Escape to the countryside with your family on a New South Wales farm stay, where even big kids might learn something new. Breathe in the fresh country air as you embrace the opportunity to connect with your family, and perhaps a few friendly farm animals, too. Here are seven great family farm stays to inspire your next holiday.

Snuggle up with your family at Kelly’s Cottage, Guyra

Take in the heady sights and sounds of a working cattle station during a stay at Kelly’s Cottage, outside the town of Guyra, near Armidale in the New England High Country. Imagine a pioneering past as your family settles in to the charming three-bedroom weatherboard cottage looking out over lush paddocks at Bald Blair, a 1,300-hectare working Angus stud farm. Marvel at the size of the prized cattle and encounter merino sheep, horses and energetic working dogs as you tour the family-run farm. Then fire up the self-catering cottage’s woodheater for cosy nights around the dining table during the high-country winter, or watch the sun set from your seats on the long verandah as the kids play on the lawn in the warmer months.

Get back in the saddle at Eden Farm Escape, Bilpin

Share your love of horses with your family at Eden Farm Escape, part of the Eden Equine estate in Bilpin, a 90-minute drive northwest of Sydney in the Hawkesbury region. The estate is a working horse farm; its 36 lush green hectares are home to 12 horses and ponies, along with alpacas, donkeys, goats and a flock of chickens that resides in Cluckingham Palace. Make new memories with your children while collecting eggs and feeding the animals, or trotting along together on a horse ride. Cool off in the property’s dam, then warm up again by the fire pit and barbecue area. Admire equine-themed art in the property’s five tastefully appointed self-contained cabins, which come with comfy oversized couches.

Meet the menagerie at Ba Mack Farmstay, Windeyer

Soak up the genuine country hospitality doled out by mother-and-daughter team Julie and Kate McLeod at Ba Mack Farmstay, near Mudgee, about four hours northwest of Sydney. Julie believes children need to interact with animals, and here you’ll discover she’s provided the perfect spot for them to do it. Watch your kids’ faces light up as they feed a menagerie of lambs, pigs, chickens and other animals on your stay in the property’s charming two-bedroom cottage or converted train carriage, which also has two bedrooms. And feel a surge of pride as your offspring learn farm skills such as how to handle, groom and ride horses.

Lap up the country-luxe at Linnaeus Farm, Berry

Prepare to be wowed by the immaculate formal gardens, soaring ceilings and rolling countryside views when you check into Linnaeus Farm, a majestic five-bedroom, self-catering property just outside Berry in the Shoalhaven region of the NSW South Coast. Revel in the simple pleasures of picking produce from the terraced organic edible gardens with your kids (if you can entice them out of the fabulous treehouse cubby), splashing around in the pool, or challenging your family to a game of pétanque. Cook up a family feast in the property’s two kitchens or barbecue area, or treat your brood to tasty meals at the excellent restaurants of Berry, just a five-minute drive away.

Milk a cow at Dairy Flat Farm Holidays, Dairy Flat

Soak up the history of this idyllic farm on the Richmond River at Dairy Flat, near Kyogle in northern NSW, which has been home to six generations of the Lever family. Then set about making some family memories of your own: Dairy Flat Farm Holidays has three country-style cottages, which sleep a total of 16, and an expansive five-bedroom homestead with room for a family group of 11. Enjoy hands-on fun with your kids feeding the chickens, goats and lambs in the farmyard area, learning how to milk a cow and bucket-feeding the calves afterwards. Let the kids loose on the tennis court and saltwater pool, before exploring the lush trails of the Border Ranges National Park right on your doorstep.

Experience outback life at Corynnia Station, Carrathool

Tap into your family’s sense of adventure at Corynnia Station, a 6,800-hectare working sheep farm also offering an authentic outback farm-stay experience. An hour’s drive west of Griffith in the Riverina region, or a seven-hour drive west of Sydney, Corynnia Station’s options range from a one-bedroom 1930s cottage to a country lodge that sleeps 12. Step back into the station’s history on the farm tour, which visits the 19th-century shearing shed. Then feel your heart beat faster on a bicycle ride around the property, or during an invigorating family match of tennis. Or slow your pace to school your kids in the art of boules. Then finish the day star-gazing with your family around a crackling campfire.

Roam the garden at Markdale, Crooked Corner

Be charmed by the classic country elegance of Markdale, a 2,550-hectare retreat in the Southern Tablelands hamlet of Crooked Corner, a three-hour drive west of Sydney. Encourage your kids to explore with all their senses the gorgeous garden created by esteemed landscape designer Edna Walling. Then enjoy more quality family time mingling with the farm animals and donkeys and spotting local wildlife such as wombats. Kids can also have fun practising their polo swings on the wooden horse. Choose from the two-bedroom stone cottage (with log fire), the four-bedroom 1850s homestead or the beautifully restored six-bedroom shearers’ quarters, all equally lovely options for a family stay.