Mount Gnomon Farm in Penguin, Tasmania | Farm

Mount Gnomon Farm

Locality: Penguin, Tasmania

Phone: +61 448 067 779

Address: 886 Ironcliffe Rd 7316 Penguin, TAS, Australia

Website: http://www.mountgnomonfarm.com.au

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• Food stall
• Food Stand

25.01.2022 Just a reminder our farm restaurant is closed this weekend as were doing a fake wedding photoshoot in our new barn and having a private work party for our team, family and friends to celebrate a big 6 months. Im sure lots of curly tales will be told. We look forward to sharing photos of our new barn all dressed up for a wedding. Its looking really amazing. Our nose to tail restaurant will be open again next weekend.

25.01.2022 You cant keep a good man down. Our butcher Neville recently celebrated 70 years in the workforce, 66 years of which has been as a butcher. He started his working life as a teenager working on the rugged west coast. He is our longest serving employee having been with the farm now over 10 years. He was frustrated when during the initial stages of covid when we had to get him to have a precautionary break from the workplace. I remember him saying "I didnt want to go out this ...way Im a few weeks off 70 years working and I want to go out on my own terms". Thankfully with the virus currently under control in Tasmania hes now back bigger than ever and is loving the opportunity to again tell a story or one of his dad jokes. His mind remains as sharp as his knives. Few would have contributed as much to the workforce as Neville. I hope that when Im in my 80s Im going as strong. Hes the farms real life Benjamin Button.

23.01.2022 Meet Laura, our new Event and Restaurant manager. We're both excited and relieved to have her join our team. She has hit the ground running and has been busy finalising our wedding packages. She has also started corresponding to all of the private events that are being booked for the barn. She will also be responsible for looking after our growing number of hospitality staff. The new barn function space is facilitating a new chapter for the farm as it allows us to offer more... full time employment to locals. In addition to Laura we're now in the position to offer for the first time traineeships/apprenticeships in both hospitality(chef and front of house) and horticulture/agriculture. We're looking for motivated individuals who are seeking to work with a growing agri-tourism business. We're also seeking casual bar/front of house staff. If you would like to learn more about our work opportunities email us at [email protected]. Alternatively if you would like to talk to Laura about events in our new barn space or weddings email [email protected] Photo:Kelly Slater

20.01.2022 Love this picture of lovers Cassie and Craig by Astrid Simone. It shows the scale of the barn and going through the barn door is liking entering another world. The cladding is Tas oak that will weather and become darker with time. We can have 180 people in the barn with social distancing, its a big space but doesnt feel too big even with small groups.... You dont have to get married to book your function in the barn. Weve started taking bookings for birthday parties and Christmas functions. Going to need a big Christmas and truck to carry it.

20.01.2022 Want to join the Mount Gnomon team? We have an exciting opportunity for an event and hospitality manager to join our team as we launch our amazing new barn event space and start a new chapter at the farm. Its an exciting time for the business and were seeking to employ an individual who will work with our team to achieve something special for the region, grow the business and to coordinate amazing events. If you can work independently and be a leader of a team we would lov...e to hear from you. Please feel free to share and let people know who you think would be suited to the role. Just follow the link to our website for more information. https://www.mountgnomonfarm.com.au/join-the-team/

19.01.2022 One of the most popular items this weekend in the restaurant was Madjids farmhouse terrine, served with pickled fennel, carrots and celeriac ramoulade. Combined with our pastrami its a great way to start lunch at the farm. It was a really busy weekend at the restaurant, a 60th birthday, a 50th wedding anniversary and two fully booked fathers day sittings. The team did a great job. Everytime we host people at the farm its a pleasure. This weekend in attendance was some re...gular home delivery customers that travelled far from Sisters Beach, Launceston and even Hobart. Thankyou so much for making the effort! Its nice to see the broad support of the community towards the farm and our endeavors. When showing people the barn it was like showing them what their support has allowed us to achieve. Its a great example of what can be achieved through community supported agriculture and buying local.

