Activities at LarnOO

There are so many great things to do whilst at LarnOO, whether you are looking for adventure or to simply relax and recharge there is something for everyone!

on the farm

WALK & HIKE
On one of the many trails out from LarnOO, enjoy the fresh country air and the beautiful scenery without ever leaving the farm. More...

RIDE
Ride the Mountain Bike Trails on LarnOO - or just walk the tracks to the summit and back or take the loop.

FOUR WHEEL DRIVE
At LarnOO there are plenty of farm roads and trails to explore. There are no guardrails, signs or barriers and experienced enthusiasts are advised to take all the care and precautions. Please ensure you secure any gate you open on your travels……...and if you don’t know, …don’t go!

FISH & YABBIES
Catch and release trout and yabbies in one of our dams. Remember, you will need a Fishing License to fish.

SWIM
Swim in the pool, river or dams. Be careful of the river when it is in full tide as it really scoots along………hate to see you end up in Seymour!

If you are really game, you can jump in at the Ghin Ghin Rd public boat ramp and float your way down the 7kms and jump off again at the Terangaville Homestead Bridge.

The Goulburn River is a major inland perennial river of the Goulburn Broken catchment and is part of the Murray-Darling basin It starts in the alpine, Northern Country/North Central (LarnOO), and flows into the Southern Riverina regions of Victoria. It flows past LarnOO from East towards the West.

RELAX

Relax on the lawn, balcony or verandah of your accommodation and enjoy a good book.  Sit beside a bonfire and take in the surrounding country.

wildlife on the farm

ECHIDNA
The distinctive and purposeful ‘rolling’ gait is just one if the endearing qualities that make these animals so popular.  Also known as the ‘Spiny Ant-eater’ and ‘Short-beaked Echidna’, this species is found widely at LarnOO.  If you see one at LarnOO be sure not to pick them up – as their spines are very sharp. Echidna are 30 to 40 cm long and weight 2 to 5 kg. Their body is covered with spines about 5 cm long and fur as well between the spines.  Echidna feed on ants, termites, grubs and worms. They use their fore paws to dig into ant nests and use their fast-moving tongues, which are covered with sticky mucus, to trap the ants.  Echidna can live in most habitat types including the bush land that we have at LarnOO.  Echidna lay one egg at birth, which stays in the mother’s pouch and hatches after just 10 days.  The young stays in the pouch and is sustained by its mother’s milk until being pushed out of the pouch after two to three months because of their growing spines. They are weaned completely at about six months. Did you know: An Echidna has large, vertical slits just behind its eyes for ears so please be quite around them so they stick around!

There have been very few successful attempts to breed them in captivity but we don’t seem to have any problems with fertility at LarnOO. Echidna are found to breed in June and July, with courtship lasting a mean 5.75 days only.

KOALA
Keep a keen eye out and you may well get to see one of our most iconic and beautiful Australian marsupials the koala. Our koalas inhabit the low altitude forests and woodlands with their lean, muscular body and strong limbs.  Their front and hind legs are almost equal in length, with five-digit paws specially adapted for grip.  Rough pads on the palms and soles and long claws on each digit help the Koala grip tree branches and trunks.  On each front paw, two fingers act like thumbs to enable a tighter grip………..we don’t recommend you get too close!

PLATYPUS

At LarnOO the platypus are shy and you will need to be quite to see them in their natural habitat.  You will find them in the billabongs off the Goulburn River at LarnOO.  Platypus have thick brown fur, which traps an insulating layer of air next to their skin. Males grow to a length of about 60 cm, and females 50 cm.  Males have a venomous spur on the inside of their hind leg.  The soft bill of the Platypus resembles that of a duck, but is covered with soft, leathery skin containing sensitive nerves that can detect faint electrical fields generated by small aquatic animals that they prey on.  This electro-reception is unique among mammals. Platypuses are most active in the early morning and late evening and spend most of the day in a burrow.  The front paws are webbed and are used like paddles.  When swimming, their eyes and ears are closed, and their sensitive bill sweeps from side to side searching for electrical impulses of their prey.  Platypus can stay underwater for several minutes and store food in their cheeks before coming to the surface to grind it up and swallow. The Echidna and Platypus are the only mammals that lay eggs.

KANGAROO
There are soooo many kangaroos living at LarnOO and you will see them usually in the morning sun and again in the evenings around the bush land areas.  They feed on our lush pasture! ...…and the native grasses and other small plants, mostly at night, but also in the early morning and late evening.  Kangaroos breed all year round and they give birth to a single jelly bean-sized ‘joey’, around 33 days after mating and will climb up its mother’s belly and into the pouch where it begins to suckle.  At about 6 months old, the joey begins to leave the pouch for short periods.  The joeys are permanently out of the pouch at about 8 months of age and normally weaned by around 12 months but can continue to suckle for up to 18 months. They can jump our fences with ease so please don’t rush them as they tend to crash into the fences and do damage to themselves and our fences!

WEDGED TAIL EAGLE
The ‘wedgie’, soaring up to 2 km high on thermal air currents, is one of the most impressive sights in the Australian sky.  At LarnOO they love to soar above the hilltops. Wedge-tailed Eagles are Australia’s largest raptor (bird of prey).  An adult Wedge-tailed Eagle has a wingspan of up to 2.5 metres and can weigh up to 4 kg.  Wedge-tailed Eagles hunt and eat small animals such as rabbits, feral cats, reptiles, small kangaroos, possums and foxes.  An eagle pair ‘mates for life’ and shares the nest duties. They may have two eggs in a season but usually only one chick survives.  The chicks are independent of their parents within 3 months of hatching.

WOMBATS
This sturdy and mostly solitary animal is enthusiastically sought out by many visitors to LarnOO and you will almost always meet a wombat waddling around.  Careful when driving around as wombats don’t have good road sense!  The head of the Common Wombat is more rounded than that of the hairy-nosed species.  The short ears are triangular and slightly rounded.  The nose is large, shiny black and fur less.  Fur colour varies from sandy to brownish black or even grey, sometimes flecked.  Wombats have short legs, and the second and third toes of the hind feet are fused, with a double claw used in grooming.  Wombats are solid and stocky, with short legs and tail. Their front legs and shoulders are very powerful.  Their front feet are large, with bear-like long claws and they use them mainly for digging burrows. The dirt is pushed to one side and the wombat backs out, moving loose dirt with it's front or back paws.

COCKATOO
These inquisitive and friendly birds are well known to most Australians with their white feathers, yellow crest, large black bill and stately walk that makes them instantly recognisable.  They are native to Australia and there are many cockatoos at LarnOO. Cockatoos live very long lives, which may exceed 60 years. They have a loud, raucous call – one of the most distinctive and adult is about 50 cm long and weighs up to 950 g.  Cockatoos eat seeds, berries, fruits, nuts, roots and sometimes insects.  When a flock is feeding on the ground, at least one remains in a tree and keeps watch for predators.  Their preferred habitat is the dense forest but they are frequently seen near human habitats, at LarnOO.  Please help and shoo them away as they can also be seen eating the houses!  Cockatoos nest in tree hollows and hey typically lay two to three eggs; incubation is 25–27 days. The young are able to become independent of their parents within 9 weeks of hatching.