In December, 2022 I visited the Mountview Alpaca Farm with my family. It is in the Lamington National Park about 45 min from the Gold Coast and is located at the O'Reilly's Canungra Valley Vineyards, just to the left of the main Winery and next to the car park.
I went there with my family and this was our second visit to the Mountview Alpaca Farm because we really loved it when we went there a few years ago.
When you arrive there is a cute alpaca statue you can see and I had a photo with it.
You go into the main office first to organise your alpacas. There are stairs and also a ramp to use if you need it.
The staff were very nice and friendly and they welcomed us to the Alpaca Farm.
Before we arrived Mum bought a Groupon voucher to use and rang them up to make a booking. We decided to get two alpacas for 30 minutes but you can just get one or even more if you like and you can have them for longer too. There is lots of information on the Mountview Alpaca Farm website.
Inside the office there is a gift shop too and they sell lots of alpaca and llama items like books, cushions, socks, jumpers and scarves.
The lady told us there were some very important instructions about what we should do with the alpacas so that we would be safe and the alpacas would be safe. She gave us a piece of paper so we could read the rules and we wouldn't forget.
We went out on the deck and waited for our alpacas to come around.
They have a lot of alpacas ready to go walking with people and we watched them while we waited.
They also had the rules on a big sign on the wall.
Our 2 alpacas were called Coconut and Pablo. Coconut was a white alpaca and Pablo was a black alpaca. They had leads on and the lady gave us two bags of food for them. She said to walk them nice and slowly and if they didn't want to walk we should give them some food to get them to follow us.
I walked Pablo first and he was a very happy alpaca. I took him for a walk under some trees because it was nice and shady there and he ate some food from the table.
There is a very large space to walk the alpacas and the view is very pretty. They have plenty of tables and chairs to sit at if you want to or you can just keep walking for your whole time. There is a little creek there as well and we walked next to it for a while.
I really liked patting them because they feel nice and soft. It was so much fun taking photos of them too. They have very cute faces.
The alpacas love to eat from your hand and it feels funny and ticklish. it made me laugh a lot. Once Coconut nibbled my hand but it didnt hurt much. You have to try and keep your fingers very flat so they can eat the food easily.
We really had a great time walking around and feeding Coconut and Pablo for the time we had them and they ate all of their food. We took lots of selfies and family photos with them.
You could also look at the other alpacas that were in the pen next to the field and they were very cute too.
The alpacas were very calm most of the time but they did get a bit annoyed with each other once and they were spitting at each other so we moved them apart for a while.
When our time was up we led them back to the start area and they went back in the pen with the other alpacas.
There was a tap to wash our hands with soap and to get the water we used our knees to turn on the tap. It was pretty easy to do.
The Mountview Alpaca Farm is open from 10am to 3pm Monday to Friday and from 9.30am to 4pm on the weekend.
There weren't very many people there when we went but it is a good idea to book so you don't have to wait long if it is busy.
You can get pizzas or picnic baskets to have as part of your alpaca experience or you can eat at the Winery next door but you can't take your own food in. There is information on the website. I think it would be good fun to get pizzas or a picnic next time I go.
I really loved going to the Mountview Alpaca Farm because they have so many beautiful alpacas for you to walk around and have photos with and it was very peaceful and calm.
I can't wait to go back again the next time I visit the Gold Coast.
Tips from my travelling companion -
The Mountview Alpaca Farm is a fantastc place to visit! Getting up close and personal with these gorgeous alpacas is something we all enjoy so much; this was our second visit. It is an easy and very pretty drive from Broadbeach, where we were staying, and the nearby township of Canungra is well worth a look. There are many lovely shops, cafes and restaurants to explore. We haven't had the pleasure of checking out O'Reilly's Canungra Valley Vineyard and Winery next door yet but it is on our list for next time. You could easily make a day of it visiting the lovely attractions the area has to offer.
The staff were extremely friendly and welcoming to us all, especially Flynn, and took time to explain things well to him. The written pamphlet and sign displaying the rules for interacting with the alpacas helped Flynn feel comfortable with the experience as well, and because Flynn is a visual learner this was a great way for him to take the information in rather than just being told what to do or not to do.
I read on their website that they use several of their alpacas as therapy animals in conjunction with local South East Queensland Hospitals and Aged Care Facilities.
It also states that NDIS clients and their carers can book a therapy alpaca session at Mountview Alpaca Farm, which I think is a fantastic idea! We will certainly look into this for our next visit as Flynn really loved spending time with the alpacas, and as you can see by the huge smile on his face, it was a very enjoyable and happy experience for him.
For those with mobility challenges there is ramp access to the office and gift shop, as well as from the alpaca enclosure out to the lawn area where you walk the alpacas. There are also disabled car spaces in the adjacent car park. I have also seen posts on the Mountview Alpaca Farm Facebook page showing visitors in wheelchairs interacting with the alpacas on the lawn area.
Another bonus is that they have a limit as to how many people can visit at one time and such a large area to walk the alpacas, so even though it was the school holidays while we were there it wasn't overcrowded or too busy. This is beneficial as Flynn was not overwhelmed or overstimulated by too many people being there at the same time as us.
Flynn's siblings also love visiting the alpacas at Mountview Alpaca Farm and it's a great experience for them too, and one we would highly recommend to other families and individuals who live nearby or are visiting the Gold Coast.