18.01.2022 Grazing the sheep between the rows of apples with electronic netting. In the past we normally mowed the grass between the rows but wanted to utilise the grass by using electronic chicken netting. We will be able to use the netting to do pastured poultry in the orchard all year round. Were thinking our muscovy ducks will keep the grass down and help with integrated pest management, when there are apples on the trees. When the trees arnt carrying apples we could use the chicken tractor with our laying chickens. So far the sheep have respected the fencing and are doing a great job.

18.01.2022 To dream is to dream and to act on the dream is to live. A big motivation of building the barn was to create a building large enough to give protection from the elements when we have our open days at the farm. Weve previously used a circus tent which was regularly blown about in the wind. We needed something secure so we could offer an all weather venue to guests at the farm. Being at the top of the hill its the highest point at the farm. Its the ideal location to watch ...the sun go down. The skies at the farm are really amazing, thanks to Astrid Simone Photography for this beautiful shot.

17.01.2022 This week were going to style the barn for the first time for a photoshoot. Its going to be great to have @astridsimonephotography and @tegan_murphy_photography come and take some professional photos. This beautiful picture was taken by @laurenmckinnon who visited the farm with a group of artists as part of our artist in residence program. It looks like its out of a magazine. Its hard not to be excited about all the beautiful photos that are going to emerge from this spa...ce. I love the barns first major feature items in this picture the French wood fire and our hanging light, both designed by @cocoondesigners.

17.01.2022 Winston attention stance as he surveys the arrival of guests for a dinner function. Hes a gentle soul and terribly spoilt. He will hang out not far from the barbecue waiting to see if the chef will find him something delicious.

15.01.2022 Pruning the trees watching the sun go down. Amazing spring day. It feels like the long winter is coming to an end. Trying to tie up jobs before we open the doors of this barn officially for birthday parties, christmas functions and weddings. This year as a business owner you feel like youre always on edge, fighting to keep the dream alive. However the tide will turn and no doubt good times lay ahead. A mentor once told me ultimately its how you handle your challenges that determine your success. Ive been lucky to have such a great team at the farm supporting the business negotiate the challenges. Its also hard not to be inspired by the natural beauty of the location.

15.01.2022 Beau and Denis are today finishing off the tops for our beautiful Tas Oak trestle tables. Weve made them 3000 mm long and 1200 mm wide, so that we can fit both platters and table decorations down the middle. They will be stained tonight ahead of a wedding photoshoot this weekend. Its been great to employ both Beau and Denis to put the finishing touches on the barn. Both were left unemployed due to the downturn in the entertainment industry. Beau is a professional circus ri...gger and Denis an international circus preformer that came back from Vegas at the end of March. When Americans started lining up to buy guns Denis knew it was time to come home to his family. They are both used to working at heights so were the perfect combination to install the timber over our beams. If any prospective wedding couple wishes to come on Saturday to inspect the barn in its glory all set up ready for a wedding please send us a message. Were super excited to be working with @sweetnothingseventhire in decorating the space and @astridsimonephotography in capturing the images.

15.01.2022 The pump shed oversees our spring where we pump water for the house. Its a beautiful spot and touch wood has never ran dry. Im trying to work out how so much grass can grow on its roof. The farm has do many great photo locations.

14.01.2022 This years cider vintage is now available on tap in the restaurant. Its perhaps fractionally drier than last year, with attributes from our heritage cider orchard shining through. It was sampledat our fake wedding photo shoot on the weekend with glowing reviews. In the coming weeks we will put it in cans for take away and home deliveries options. In time we will set up a bar in our new barn and offer a cellar door experience to compliment our paddock to plate food. If you wish to make a reservation for this weekends lunch service. Please send us a message.

13.01.2022 It’s a sleepy Sunday at the farm. We’re open for lunch in the barn and a farm tour. We might have to wake these five day old piglets up. Send us a message if you would like to come for lunch - don’t stress suckling pig is not on the menu.

13.01.2022 Getting ready for lunch at the farm today. Its a great day to be cooking with fire. Today is one of the few Sundays where we have spare tables. If you would like to come for a long lunch followed by a farm/barn tour just send us a message.

