There's More to The Ridge House Than What's Inside the Fence
- Kristy Plumridge
- Jun 27
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 28
The Ridge House sits on 50 acres of West Gippsland bushland, just 90 minutes from Melbourne. What the listing description doesn't tell you is what's on the other side of the fence.
Green Hills Farm, our 150-acre working farm nestled in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, sits right next door. It's where Neil and I raise grass-fed Black Angus cattle, grow spray-free garlic and keep the bees that produce the honey you'll find waiting for you on the breakfast table at The Ridge House. Two hundred metres away, give or take.
While Green Hills Farm is a working property, The Ridge House sits on its own 50 acres of private bushland. Guests have two walking tracks to explore, a ridgeline lookout for sunset, and all the peace that comes from having nature quite literally on your doorstep. Together, the two properties offer the best of both worlds.
This week, delicious. magazine included Green Hills Farm in its list of 51 of the Best Farm Stays in Australia for Foodies. Seeing our little farm recognised alongside some of Australia's best-known agritourism destinations was a real pinch-me moment.
The article linked to Green Hills Farm rather than The Ridge House, and that's completely understandable. Green Hills Farm is the story behind the experience. But if you've found your way here from that article, I wanted to share how the two properties fit together and why staying at The Ridge House feels so connected to the land around it. Although guests stay at The Ridge House, Green Hills Farm quietly shapes so much of what they experience. From the produce on the table to the stories we share and the landscape that surrounds them.
How Green Hills Farm and The Ridge House became one story
One of my favourite experiences as a host has been having The Ridge House featured in Country Style magazine. The June 2021 article tells the full story of how we came to own both properties, and it's well worth reading with a cup of tea.
The shorter version is this.
Neil came home from a family trip to the Northern Territory convinced he wanted to become a cattle farmer. I thought it was one of those ideas that would disappear after a few weeks. Instead, he painted a picture of building something meaningful for our family. A place we could care for, improve and hopefully leave better than we found it.
In 2015 we bought Green Hills Farm.
Like so many people dreaming of a tree change, we still lived and worked in Melbourne. Every weekend we'd drive to Gippsland, tackling another project. We regenerated paddocks from weeds to pasture, built fences, planted trees and slowly learned what it really takes to care for 150 acres. The to-do list never seemed to get any shorter, but neither did our enthusiasm.
If you'd like to see that journey unfold, Dream Gardens Australia followed us over two and a half years while we transformed the farm. You can watch the episode on ABC iView.
Then, two years later, the neighbouring property came up for sale.
It had a tired 1970s farmhouse sitting on the most spectacular ridgeline we'd ever seen. We'd often joked that if it ever came on the market, we'd have to buy it.
So we did. After an eighteen-month renovation, The Ridge House opened in March 2019.
Since then, the two properties have always felt like two halves of the same story. Green Hills Farm is our working farm. The Ridge House is where guests experience a little piece of that life, while enjoying all the comforts of a beautifully renovated country home. If you're curious about the renovation itself and how a tired 1970s farmhouse became the country retreat it is today, I've shared more of that story in City Country, Enjoyment: A New Start with Lots of Style – and Vision.
How Green Hills Farm becomes part of your farm stay at The Ridge House
People often ask what the connection between the farm and The Ridge House actually looks like. Here's how it quietly finds its way into your stay.
The Honey
The honey in your pantry comes from our own hives at Green Hills Farm.
Because it's harvested only from our hives, it's never blended with honey from elsewhere. What you're tasting is the flora within a few kilometres of the farm -- native bush, pasture, flowering gums and whatever else happens to be blooming that season.
It's a small thing, but every jar tastes uniquely of this little part of West Gippsland.
The Garlic
Every year we grow spray-free garlic, harvested by hand here on the farm.
When it's in season, you'll even find it on the menus at Messmates Dining and Hogget Kitchen in Warragul. There's something quietly satisfying about sitting down to dinner and knowing the garlic in your meal came from the paddocks next door.
Wine + Garlic + Salt
From our surplus garlic we also make our much-loved Wine + Garlic + Salt, and you'll find a sample waiting for you at The Ridge House. If you fall in love with it, jars are available to take home.
