Cardiff Alpacas farm and cottage industry

Before you read on ...

We require pre-payment for campsites and will not confirm a booking until evidence of payment is received. All bookings must be completed at least 24 hours in advance. Please do not contact us unless you are willing to comply with these requirements and our Terms and Conditions, as stated below.

We are a working farm with 14 hectares of carefully-maintained pasture land and lawn, dotted with shady trees, where you can choose a campsite. We limit the total number of sites on our property at any one time to six, so you can be assured of a peaceful and private stay.

Our campsites are suitable for all types of self-contained camping: Tent, caravan, campervan, motor home etc. Equipment hire is available for those who are not self-contained (see below).

We also offer a range of home-cooked meals for campers.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. We do not normally accept children under 8 years of age. (Upon application, we may consider an exception where there is only one child below the minimum age.)
2. We do not provide a toilet or other amenities, unless pre-booked as Extras.
3. We allow only ONE motor vehicle per campsite (towed vehicles excepted).
4. We do not accept dogs.
5. We do not permit open fires or fire pits.
6. We do not permit the dumping of waste water containing grease or chemicals (e.g. washing-up water) on grass.
7. To avoid pasture damage, we require items in contact with grass (e.g. tents, ground sheets, annex floors, caravan wheels, etc.) to be relocated if your stay is longer than three nights.
8. We do not provide public risk insurance. All visitors are required to sign a Waiver and Release of Liability document for the duration of their stay.
9. If a booking is cancelled seven or more days prior to scheduled arrival date we will refund the booking fee less 10%. No refund will be made for cancellations less than seven days prior to the scheduled arrival date.
10. You must check in between 2pm and 5.30pm unless you have made special arrangements with us BEFORE booking
11. Our property is situated in a river valley that is susceptible to flooding. Because all of our campsites are on low-lying grassland, we are unable to accommodate campers during periods of extreme wet weather. By booking with us you indicate that you accept this risk. In the unlikely event of us having to cancel a booking due to this or other unforeseen circumstances, any payment made will be refunded in full.

If any of these points is an issue for you, you should reconsider booking with us or contact us beforehand to discuss it.

PRICING (all prices include GST):

* Unpowered paddock campsite that you choose yourself. Up to two guests; one motor vehicle: $35 per night

Additional guests, up to a maximum of six $5: per head per night

* Powered campsite, fixed location. Up to two guests; one motor vehicle: $42 per night

Additional guests, up to a maximum of six: $6 per head per night

* Optional extras (N.B. If you book any of the following your choice of campsites will be limited):

- Non-exclusive hire of serviced portable flush toilet and handbasin in fixed cubicle: $13 per night

- Non-exclusive hire of powered portable shower in fixed shower tent (hot water supplied): $13 per night

- Hire of four burner gas barbecue: $16 per night

- Morning or afternoon tea tour of our property: $18 per person

- Lunch tour of our property (min. three days' notice required): $32.00 per person

- Two course evening meal (min. three days' notice required): $32.00 per person

- Cooked English breakfast (min. three days' notice required) $26.00 per person

- Alpaca and llama feeding Free (but must be pre-booked)

- Visit to our farm shop Free (but must be pre-booked)

HOW TO BOOK
Please email us at sales@cardiffalpacas.com.au with the following information:
1. The nights of your proposed stay (e.g. 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th July). Please don't give a date range (e.g. 4th - 7th July) as this can be misinterpreted.
2. Whether you require a Powered or Unpowered site.
3. The number of people in your group/family.
4. The number of motor vehicles (see Terms & Conditions, above).
5. Your name and address (for invoicing).
6. Any other relevant information, e.g. if you wish to book Extras (meals, toilet, alpaca feeding, etc.); your camping type (tent, campervan, caravan, motor home, etc.).
If we have availability, we will email you an offer, accompanied by a pro forma tax invoice with bank transfer details. To secure a booking, payment must be made within 24 hours.
Upon receipt of your payment or evidence thereof (e.g. copy of a bank transfer slip), we will confirm your booking and reserve a site for you.
Please DO NOT request site availability information unless you are prepared to book and make payment immediately. We work with booking agents as well as accepting private bookings, and site status can change on a daily basis.
Please note that due to the nature of our work, we are often unavailable to take phone calls. You may have to leave a message and have us call you back. For this reason, we prefer contact via email wherever possible.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. Why can't I make a same-day booking?
A. This is a working farm. Because of our work schedules we require 24hours' notice to arrange for someone to be available to check in and direct campers.

Q. Why must I pay at the time of booking?
A. To be blunt, we are fed up with people making speculative booking enquiries and wasting our time with empty assurances. Payment upon booking confirms that our prospective guests are committed to honouring their booking agreement with us. This is no different to what is demanded by all caravan parks, hotels, motels, camping grounds and booking agencies.

Q. Why don't you accept children under 8 years of age?
A. Two reasons: 1. Most of our campers come to us for peace and quiet and appreciate the fact that there are no noisy young children on-site. 2. There are also many inherent hazards for young children on a working farm.

Q. Why do you allow only one motor vehicle per campsite?
A. Wear and tear on our driveways, tracks and pastures from motor vehicles is our biggest maintenance expense. Charging per motor vehicle makes our pricing structure fairer for everyone.

Q. Why can't I bring my dog?
A. Alpacas and llamas become agitated and upset if they see or hear a dog and will attempt to kill it.

Q. Why do you not permit open fires or fire pits?
A. Our camping areas are surrounded by highly combustible sugar cane. Based on bitter experience, we have taken the decision that allowing fires is neither safe nor environmentally sound. In any case, outdoor fires may not be lit without an RFS permit during the bushfire danger period, which is in place for much of the year.

Q. Why are you so particular about waste water and ground coverings?
A. All our campsites are on lawn or pasture where our animals graze. Water containing grease or harsh chemicals and long-term covering will kill or damage grass. Not only is this unsightly and uninviting for future campers, but also an open invitation for llamas and alpacas to create dust baths, for which they are notorious, causing further environmental damage.

Q. Why am I required to sign a Waiver and Release of Liability document for the duration of my stay?
A. No insurance company in Australia provides affordable general or public risk insurance for farms in this area. Even doubling our prices would not cover the additional cost that a public risk insurance policy would incur.

Q. Why must I check in between 2pm and 5.30pm?
A. We are a farm, not a staffed campground. We set aside this period from our working day to ensure that someone is available to check in and direct campers. We do not have the resources to deal with early or late arrivals and you may find you are locked out until someone is available.