13.01.2022 Its going to be an interesting challenge as a venue host limiting dancing at a wedding. Im guessing that there are now going to be massive bridal parties and that everyone is going to be saying theyre family. As a host are you meant to ask for ID to prove theyre related? Well in Tasmania isnt everyone related! Who is going to stop kids from the same family joining hands and dancing when the music starts and they see others dancing. Hopefully common sense in Tasmania pr...evails and we follow similar rules to WA. Of course it would be a different story if there was active cases and community spread. However were lucky that the government has done a great job until now and were in a great position to allow for life to be as normal as possible. My family modelling for @astridsimonephotography at our fake wedding. #footloose #wedding #family #barnwedding #bridalwaltz

12.01.2022 Our new access road takes you through the farm, right to the back of the barn to our barn function car park. It transects the highest point of the farm allowing for 360 views to the rolling hills, sea and mountains. In the future this will be the accomodation area. Guests will have access to some pretty amazing views. This autumn we will start landscaping and planting out a range of trees and shrubs to create a mini parkland environment. It will have more of a northern hemisphere influence consisting of trees like birches, oaks and sequoias. We will have to be patient but in time it will buffer the wind, provide shade and create a beautiful environment. It’s part of the big picture plans of the farm to create different spaces and environments.

12.01.2022 You work hard for a moment like this. This weekend we closed the restaurant so we could dress up our barn for a photoshoot/fake wedding. It was amazing to see it come to life. A big thanks to @sweetnothingseventhire for styling the barn and @astridsimonephotography and @tegan_murphy_photography for coming and taking the photos. We cant wait to share them with you. Were just going through the final stages before we can use the building for public functions. We have to inst...all disability access before we can can aquire temporary occupancy. We have some great events planned for this space before we host our first real wedding at the end of November.

11.01.2022 Back by popular demand! Weve been getting phone calls and emails from people missing Madjids lasagne and our vegetable boxes. https://www.mountgnomonfarm.com.au/shop/... Weve added a winter vegetable box to our online shop along with couple and family sized lasagne options. They can be picked up at the farm with a range of meat boxes or be delivered to your door. Were on the road again this week with deliveries along the coast, Launceston and Hobart. With a wet week forecast its a great time to stay inside and have comfort food delivered to your door. Orders close tomorrow night. The restaurant will also be open this weekend for our set lunch menu showcasing our charcuterie and produce cooked over coals.

11.01.2022 Home made produce delivered to your door or cooked for you at the farm. This weekend we will be open for lunch on Saturday and Sunday. We will be keeping the menu similar to previous weekends and will be featuring home made charcuterie and produce cooked over coals on our asado grill. It will be a set tasting menu where you get to sample a range of dishes. If you cant make it to the farm, we will deliver our produce to your door. ... https://www.mountgnomonfarm.com.au/shop/

11.01.2022 First of many. This is the first professional wedding couple photo taken in front of our new barn by talented @astridsimonephotography Its been great to have Astrid and her colleague @tegan_murphy_photography supporting us as our venue has developed. Theyre both excited about the vision of the farm and all the on-farm photo opportunities. You dont have to travel for good photo locations. Flower bouquet was made by Zara Lunston from Hill Street Devonport.... Good friends Cassie and Craig volunteered to be our fake wedding couple. They were such great sports and looked amazing. It was a cold winters evening but the light was perfect. Were lucky that the barn is at the top of the hill and captures the last of the light. We wanted to have some professional photos of the new barn for our wedding packages that were putting together.

10.01.2022 When mums away piglets play. These piglets were born on Saturday and are working out their pecking order and having a bit of fun. Theyre our first piglets out of our Tamworth/Duroc boar. Theyre quite adorable. These guys will be an attraction for our farm tours.

09.01.2022 We dont plan on outside dining this weekend but it will be cozy in the restaurant. With weather fitting for ducks were going to have our own free range confit duck legs on the men for the first time. This weekends set menu. $60 pp -Roasted pumpkin and ashgrove vintage cheddar soup.... -Spanish tortilla w garden rocket. -Mount Gnomon farm free range confit duck leg + celeriac and horseradish and mulled wine jus. --Bbq smoked and grill grass fed beef brisket. -Spiced peach and honey glazed rare breed ham. -Artisan sausage and smoked chorizo w chimichurri. -Miss Piggys gravy + parsnips and potato mash. -Borlotti beans, fennel, apple and walnut salad w Ancho chilli dressing. -"Tarte Bourdaloue" Almond and pear tart w rosemary cream. If the rain continues we can all jump in our new ark. To book a table please send us a message.

