Byron Bay’s ‘The Farm’ to stay in local hands after sale
Iconic Byron Bay property The Farm has been sold, more than six months after hitting the market.
The renowned agritourism project at Ewingsdale, created by Oroton heir turned farmer Tom Lane and his wife Emma, has been picked up by local business and property owners Fraser and Allyson Short, who will continue to run the enterprise.
The property was once an old dairy and commercial flower farm, which the Lanes transformed into a thriving community of micro businesses including the Three Blue Ducks Restaurant and Produce Store, The Bread Social, Baylato and The Garden Shed.
The businesses will remain at the property under the new owners.
While the current and future owners were tight-lipped on the sale price, it’s original asking price was mooted at $20 million-plus.
Mr Lane says he is thrilled that the 80-acre property will remain in local hands and continue the environmental mission they started.
“That was really crucial in our decision in terms of the people considering to jump into our shoes was really understanding their desire and their outcomes and making sure that that was part of the legacy, it’s part of the deal or the contract really is that they’ll continue the legacy of the grow, feed, educate, give back,” he says.
“We’ve had many people circling since we opened it, to be honest. We’ve had plenty of taps on the shoulders and … most of them were inappropriate in terms of the fit for the long-term.”
We’ve built a community and it’s not all about us, it’s about the people on the ground there doing it, there’s 17 or 18 different tenants, 120 jobs, the farmers are breaking their backs doing a fantastic job on organic farming, the restaurant’s turning out amazing food, the bakery.”
Mr Fraser says the time was right for them to purchase the property, and says there won’t be many changes to what is already a very successful operation.
“Tom and I have been speaking for about two years, the timing just wasn’t right for either of us. I suppose COVID has given us all a chance to reflect and the right thing for Tom and Emma to hand the reins over and for me and Ally and my business partner, we’re really excited about taking those reins on,” he says.
“We just love it as it is. Everything’s working so well, my dad used to always say, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. So what we would love to do is lean into some of those principles and see if we can’t develop them further. There has to be opportunities around farming and agri-business, we’ve got 80 acres so there’s a lot of opportunity that comes for everyone when you’re well funded.”
