Swapping the city for a rural retreat
A beautiful guesthouse, that also happens to be home to over 100 farm animals, including goats, lambs, cows and chickens.
Young Victorian couple Sima Barokas and Josh Montag have said goodbye to city life to set up a new home among furry friends in Gipplsand.
Wild Falls is a beautiful guesthouse opened by the pair in May 2021, that also happens to be home to over 100 farm animals, including goats, lambs, cows and chickens.
“We’re both really passionate about sustainability and living a life more connected to nature and the land, and we feel we’ve been able to better achieve this in the country than in the city,” Sima told The AJN.
The adventure was inspired by a trip Josh took to India where he stayed in a guesthouse, and dreamt of recreating his own in Australia. “He wanted a community feel to it, and to always spend time getting to know our guests,” Sima recalled.
Reflecting on the animals they share Wild Falls with, she said, “Some are rescues, some we adopted when their owners could no longer care for them, and some were born here, such as our many baby chicks.”
Sima and Josh also work with local rescue organisations such as ‘Til The Cows Come Home and Lamb Care Australia.
“During the winter months, when it’s lambing/calving season, there are many orphaned animals, in the dairy industry specifically, dairy calves are taken away from their mums as they don’t produce milk and are therefore not profitable,” Sima shared, adding that “Sometimes these animals are surrendered or sometimes the organisation pays the farmers and then we transport the animals into foster stations which are all around Victoria (we are one). During this time, we can care for them until they are healthy and strong enough to be adopted into loving homes.”
A regular visitor to Wild Falls, Sam Kagan said, “It’s truly an amazing place to visit and explore. Not exactly inside the Melbourne ghetto – but worth the miles to find a true sanctuary in Victoria. A safe and welcoming place for all people and ages, Sima and Josh are all class the way they have set-up and run Wild Falls. I’m excited to keep following the journey for years to come and visit regularly.”
For more information, @wild_falls on Instagram or search for Wild Falls on airbnb.