Welcome to the Southern Mallee
BCG Farm Tours was developed to showcase farming in the Buloke Shire.
With wide open spaces, diverse landscapes and resilient, vibrant communities, visitors will leave with a sense of the uniqueness of the region, life as a Mallee farmer and the desire to linger longer.
BCG Buloke Farm Tours is for anyone keen to step through the farm gate, sit down with a Mallee farmer and learn more about what it takes to produce food and fibre.
Birchip is a rural service town with a population of approximately 700 people. It sits at the southern end of the Mallee in Western Victoria, just over 300 km from Melbourne. Our distance from larger regional centres is our strength. We are a resilient, self-reliant and vibrant community with plenty going on.
The development and subsequent growth of the Birchip Cropping Group (BCG), over 30 years, is a great example of this. The organisation is now a leader in farmer-driven, agronomic research and a major employer in town. It represents the interests of farmers who not only produce large volumes of grain to feed the world but also manage several intensive livestock industries and are at the forefront of driving local and innovative research.
And now, BCG wants to share this farming experience with you.
What To Expect
Visitors will meet at BCG for an introduction to the organisation and an overview of farming in the region. They will then be taken on a personal tour with a BCG staff member, Kelly Angel or Louisa Ferrier, to a property to meet a Mallee farmer and see local farming systems in action.
The 3 hour tour concludes with a ‘Paddock to Plate’ lunch in a farm setting. Using locally produced products, participants will enjoy a meal based on a menu developed by renown restaurateur, and BCG Board member, Stefano de Pieri.
Farmer Hosts
Ian McClelland and John and Robyn Ferrier are founding members of BCG and are experienced hosts who will provide an overview of life on the farm so participants can:
- Discuss production systems
- View crops and livestock systems
- Interact with machinery and technology on the farms
- Understand grain storage systems, cost of production and more.
Our farmer hosts are also able to speak to other aspects of Mallee life. They are heavily involved in the community, are committed to sustainable land management practices and have overseen the farm management transition across generations.
- Closed-in shoes are essential for all visitors (no thongs/crocs or sandals/cutaway shoes).
- In the interest of farm biosecurity, please ensure all footwear and vehicles are free of soil.
- A hat and sunscreen is advisable.
- Due to OH&S considerations, machinery will be stationary and not in operation
Meet at the Birchip Cropping Group, 73 Cumming Avenue, Birchip, Victoria 3483 (behind the old Shamrock Hotel building in the main street).
Parking is available in Cumming Avenue and Glowery Street.
Participants will receive a handout with a calendar of operations summarising typical activities conducted over a 12-month period.
For group bookings or to arrange an alternative tour date, please contact us.
The Birchip district, and Buloke Shire region, has lots to offer. On the Silo Art Trail, Birchip is home to the famous Mallee Bull, Mali Heart Street Art and Australia’s Best Vanilla Slice. It has a surprising number of specialty shops and dining venues as well as public spaces such as the Soldier’s Memorial Park and Tchum Lake to enjoy.
BCG Buloke Farm Tours visits operating farms where caution around safety and biosecurity are taken very seriously.
Please follow your hosts’ instructions and please take the time to read these Terms and Conditions:
- People under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- If people under the age of 18 attend the farm tours, the parent or guardian will be responsible for their care and safety.
- Loss – the owners take no responsibility for the visitor’s personal property. Guests will be responsible for the postal costs if the visitor wishes lost property to be returned by post.
- The property and its contents, equipment and appliances are checked regularly and believed to be in good working order. BCG cannot accept responsibility for circumstances beyond their control in the unlikely event of breakdowns, inclement weather etc.
- BCG reserves the right to alter, adjust or cancel bookings where circumstantial or other issues prevent the use of the property by guests and shall not be liable for any costs arising out of said cancellation. A full refund of tariff will be made.
- If you are asked to evacuate the area for any reason that may be a risk to your personal safety, you must obey the instructions issued by the owner or tour guide.
- Biosecurity – having visitors on farm can be an occasion to spread plant and animal pests and diseases. These can be spread by the dirty shoes or clothing or dirt on your vehicle. The spread of disease can cause $100 000’s damage to a property and even more to an agricultural industry.
- Be biosecurity aware – make sure before you go on the tour, all shoes and vehicles are clean and free of soil. If you have been overseas in the previous month, please let your tour guide know. BCG will have shoe washing facilities available if your footwear is dirty.
- Variations to these conditions may only be made by prior arrangements with BCG in writing.
Dates & Booking
Farm Tour Supporters
Information on this website is not a scientific journal and has been prepared solely as a means of disseminating information to the members of BCG and the community. Content on this website has been prepared in good faith on the basis of information available at the date of publication. Although all reasonable care has been taken in producing the reports within, the authors do not warrant that the content is free from errors or omissions. The authors and BCG does not accept any liability for the contents of this publication or any loss, damage, cost or expense incurred from relying on the information within. Readers are responsible for assessing the relevance and accuracy of the contents of this website. Products may be identified by propriety or trade names to help readers identify them, however, this is not an endorsement or recommendation of any product or manufacturer referred to.