08.01.2022 This weekend in the restaurant we’re offering our beautiful platters for Saturday lunch featuring homemade charcuterie. Sunday will be a full set menu including roast rare breed pork loin. Farm tours on Sunday post lunch. We’re also looking forward to hosting a 50th birthday with live music on Saturday night in the barn. If you would like to enquire about the barn for a birthday party or function send us an email at [email protected]

08.01.2022 It has been a crazy year, for our team at the farm its been a chance to reflect and we realised we have to quickly change business direction. We have to be adaptable and think about what we can do and not what we can no longer do. At the same time as weve tried to adapt our business weve tried to build our new barn as quickly as possible. Its going to not only provide the farm with opportunities to go in different directions, its also going to be a great asset for the co...mmunity. This week we had a planning meeting with slipstream circus with the view of hosting their annual production an event that was unlikely to go ahead due to the lack of a suitably sized community venue that would allow for social distancing. It looks likely that we will launch our new space with a weekend of circus activities including a cabaret show on the weekend of the 18-20th September! Weve just got a few final hoops to jump through. As for the barn, today our feature light made by the team at Cocoon was installed. Its really beautiful and can easily be added to with different flowers and foliage depending on your event theme. Bulbs have been installed in the gourds, with the fairy lights to be connected next week. The ceiling beams are looking awesome. Its a slow process to install as theyre about 8 metres long with the apex being over 8 metres off the ground. They should all be covered next week. One step at a time. If you want to come for a sneak peak and a tour were open for lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

06.01.2022 Our gardener Jacquie digging carrots from our kitchen garden for this weekends restaurant service and for some winter vegetable boxes. Cooked over coals on our Argentinian grill the carrots are delicious. With spring just around the corner our garden is going to come alive. This year we will be expanding our vegetable production area so we can use the freshest produce in the restaurant and also allow us to continue offering our vegetable boxes. Jacquie has now been with th...e farm 12 months and has helped transform our gardens. Shes a constant source of ideas and inspiration. All of us at the farm cant wait to see this years garden take shape. Yes Jacquie I will do something about the chickens. If you would like to make a booking for our restaurant, please send us a message.

05.01.2022 Next week we host our first official wedding in our new barn space. It's a really exciting new chapter at the farm it’s hard to believe that this time last year we just had a big hole in the ground where our new building proudly stands. We built the barn so we could offer an all in one venue. A place where couples didn't have to stress about the weather, if it rained the wedding ceremony could be moved inside and if it was cold we could light our beautiful French fire and ...shut the big barn door. The insulated barn with it's rustic exterior but more modern french industrial styled interior was built to be grand but still intimate. It's been approved as a 250 person function venue and even with covid restrictions we can host 180 guests. The beauty of the farm and surrounds and our gardens and orchard means that couples won't have to venture away for photos. While our French chef can forage from our kitchen gardens just prior to the reception to create dishes of unmatched freshness, fragrance and quality. Since our fake wedding in August we've been busy putting further touches on our barn and adding to our team. We've appointed an events and hospitality manager Laura Hodge who has been putting the final touches on our wedding packages and has taken over correspondence with our wedding couples. We're really excited and relieved to have her on board. When we posted the beautiful photos of our fake wedding taken by the talented Astrid Simone we were flooded with wedding enquiries. It surprised us how quickly our calendar filled up. This summer we're hosting 8 weddings while spaces for next seasons wedding season are filling up fast, we have only one weekend free for both January and February. Yes we're going to be busy even before the borders open and we become a destination wedding venue. If you would like to arrange a site visit or learn more about our wedding packages email Laura at [email protected]

05.01.2022 The team is working back late tonight on the beams so we make the most of the scissor lift. Theyre really starting to pop and look like old wooden oak beams. My only real regret with the project is not buying a scissor lift at the start. We underestimated how much we would need to use it. This photo shows the scale of the barn it really is a grand space. Someone said to me today that despite its grandness its still looks intimate. Our interior designers @cocoondesigners ...have done an amazing job. The end of the building shown in this picture will house a mezzanine floor and bar which will also help to break up the space.

