Beckworth Retreat

18/09/2025

Grass fed Beef for this Sunday at Talbot Farmers' Market - our new lambs are still growing!
These Tomahawks are 0.5kg each. Also Corned Silverside, Tbone and Rump steaks.
Grown on chemical free pastures and no chemical inputs to our animals.

26/06/2025

July School Holidays - come and help feed the bottle lambs! Everyday at 12noon-1pm Beckworth Retreat and then go for lunch in Clunes afterwards.
$10/child maximum of 5 (adults free)
Book here https://forms.wix.com/r/7206123742362075578

31/05/2025

Lambing is going well despite all the hand feeding…..even some triplets and lots of twins.
Meet Rosie and Sally who needed some extra bottle feeding to help mum out. None lost to foxes 🤞 yet thank you Simon Gillett

10/04/2025

Thank you Hepburn Shire. We have been waiting for years for this sign and hopefully all that use Kierces Rd will obey the 60kph to keep it in working order.
Now to work on Google and stop all those going North from Ballarat to chose the Fastest Route as Fentons/Glendaruel/Kierces Road! Might need a sign at either end saying “Google is wrong!”

24/03/2025

Autumn special Farmstay
One night luxury farm stay for minimum 8 adults (max 14) and dinner at local 321Cafe.
$160 per person.
Only Mar 29 and April 12 available. www.beckworthretreat.com.au

10/03/2025

Thank you to the families that have been booking our place….. makes a lot of difference to us farmers who been hand feeding our sheep and cows for many months!

06/02/2025

Time to make the favourite Tomato Sauce again! Great with the Lamb Sausages.

10/01/2025

Want some lamb?

Are we more united in real life than we are in the comments? Tell us your comment in the comments. Share the lamb.

30/11/2024

We are so disappointed as well and mirror all your comments. Beckworth Retreat will support and work together with similar farmers!

Our Farm Faces a Dire Challenge

Hey everyone,

We’ve got some tough news to share, and it’s not just about us—it’s about the future of small-scale farming and food security here in the Macedon Ranges and indeed Australia.

Yesterday, we received an email from Hardwicks abattoir in Kyneton, where we’ve been processing our grass-fed beef. As of January 1st, they’ll only process livestock for farmers who can meet their new minimum requirements—15 head of cattle or 50 sheep per kill. For farms like ours, that’s just not realistic. They’ve given us 30 days’ notice, and we’re left scrambling to figure out what’s next.

This decision effectively ends our ability to provide you with the ethically raised, humanely processed beef we’ve been so proud to share with our community. It’s devastating, not just for us, but for countless small farmers in the region—some of the best, like Warialda Belted Galloway, Jonai Farms, Walden Park, Sidonia, and Brooklands Free Range Meats, are in the same boat.

Hardwicks, once a family-owned business, was sold to Kilcoy Global Foods in 2021—a Chinese-owned company. Since then, they’ve shifted focus towards large-scale operations, and a huge proportion of the meat processed there is now exported offshore. While exporting isn’t inherently bad, it’s alarming when local farmers and communities are left behind, unable to access facilities to process food for Australians.

This is about more than just our farm. It’s about food security. Small farms like ours are essential for keeping food local, sustainable, and ethical. When small-scale farmers are forced out of the system, it means less diversity in food production, more reliance on imports, and fewer options for you, the consumer.

It’s hard not to feel defeated right now, but we’re not giving up without a fight. Small farms are the backbone of local food security and resilience. Let’s make sure we don’t lose them.

Thank you for standing with us. ❤️

30/11/2024

Twice in a year this has happened to our business!

🚨 URGENT: Local Abattoir Changes Impacting Small Farmers and Butchers 🚨

Two days ago, Hardwicks Abattoir in Kyneton dropped a bombshell on small farmers like us. They announced that, starting in just two weeks, private kills will have a minimum threshold of 50 sheep or 15 head of cattle. For many small producers, these numbers are simply unattainable.

This isn’t an isolated incident—it’s part of a troubling trend. Over the years, more and more small farmers have been squeezed out of local processing facilities. Now, there are only one or two viable options left across the entire state. And even with these remaining facilities, the cost to process and bring you our ethical, locally-produced meats continues to climb.

These changes leave smaller, sustainable farmers without options, putting ethical, locally-grown meat at serious risk.

But it doesn’t stop there. The ripple effect of these decisions impacts the entire food chain, from small butchers to local restaurants and farmer's markets. These businesses rely on access to premium, locally-raised meat to provide their customers with quality, ethical meals. With fewer abattoirs and rising costs, their ability to source from small producers diminishes, forcing them to turn to larger suppliers with less transparency and lower quality. The unique flavour and community connection of local food will be lost.

👉 We need the Victorian Government to act NOW by updating laws and regulations to support micro-abattoirs. These smaller-scale facilities would provide accessible, affordable options for farmers to process their livestock ethically and sustainably.

Without action, farms like ours will struggle to continue bringing you the pasture-raised, premium meats you love. We risk losing food security, farmer livelihoods, and the heart of local communities.

This will also force an even heavier reliance on the "big two" supermarkets, further eroding local food independence and sustainability.

📣 CALL TO ACTION:

Share this post to raise awareness.

Talk to your local MP about the urgent need for fairer regulations.

Join the conversation: Reach out to us to sign a petition for change or chat with us during delivery runs, at tomorrow’s market, or around town. (An online petition is coming soon, we have paper copies currently)

🌱 Together, we can protect small farmers and build a sustainable food system for future generations.

24/10/2024

Every visitor loves to help out with bottle feeding the lambs!