisine and Finding Accommodation

Taste Byron Bay holds cooking classes at Figtree Restaurant in Ewingsdale. The class menu changes to make use of fresh seasonal produce from the region. The time of year therefore shapes the selection of ingredients; the menu is not necessarily the same each time. If you are interested in a particular class, check the latest menu details.

Before choosing accommodation, consider whether you want to plan around farm activities with set times or focus more on local history and seasonal cuisine.

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