A young couple who met on an outback cattle procedure accept as true with turned their want to make their very possess existence on the land into a surprising industry — farming Christmas trees.
Key facets:
- Brad and Katrina Fraser drained of existence within the outback so position up a mountainous Christmas tree farm
- The couple are increasing 15,000 trees, raising two kids and running a store
- Their farm employs seasonal 25 workers and attracts company from throughout Queensland and New South Wales
Brad and Katrina Fraser hand-planted their first sever of 2,000 Christmas trees on Queensland’s Granite Belt seven years ago.
This day, they’re increasing 15,000.
“All of it in actuality came about when I was pregnant with my our first dinky one Evelyn and I wanted to be a defend-at-home mom,” Katrina says.
“Brad was true love, ‘Properly if you happen to is maybe going to be a defend-at-home mom, we’ll must salvage artistic with what we’ll retain out on 20 acres.’
“We true conception in actuality laborious about what was lacking from the misfortune, and came up with Christmas, and that’s how it was born in actuality.”
Farming Christmas trees within the coldest phase of the Sunshine Issue was a huge leap for Brad and Katrina, who met while engaged on a far off procedure in western Queensland.
“I was true a ringer available at Boulia, and Katrina was our procedure cook dinner. I conception, ‘Oh gee, she cooks correct meals — I might maybe perchance well no longer sleep in a correct paddock right here,” Brad says.
They each and every cherished outback existence, however drought compelled them to make a change.
“It was a terribly laborious time, seven days per week on the property for Brad, and I’d power into Longreach,” Katrina recollects.
“So it was that call that we’re love, ‘OK, we would favor to, for mental effectively being reasons, salvage away and carry out something for us.'”
The pair admit that taking the plunge in 2015 was a mountainous gamble.
Katrina says they ordered the seedlings and decided to plant them of their lend a hand paddock.
“I contain Brad hand-pushed the rotary hoe, so no machines.”
As soon as the trees had been within the ground, it can maybe perchance aloof be four to 5 years sooner than they’d be big ample to reap.
With nothing to retain out however wait, Brad and Katrina position about turning what was as soon as lodging quarters on their used apple farm into a handsome Christmas present store.
Their farm store opened in 2017, six weeks after the appearance of their 2nd dinky one.
“First and foremost build I had the dinky cot within the lend a hand room and I conception, I am true going to play shops and be a mum,” Katrina says.
“And that lasted I contain, two weeks.”
The truth of running the farm, a store, a restaurant and having a discover after a baby and a unique child supposed the pair lickety-split had to strategy up with “Conception B”.
“Mr Stockman had to flip into a retailer,” Brad says.
“I’ve by no way performed retail or hospitality. And yeah, I was the face of the industry for the important two years. Folks would stroll in to the Granite Belt Christmas Farm and search me.”
Perfecting the Christmas tree form furthermore keeps Brad busy. Each tree requires careful pruning six to seven times a year.
“I true self-realized,” he says.
“You salvage your contain in with what’s straight. So that’s what I reckon has in actuality helped me to salvage the edges correct — though I aloof stuff it up.”
As effectively as honing his pruning abilities, caring for the trees in fashioned has been a huge studying curve for the used jackaroo.
“Oh yeah, cows are so powerful less complicated,” he says.
“I conception, ‘I will true check a tree within the ground and flick a dinky of water on it and give it a dinky little bit of a prune and away I stride.’
“I can carry out something on the present time and I’d no longer discover for weeks if it is even performed something else.”
The harvest begins the closing weekend in November, and runs correct through until December 23 — unless they promote out earlier.
In some unspecified time in the future of that Christmas stride, the Frasers make use of 25 other folks across their farm, store and cafe.
Online page visitors strategy from throughout — mostly Queensland and New South Wales — having a discover to make a conference out of getting a residing Christmas tree.
Moreover the Christmas harvest, July is their next busiest time of year.
As effectively as their accepted farm experiences, they furthermore host particular Christmas in July lunches every Saturday.
“Now we accept as true with potentially been working maybe 60 days straight now, if no longer more,” Katrina says.
“So it gets very tiring! But in pronouncing that, within the Christmas world there’s so powerful to be happy about, and such correct customers.”
No longer everybody appears to be like to be dart about residing Christmas trees though.
Brad and Katrina issue frequently the reluctance stems from a previous trip where other folks accept as true with maybe no longer treated their reduce trees smartly.
“Another folks accept as true with attach them in evil,” Brad says.
“They attach them in sand and water [and] sand it true turns them off staunch quick. They accept as true with to be true in water.”
Becoming Christmas tree farmers was by no way a lifelong ambition for Brad, nor Katrina, however now that they’ve attach down some excessive roots in Stanthorpe they each and every agree they’re fully committed.
“We’re increasing and lengthening too, and having one other store attach on reputation in November,” Katrina says.
“We love seeing that pleasure, and that in actuality that provides to the neighborhood,” Brad provides.
“Coming from out west, you realize, other folks suggest rather a lot to you available, so having this store and having the emotions it offers to other folks — that’s fee too, and that’s stunning cool.”