A short drive from the city is wholesome family fun in Braidwood. Photo: Supplied.
Television has the power to change minds – and for Helen Faulkner, it gave her a “life goal” and inspired her career.
The Sydneysider had her heart set on a country life after inspiration struck from an unlikely source.
The show? A Country Practice, a soap opera about life at a rural hospital.
“I was being babysat by my godmother,” she tells Region.
“She turned the television on and said, ‘This is my favourite show. Why don’t you watch this?’
“I guess it was that moment sitting down watching the television that set me on this path.”
Helen went to an agricultural school to learn about farming, and the dream stayed in her mind while studying.
The Sydneysider found her way to the Southern Tablelands town 21 years ago, while looking for more space for her riding school.
“I was looking to buy a place, hopefully on the coast … but everything in my price range was cliff-side, and it wouldn’t have worked,” she says.
“My parents one day drove through Braidwood … they said it would fit in beautifully. I came down and fell in love with it.”
Several decades later, Helen is the owner-operator of Braidwood Farm Stay and Cafe, located less than two hours from Canberra.
The farm offers a taste of country life to everyone. Photo: Supplied.
While she had planned to offer rides in a heritage carriage, Helen says she considered different offerings after discussions with a friend named Tim.
“Everybody in town took me under their wing. … I couldn’t really afford to run a riding school anymore, so I cut it down just to the carriage,” she says.
“That’s when Tim said, ‘Look, I love what you’re doing, but it’s not going to work. There’s not a big enough population base in Braidwood.'”
A sleepaway camp was soon launched (which she says remains popular, especially among young girls), as well as other activities on the property.
“I started the saddle camp with horse riding camps and sleepovers. That worked out brilliantly for me until we got to the drought,” she says.
In the aftermath, the “little disasters” of bushfire and the COVID-19 pandemic were next to strike.
“It was very expensive to feed horses at that time,” she says of the drought.
“We rehomed many of the horses, I let staff go … Then we had COVID, and then it was very, very lucky that we’d shrunk so small, so it meant that we survived.”
Just over two decades since she arrived in Braidwood, the business is a family affair with Helen’s husband and kids also pitching in.
“Over the last few years, everybody’s reached an age where they’re all happy to help and bring their valuable skills to the service. … It’s been a great team.”
Helen’s carpenter husband manages the gardens and maintenance of the farm with the help of one son, while another son is a trained chef and works in their kitchen. Other family members lead tours around the property.
“All the animals are well handled and very tame. It just lent itself well to children being involved,” Helen says.
“[They can] engage with quite lovely animals and eat good, healthy food that was grown here.”
Helen says demand has been strong – especially from people looking to see what life in country NSW is like.
“I guess everyone lives on a farm [near to their property] – whereas in Sydney, I think people are just a little bit more urbanised, so they just have that desperation for getting out,” she says.
“They come to Australia, and then they’re in the suburbs, and they’re going, ‘Hey, we thought there were kangaroos’ … They come out here to get that piece of Australia.”
Helen says that while her business started in Sydney, her current life has always been the dream. Photo: Supplied.
For Helen, it’s about becoming more grounded – rather than disconnecting completely – though the farm has mobile reception and Wi-Fi.
“[I want visitors to] feel welcomed, and like they’ve just arrived at their auntie’s farm. … We love sharing it with people,” she says.
“We’ve got a fantastic, rare opportunity to have people engage with nature.
She says the move to Braidwood has turned out “just as wonderful as the dream”.
“It was even better than A Country Practice,” she says.
“I have not been disappointed in any way. I’m so grateful that I followed that idea – but business-wise it was a bit wild.”
Find out more about Braidwood Farm Stay and Cafe through its website.
