How to make money from your garden

Australian home owners are ditching the office to establish small business ventures on their own properties.

Glamping sites and wedding venues are among popular ideas being adopted by property owners with the space and natural surrounds to attract holidaymakers.

Writers Amy Willesee and Mark Whittaker have recently established a wedding and accommodation business on their property Willow Farm in Berry, NSW.

“Last year we spent seven months travelling around Australia in a caravan with our three children and it really got us thinking about how important it was for us to spend time together as a family,” Willesee says.

“We wanted to try and find a way to stay on the farm but still be able to clock off on weekends and at holidays to spend time with the kids.”

Image by Red Berry Photography

After six months of brainstorming the couple began putting the plan into action.

The process of making the farm suitable for guests on their big day has been a huge undertaking both physically and financially for the family.

Gardening, cleaning, building a website, acquiring insurance, managing bookings and complying with council regulations have all played a role in transforming the property.

“I am hoping we can make that back within our first year, although the maintenance costs are a bit of an unknown at this stage and they will be ongoing,” Willesee says.

Image by Red Berry Photography

“It is such a special day for the couple I really feel the responsibility to make the farm look its absolute best for them.”

The wedding venue is advertised on WedShed­, a website that hosts a collection of unique Australian venues for wedding hire.

“As soon as our listing went up on their site couples started sending us inquiries, so we knew straightaway that this was a viable business for us, but it has also meant we’ve been extremely busy!” Willesee says.

“I am hoping that once everything is in place and we have all our systems sorted that we can achieve our goal of enjoying our weekends off with the kids.”

Image by Red Berry Photography

Lucille and Colin Bailie are the owners of The Escape, an eco-tourism glamping business located on their South Coast, NSW property.  

“We first acquired the property back in late 2000 and the idea to build a glamping business evolved over time,” Ms Bailie says.

“We thought if we could add a level of comfort and amenity to convert traditional camping into a more glamorous experience we would have a wonderful business concept.”

Image from The Escape

It took about five years of planning, approvals and building before the first customers checked in late in 2012.

Along with building accommodation and an on-site restaurant, the couple invested in solar power, wastewater systems and internal road infrastructure.

“In nearly three years of operation we’re already seeing the business become profitable but still have a few years before the business pays off the land we occupy,” Ms Bailie says.

“We’re really conscious of the family-business interface, which can have its challenges, but overall the pros for our family living on site have far outweighed the cons.”

Image from The Escape