Welcome to Iris Lodge Alpacas.
We started Iris Lodge as normal farm more than nine years ago with two alpacas, Lucas and Bobby (seen above after shearing) who still reside on the farm and are in separable. At one time we had more than 180 alpacas. During this time we have learnt a lot about alpacas and the personalities of the ones living on our farm.
Iris Lodge Alpacas farm experiences commenced in January 2020 as a way of sharing our passion for alpacas with others who enjoy spending time with these beautiful animals. We started the farm with just two alpacas and have developed it as a tourist attraction with 80+ alpacas, 9 llamas, plus sheep, cows and horses. The purpose of promoting our farm experience is not only to give people an opportunity to get up close and personal with alpacas, sheep and cows, but also to explain how we have developed the farm, including what we have done to protect the environment, such as protecting the water catchment through the planting of 13,000 trees to attract swift parrots to the farm. As a result of this water catchment protection, Iris Lodge Alpacas have been able to provide a home for hundreds of birds including hawks, eagles, pelicans, black swans, corellas, kookaburras, parrots and a variety of finches and meat birds.
Iris Lodge Alpacas is largely powered by solar energy. Rainwater is captured and stored for household use and river water is pumped and irrigated for the gardens, animals and pasture. All liquid waste is processed on site with only household refuse and recycling being removed from the property. When you visit Iris Lodge Alpacas, you are definitely in a very green space beyond just the paddock.
Our sustainable approach includes the following:
No large trees have been removed.
Revegetation of areas affected by previous farming activities
Continuous removal of exotic species - inc. blackberry and lantana.
Strict adherence to the local Council recycling programs.
Rainwater is used.
Biodegradable cleaning agents are used.
No intentional feeding of wildlife.
Solar energy is used.
Reduced chemical usage by 90% through smart technology.
ECOTOURISM AUSTRALIA WELCOMES IRIS LODGE ALPACAS TO THE FAMILY
Posted by Jithmi Gammanpila on 10 August 2021
We are so excited to announce that Iris Lodge Alpacas, a tourism business for only 18 months, has successfully achieved ECO Certification at the Nature Tourism level. Well done! The lodge offers a great opportunity for guests to experience real life on a working farm. Guests can choose to have either a farm stay or a breakfast/afternoon tea with alpacas and can engage with day-to-day farm activities depending on their schedules and seasons.
The full story is available at https://www.ecotourism.org.au/news/ecotourism-australia-welcomes-iris-lodge-alpacas-to-the-family/