Owner update
[Update 21/11/2024]
We are thrilled to announce our back carpark is complete, and we can now accomodate more visitors to our little slice of heaven. We look forward to welcoming you soon!
[7/10/2024]
Wow! What an opening month for Cubby Cafe @ 11 Acre Farm! We're thrilled so many of you are interested in what we are offering.
As with any new business, we have teething problems! And there's nothing like having thousands of people through the doors in 22 days of trade to highlight them. But can I take this opportunity to say how proud I am of our team. The pressure has been immense. These guys have had to problem solve on the run - literally. Thank you to all of you who have been understanding when we have made the odd mistake.
As an open and transparent person, it feels like the right thing to do, to share with our community where we are at and where we are heading. If this isn't of interest to you - feel free to check out now. But for those of you with questions, read below and here's hoping I can answer them from the horse's mouth (pardon the pun!).
Who we are
We are a local family. This idea came about because my parents wanted to educate people about permaculture, syntropic and regenerative farming (coming soon), my husband wanted a quality food and service offering and I wanted to make sure there was something wholesome for the kids. We've spent the past 4 years gathering things from Marketplace to put this place together. You can read more about our story on the 11 Acre Farm website 11acre.farm/our-story
The Carpark
For those who haven't visited yet, we have 45 finished bays at the front of the property and another 30 car parking spots we are using at the back. These are filling quickly every day - which we are so grateful for. Unfortunately, when it overflows, it becomes very dangerous up and down Nicholson Road. We have stationed our parents and sisters at the gate every day since realising this issue and they are having to turn people away when we get too busy. Something no venue ever wants to do! Our peak times are 9-11:30 every day. While we are not exclusively a bookings only venue, when the car park fills, we have to turn people away who don't have a booking. We are updating our social media platforms daily and also throughout the day to try to give everyone as much notice as possible to avoid disappointment. We sincerely apologise to anyone who has driven a great distance with kids - only to be turned away!
What's Next
Works on our rear car park are commencing soon. This will mean less parking in the short term. When we have dates locked in from our contractor, we will restrict the cafe to bookings only and be sure to update everyone on social media. It should take 2 weeks to complete and then we will have more parking available.
We will do our absolute best to accommodate you on a case by case basis. You can also drive past our takeaway window for much needed coffee in the mornings if we can't accommodate you inside.
Picnics and Entry Fees
So many of you want to come and picnic on the lawn rather than booking a table. We don't blame you! In off-peak times, we can accommodate this. We just ask that you don't bring in any outside food or drinks and support our little farm by purchasing from us. We are trying to avoid charging an entrance fee to cover maintenance on the property, but we won't survive if everyone brings their own food and we want to be here for the long term! There are plenty of free public spaces for this type of picnic but as a private property our humble offering will suffer. You can further support our farm by purchasing animal feed when you arrive!
What's Next
We are discussing the best way to accommodate picnics without entry fees. We'll keep you posted! For now, the best way to guarantee we can park you, seat you and feed you is to make a booking through the cafe.
Parties and Functions
Thank you to everyone who has sent an enquiry about booking a function or birthday party. We are thrilled you would love to celebrate your special moments here. Our inbox is currently inundated and unfortunately we are now at capacity with our bookings. There is nothing left for the remainder of 2024. Apologies if you have slipped through the cracks!
If you are booking for a family gathering to celebrate a birthday or milestone, rather than a function (less than 20 people), we would like to remind you that we don’t allow balloons or glitter. As a sustainable venue and with animals around, we encourage you to bring decorations that are made from paper/card/fabric or wood.
You are welcome to bring a cake! We have a $15 cakeage fee and we will cut it for you and serve it on our plates.
11 Acre Farm vs Cubby Cafe
As we have 2 different social media platforms, there has been some confusion regarding how to book. Please make all bookings in real time through the bookings link on the Cubby Cafe website rather than sending an email via the 11 Acre Farm website. Please make sure you receive a booking confirmation. If you haven’t received a confirmation via email - the booking may not have gone through. Check your email address is spelled correctly too!
Dogs
As we have free ranging birds and wildlife that can become scared by unknown dogs, we don't allow dogs onto the property at this time.
Little Grots Farm Kindy
We are aiming to open our Farm Kindy at the beginning of 2025. We have roadworks commencing in November. To register your interest, you can go to littlegrots.au and we will add you to our mailing list for updates.
The Farm Kindy will operate as a Long Day Care Centre for 3-5 year olds, with a focus on nature and outdoor play, caring for animals and growing food.
If you're still reading - thank you! Your time is appreciated.
Feel free to write with questions. I will do my best to get back to you as soon as possible.
Erin, Row, family and the Cubby Cafe/11 Acre Farm team.