Honey & Hive. Open a hive, honey tasting with morning tea
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Step Into the Fascinating World of Bees
Uncover the secrets of the hive with an immersive, hands-on beekeeping experience at our working honey farm in the scenic Southern Highlands. Led by a passionate local beekeeper, this interactive journey offers a rare glimpse into the extraordinary life of honeybees.
What Your Experience Includes:
- Curated Honey Tasting: Begin your journey on our beautiful terrace, sampling up to six unique honey varieties. Discover how distinct flavours, colours, and textures reflect the local blossoms foraged by our bees.
- Morning Tea: Enjoy fresh sourdough paired with plunger-brewed coffee and tea while learning about bee biology, colony lifecycles, and their vital role in pollination.
- Hands-On Hive Exploration: Suit up in a professional full-body beekeeping suit (gloves included) and head into the apiary. Open an active hive, hold a frame covered in busy bees, and try to spot “Liz”, our resident queen!
- Modern Beekeeping Insights: See a revolutionary Flow Hive in action and learn how we safely check for hive health, brood patterns, and honey stores.
A Moment of Bee Mindfulness
At Bowral Honey Farm, every visit and experience includes a short moment of mindfulness among the bees. Tapping into a long tradition of api-therapy, one aspect that we explore is simply being immersed in the sounds, scents, and gentle energy of a working apiary as the bees go about their lives.
During each workshop and tour, guests are invited to place a hand on the back of a hive and quietly imagine the 50,000 workers within; moving, communicating, and organising themselves through vibration, scent and sound. We then pause for a brief breathing exercise, closing our eyes and tuning in to the low hum around us. With ten hives arranged in a circle, guests stand at the focal point of the combined life force of more than half a million bees.
This simple meditation offers a powerful way to slow down, to connect with the natural rhythms of the seasons, and to experience the presence of these remarkable pollinators in a deeper, more reflective way.
Who Is This For?
This experience is the perfect introduction for curious minds, nature lovers, and anyone wanting to connect with bees and the Australian landscape in a meaningful way. If you are interested in starting your own hive, ask us about our longer, comprehensive workshops!
Location & Directions
We’re looking forward to meeting you and showing you our bees!
The address, in case you can’t find it is 1325 Old South Road Bowral NSW 2576.
We’re on the grounds of Retford Park, a National Trust property. Enter through the main gates 1325 Old South Road, Bowral. Drive straight ahead (it’s a long driveway, very fancy!) the drive eventually turns off to the right. You’ll see my hives and signage set up. You can park in the paddock opposite, or go ahead a little further and park in the gravel parking area.
This tour takes place on the grounds of Retford Park, NOT our former site in Bowral township. It is a 5x minute drive from Bowral main street.
Important Arrival Details
- I’d suggest that you arrive 15x minutes early so you’re not rushed.
- We will also have honey available for sale after the visit.
Contact Information
If you have any questions feel free to call me on 0428294569 or email hamish@bowralbeekeeping.com
