Furever Farm gives retired animals a home, sweet home

After a picturesque 20-minute drive from Murray Bridge through some of the greener parts of the Murraylands, you arrive at Furever Farm.

Helpfully, there are plenty of those green signs to guide you along, especially when you have to leave the bitumen for a couple of kilometres on a well-maintained, dirt road.

A charming, multi-coloured sign greets you as you park your car alongside the main gate, which is safely out of the way of any passing traffic.

Furever Farm is clearly a labour of love and a matter of great pride for Darren and Hayley Appleby.

As you walk down the gravel driveway to the main house, you are flanked on either side by curious friends.

A mob of sheep on your right side watches your every move, and on the left, a herd of goats plays in the sunshine among the rocks.

The air is filled with the sounds of contented animals thoroughly enjoying the winter sunshine and freedom to roam around.

For most of them, it’s a far cry from where they spent their earlier lives.

The Applebys’ journey started in Adelaide’s western suburbs, via a 2009 stint in the UK and a stop at Strathalbyn.

Neither come from a particularly animal-oriented background, but both had childhood pets and a general interest in the natural world.

“I don’t think anyone in my family was overly interested in animals, but I think we were pretty typical, having dogs to grow up with,” Darren says.

“I’ve always deeply loved animals, but my parents refused to let me have a cat. Now we have four.”

It was while living in York, UK that they had an epiphany.

After seeing the 2005 documentary Earthlings, which detailed the treatment of animals in the world’s farming industries, they were shocked into action.

They not only decided to spend the rest of their lives helping animals but to give up on their UK dream to do so.

Asked whether he and his wife considered themselves activists, advocates, rescuers or something else, Darren says, “When we came back to Australia we were more interested in activism and advocacy but the politics of some of the animal organisations wasn't something that worked for us. So we looked to do something much more hands-on.”

Deciding to devote the rest of your lives to animal rescue is a big decision and almost six years passed between their decisions to buy a house at Strathalbyn, then sell everything to finance their future.

After volunteering and working with local domestic animal shelters, Darren and Hayley realised that there wasn’t anywhere local catering to farm animals.

Almost as soon as they decided that was the direction they would take, they were fielding requests for help.

 In 2016, they found land at Rockleigh and set about repurposing a quite rocky patch of farmland into an oasis for a variety of animals, at all stages of life and in various states of health – not a task for the faint-hearted.

It wasn’t too long before they took in their first rescue: an orphaned lamb surrendered by a local farmer.

This was followed by several bobby calves, more sheep, pigs, ducks, horses, donkeys, cows, chooks and even a pair of guinea fowl.

More than 180 animals now call Furever Farm home and are being expertly cared for by Darren, Hayley and a small team of volunteers.

Do they have favourites?

Without much hesitation, Hayley says “sheep”.

Watching her go about her business and being constantly trailed by at least seven very vocal lambs, some wearing bright dog coats to help keep them warm while they recover from various ailments and injuries, is a sight to behold.

“You don’t get used to the lack of sleep, but it’s part of what we do,” Hayley says.

“(Thankfully) they are now at an age where most of the feeding is done during the day.”

Darren is somewhat non-committal, but the way he speaks about cows suggests a deeper respect for those gentle giants.

Just as most zoos, native animal rescues, domestic shelters and pet owners name their animals, the residents at Furever Farm have names, too, creating natural bonds with their carers and enabling everyone to share in their lives and personalities.

Sanctuaries exist for the care, rescue and rehabilitation of animals, but it’s also a business, and not something you can do part-time.

“It’s not just about cuddling animals, although that’s definitely a bonus,” Darren says.

“You need to have a deep passion and love to be able to ride all the highs and lows.”

To read more of this story, pick up a copy of the spring 2024 edition of Murraylands Life magazine.

Where to get your copy of Murraylands Life magazine

The spring edition of Murraylands Life magazine will be available at more than 90 newsagents, supermarkets, hotels, service stations, accommodation providers and other outlets around the region from Monday, September 9.

Find your free copy at Callington, Coonalpyn, Karoonda, Lameroo, Mannum, Monarto, Murray Bridge, Mypolonga, Pinnaroo, Tailem Bend or Wellington; or at selected visitor information centres around South Australia.

Copies may take a few extra days to reach some locations.

If you can’t find a copy at your local pick-up point, let us know by emailing murraylandslife@gmail.com – we’ll circle back to top up supplies as required.

Advertising space is now available in the summer edition, due for publication on November 29.

• More information: Visit www.murraylands.life.
• Enquire about advertising: Contact Jane Intini on 0418 835 768 or at jane@murraybridge.news.

Correction: The spring edition of the magazine will be available on Monday, not this Friday.