Walk on the wild side: animal encounters within the Scenic Rim

The chance to get up close and personal with one of South America’s cutest exports? Alpaca my bags!

Mountview Alpaca Farm is an animal lover’s dream, all set to the backdrop of O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards’ lush grounds.

What sets this spot apart is their alpaca walk offering – your chance to leash up one of their 70 woolly-wild things and take it for a 30 or 60 minute jaunt.

With detailed personality profiles available online, their herd is divided into walkers, therapy team, stud muffins and bambinos in training, so you’re paired with the right, fluffy match.

With a bag of alpaca food under your arm, you’ll stroll hand in leash around the property with plenty of opportunities for selfies.

Australia’s largest camel farm and dairy needs little introduction, but you’ll find Summer Land Camels in Harrisvale within spitting distance (seriously, camels!) of Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Although entry is free to explore the farm, snap a photo with the camels and enjoy the backdrop of Flinders Peak, be warned – their gift shop is hard to come away from empty-handed.

After all, this is a camel farm and dairy that produces ethical, sustainable and premium camel products, from camel milk cheesecake right through to skincare products. Take it from us, once you’ve found out about the immunity-boosting benefits of camel milk, it would be rude not to try them all. A camel-cino is a must.

For animal-lovers wanting to take the fun to giddying heights, book a camel ride (online bookings essential) to explore the property, led by one of the cameleers.

Life’s good when you’re one of the 350 sheep wandering Towri Sheep Cheeses’ 300 acres of pristine, scenic rural land. But life’s better when you’re a visitor to Towri Sheep Cheese and get to sample the wares of these Awassi, East Friesian, Assaf, Dorset and Dorper breeds who keep the grass manicured to golf course levels of perfection.

Experience the farm for yourself each month when the gates swing open for the Towri Growers Market as local Scenic Rim farmers come together for a farm fresh market at Towri. Expect produce, sheep milking demonstrations and endless sheep pats to name a few ‘ewe-nique’ experiences.

Outside of farm open days, their wedding and function program or cheese making workshops, it’s all head down, cute woolly-tails up. As a primary producer, Towri owners have work to do and these sheep have grass to nibble.

With a history spanning 150 years in the Kerry Valley, this sixth-generation family farm doesn’t just live on the land, they passionately share it with you too.

Tommerup’s Dairy Farm’s philosophy is as moreish as their produce and you can expect high-quality, small-scale products.

For those short on time, a day trip will give but a taste of life on the farm with time to sample the farm fresh product. For a longer experience to really drop into the country frame of mind, their genuine farm stay means you can join farmer Dave for milking the jersey girls each morning, feeding baby farm animals and or simply winding back the clock to a different time.

How does a picnic with three, well-mannered Irish-English miniature donkeys sound? Hee-haw indeed!

With the Bearded Dragon Hotel’s donkey picnic experience, you’ll be seated amongst the Tamborine countryside, with a gourmet two-course picnic expertly prepared and presented.

Your company? None other than Clancy, Mabel and Matilda.

To drink, choose your drop from local and imported beverages. There’s nothing left to do but breathe in that clean country air and exhale city-stress.

Of course, there’s always the paddock behind the main pub where you’ll find alpacas, goats and the ladies when they’re not occupied with a picnic date.

Animals + a vineyard, rolled into one neat Canungra package – where do you sign up?

Open Friday to Sunday, Sarabah Estate is the perfect lunch destination for those looking to book lunch at the Chalet Bistro or enjoy a more casual pizza or picnic feed among the vines.

Either way, you’ll have the opportunity to meet their farm animals including alpacas and miniature horses.

When you’re visiting a retreat nestled in rainforests that arcs back to a time when Australia was connected to Africa and Antarctica as a supercontinent, it goes without saying the fauna is as good as the flora.

One of the best ways to see it guaranteed is through an organised experience, like the ones you’ll find at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat – the tourism stalwart, operating out of its luscious Lamington National Park base for more than 90 years.

Only a two hours’ drive from Brisbane is all it will take to immerse yourself in one of their ‘O’Reilly’s Discovery Program’ activities. There is a range of low-cost experiences, including their iconic Birds of Prey show,  Wildlife Encounter Tour, Nocturnal Wildlife Spotting Tour and Glow Worm Experience.

Witness the aerial acrobatics of eagles and owls, view nocturnal dwellers such as pademelons, possums, bandicoots and frogs and witness the mystical glow worm grotto, home to millions of ancient glow worms that illuminate the cave walls in a blanket of twinkling stars.

To thrill young and old, their daily bird feeding offers the opportunity to hand-feed crimson rosellas and king parrots. The cost is just the bag of birdseed you’ll need to lure them over and the memories of them landing in your hair are priceless.

Once a month, Harrisville Heritage Poulty and their clucky group of hens swing open the barn doors for the public to enjoy.

Cuddle the cute chicks, ducklings and silkies in the farm nursery, feed the local goats, sheep and alpacas and take a guided trot around the paddock on a pony.

There’s plenty of famous Scenic Rim produce on offer, so you can snack on homemade country treats and ice cream all day and fill your esky with eggs, poultry, fruit and vegetables.

You don’t have to book a tour or pay an entry fee to enjoy animal encounters within the Scenic Rim. Whether you’re walking a rainforest trail or driving through winding country roads, there’s plenty to spot. Keep an eye (and ear) out for the eastern whipbird and satin bowerbird in Lamington National Park, and don’t be surprised if a mob of wallabies hops into view along the many walking tracks in the region. One to look out for is the whiptail wallaby, also called the pretty face wallaby – with a name like that, you know it’s cute. These encounters are part of what makes the region so special, so take only photos, leave only footprints, and let the wildlife stay wild.