The Cattle
Neil probably spends more time thinking about pasture than most people realise. Plus he loves having private conferences with the cattle -- no one objects! Healthy grass grows healthy cattle, so looking after the land has always come first. Our Black Angus cattle are raised entirely on grass, grazing both Green Hills Farm and neighbouring properties -- sometimes even on the front pastures of The Ridge House. It's a slower way of farming, one that's focused on healthy soil, healthy animals and healthy landscapes.
The Seasonal Surprises
One of the lovely things about farming is that no two weeks are ever quite the same.
Depending on the season, you might arrive to find fresh garlic, strawberries picked that morning, herbs from the garden or a jar of something we've preserved from the last harvest.
It's simply whatever the land happens to be giving us.
Many of the wonderful little producers we leave for guests also feature in my Countryside Day Trip through South Gippsland. It's one of my favourite drives, filled with bakeries, cheesemongers, farm gates, waterfalls and country towns that deserve to be explored.
A Walk Around the Farm
If you happen to see us around and the timing works, Neil or I are always happy to take guests for a wander around Green Hills Farm. We'll introduce you to the cattle, show you what's growing, visit the bees if it's safe to do so, and share some of the stories behind the place.
It's not a formal tour and there's no timetable. Just ask while you're here.
We don't advertise scheduled farm tours because this is our home as well as our business, but if we're around we're always delighted to share it.
One of the things we enjoy most about hosting is meeting people who are genuinely curious about country life. Whether you're dreaming about your own tree change or simply interested in where your breakfast honey comes from, we're always happy to share what we've learned.
Over at Green Hills Farm, we are producing spray-free garlic, single-sourced honey from our beehives,
and our now infamous Wine + Garlic + Salt. All of which you can buy at The Ridge House.
And then there's dinner
I've always believed that food is one of the simplest ways to make people feel welcome.
If friends arrive at our home, I'll usually ask if they're hungry before I ask how the drive was.
When we opened The Ridge House, I wanted guests to feel that same generosity.
That's why I stock the kitchen with breakfast provisions from local producers, leave little treats to discover and, on request, cook farmhouse dinners and prepare Gippsland cheese boards using as much local produce as possible.
It feels less like checking into accommodation and more like arriving at someone's country home.
What's next for Green Hills Farm
Over the years we've had countless conversations with guests who are dreaming about their own tree change. Some are thinking about buying acreage. Others have already taken the leap and discovered it's a little more complicated than Instagram might suggest.
We've learned plenty ourselves, mostly by making mistakes and figuring things out along the way.
Later in 2026 we're planning to run a Let's Buy a Farm workshop at Green Hills Farm. It'll be a practical day for people considering rural life, covering everything from choosing the right property to the realities of running a small farm business.
We'll share more details on the via our newsletter when plans are finalised.
More than a place to stay
The Ridge House is where you'll sleep, light the fire, cook dinner, wander the bush tracks watching the sun disappear behind the valley from Loggers Lookout
Green Hills Farm is the heart behind the experience.
It's where the honey is harvested, the garlic is grown and the cattle quietly graze. It's the reason your stay feels connected to the landscape rather than simply overlooking it.
You don't need to pull on gumboots or feed cattle to enjoy staying here. Most guests simply enjoy knowing where things come from. The honey on their toast. The garlic in their dinner at Messmates Dining or Hogget Kitchen. The chance to wander the bush knowing there's a working farm quietly carrying on next door.
And if you leave knowing a little more about where food comes from, how a working farm really operates, or simply feeling more connected to this beautiful part of Gippsland, then we've shared exactly what we hoped to
If you're looking for a country escape that offers more than beautiful views, we'd love to welcome you to book your stay The Ridge House.
Continue exploring Gippsland
If you're planning a stay at The Ridge House, you might also enjoy:
Kristy's Countryside Day Trip – my favourite scenic drive through Mirboo North, Thorpdale and Loch.
The Best Pet-Friendly Getaway Near Melbourne – for guests travelling with their four-legged family members.
The Story Behind The Ridge House – how a tired farmhouse became our country retreat.
Dinner on the Farm – everything you need to know about farmhouse dinners and Gippsland cheese boards.
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