New Zealand’s colonial history provides for a fascinating pioneering past and connection with working on the land. Accommodation options open up a world of opportunities for many travellers to experience some of the oldest cattle and sheep farms in the country.

Country Homes with extensive pastoral land and geological wonders are also a feature of the New Zealand farm accommodation scene and can compliment or add variety to a New Zealand touring itinerary. Classical English style manors in the Canterbury region to more modern examples in Marlborough and Nelson or the vast sheep stations of the south at the foothills of the Southern Alps provide for an enchanting introduction to the New Zealand way of life.

Many of the New Zealand’s luxury lodges incorporate a working farm due to their geographic location. Enjoy farm tours, walking trails and interaction with local farmers to give you a real insight to the workings of a modern farm.

Alternatively, sporting lodges provide for more informal and casual experiences and can also be a highlight of a New Zealand itinerary. Fishing, hunting, horseback riding, hiking, clay bird shooting are all part of the mix and can be enjoyed in an environment a world away from the hustle and bustle of city centres.

From Kakadu to the Kimberley to Kangaroo island. From the McDonnell Ranges to the mighty Murrimbidgee River; some of Australia’s finest pastoral properties are opening their doors to welcome visitors, each one a unique window into the nation’s pioneering past, its rugged natural beauty and the indomitable spirit of its people.

Whether you’re only an hour from the nearest city or just about as remote as you can get, a stay in one of these properties will transport you to another time and place.

Grand homesteads surrounded by quintessentially Australian wrap-around verandas sit perched on an escarpment overlooking the Mitchell River, cantilevered over the Chamberlain Gorge in the Kimberley, looking out over vast outback landscapes or surrounded by magnificent stately gardens on the banks of Australia’s wide rivers.

The style of accommodation varies from sharing the grand family home, to purpose built luxury lodgings, self contained cottages, rustic shearer’s quarters and safari style tents; but the welcome is always the same: warm, friendly and genuine.

These vast outback stations – some the size of small European countries – offer a rejuvenating blend of adventure and relaxation. Immerse yourself in the agricultural activities of the station or simply sit back and enjoy the boundless landscapes which have changed little over tens of thousands of years.

Learn to crack a stock whip, watch the shearers’ quick hands at work or join in a cattle muster.

Tour the properties on foot, mountain bike, hovercraft or helicopter. Enjoy four wheel drive tours through spectacular scenery and wildlife watching on horseback. Cruise the rivers to spot giant crocodiles or fish the lakes for trophy size trout. See the ancient artworks of aboriginal ancestors or be inspired by the landscapes to pick up a paint brush yourself.

Try your hand at archery, clay target shooting or abseiling. Relax in the property’s pool, have a hit of tennis or swing a club at the driving range. Do nothing, or do it all … without even leaving the front gate... which may well be several hundred kilometres away!

Meet some of Australia’s most colourful and inspiring characters and be introduced to their wild neighbours: buffalo, birds and butterflies, emus and echidnas, platypus and possums, wallabies and wombats among them.

Enjoy a sunset drink enjoying vistas over landscapes punctuated with ancient geological formations, proud boab trees, dramatic gorges, lush wetlands and coffee coloured rivers begging to be fished, all gathered under the endless skies of the outback.

Soak up the views over Wilpena Pound from your bath or watch the twinkling of the southern stars through the retractable ceiling above your bed in the Flinders Ranges.

Far from the ring of a mobile phone, listen to the laugh of a kookaburra, the cracking of a stockman’s whip, the splashing of a buffalo in the river, the distant howl of a dingo... and the blissful sound of silence.

Dine on some of Australia’s finest organic beef or ask the chef to prepare your fresh trophy catch of barramundi. Sip chilled champagne in the relaxing outback oasis of the Zebedee Springs thermal pools or a hot billy tea under the river gums that line the banks of the Murrimbidgee.

Enjoy an animated dinner in the homestead kitchen with real life jackaroos and pioneering legends or enjoy the outback solitude of a private cliff top dinner for two perched above one of the Kimberley’s dramatic gorges.

No two are remotely the same though all are charming, intimate and authentic, a place where visitors are assured the same warmth of a genuine Australian country welcome and a generous smorgasbord of unique and unforgettable experiences.