04.01.2022 We have the ultimate comfort food for winters last weekend. You get to slowly work your way through our French Madjids offerings. I think my favourite is the beef short ribs slowly cooked on our Argentinian grill. We still have some spare tables for both today and tomorrow.

04.01.2022 Beams done! The conversion from an Eureka steel shed kit into a wooden barn is nearly complete after we covered the last beams today with stained Tas oak boards. Although darker than originally imagined they do look super amazing and look like they are big wooden beams. ... We wanted to create something original that was rustic enough on the outside with a more modern and beautiful interior. Getting closer to a September launch.

03.01.2022 Cooking with coals this fathers day for the ultimate barbecue. The restaurant will be open on Sunday for fathers day. We have two sittings 11:30am and 2:00pm. All of the tables inside the restaurant have been booked out for the first sitting however we have tables inside for 2:00pm. Were doing a three course set menu for $55, with kids options also available. ... With fine weather forecast we also will have tables available outside throughout the day. We also have outdoor space available outside in Saturday as well but all internal tables have been booked. Juggling social distancing and running a restaurant on popular days such as fathers day is going to be really tricky for those in hospitality. Cant wait to next month when the barn looks like it will be in use. To make a booking please send us a message or give us a call.

03.01.2022 So gloomy and moody. Its a wet and cold weekend, thats made us appreciate how beautiful the weather was in July. You can catch us @farmgatemarket this Sunday and for lunch at the farm restaurant. If you dont want to venture out weve extended the online shop so that we dont come home with produce due to a quiet weekend at the markets. ... Hobart customers we would still love to see you! We are always amazed at the dedicated market customers that brave the rain and cheer up the producers spirits. https://www.mountgnomonfarm.com.au/shop/ This photo also reminds me that we better hurry up and prune the cider orchard as spring will be here in two weeks!

02.01.2022 Setting up after our first wedding for a Christmas function in the barn. We’re excited to be using the barn for large corporate functions. Tomorrow we will be open for lunch. To make a booking send us an email at [email protected]

02.01.2022 Happy birthday to our French chef Madjid, its great that you get to share your love of food with our guests this weekend. Of course it wouldnt be a birthday celebration without a French tart! Madjids an Australian resident and has been in Australia for about 8 years and now calls Tasmania home. His great passion is his charcuterie which is some of the finest in Tasmania. When we finish the barn one of our next projects is helping Madjid take his charcuterie to the Tasmanian public. This weekend we still have space for a couple of tables. We will also be doing farm and barn tours and there are baby lambs, piglets and calves. With sunny weather forecast its going to be a great weekend at the farm.

01.01.2022 We owe the Tasmanian community a big thank you. Since the pandemic began we have now delivered over 3500 boxes of fresh ethical food to over 1200 families across Tasmania. Not only did this provide our small business with an outlet for its produce, the level of community support received gave us so much energy and inspiration. We fuelled this energy into our barn project and were excited to announce that we will be launching our beautiful new space at our Farm to Fermentati...on Open Day on the 18th of October. https://www.facebook.com/events/222578095452741?acontext=%7B%22action_history%22%3A[%7B%22surface%22%3A%22page%22%2C%22mechanism%22%3A%22page_admin_bar%22%2C%22extra_data%22%3A%22%7B%5C%22page_id%5C%22%3A151286511560970%7D%22%7D%2C%7B%22surface%22%3A%22events_admin_tool%22%2C%22mechanism%22%3A%22events_admin_tool%22%2C%22extra_data%22%3A%22[]%22%7D]%2C%22has_source%22%3Atrue%7D We are continuing with our home delivery service every week in the north of the state and will continue to travel south to Hobart at this stage once or twice a month. We wont be attending Farm Gate Market this month but will instead be doing home deliveries this Sunday. Orders for Hobart close by 11:00 am this Friday. https://www.mountgnomonfarm.com.au/shop/

01.01.2022 Dont count your chickens before they hatch. After a scare when my brother lost power to his incubator for an unknown period, we surprisingly have a successful hatching of eggs. Its a delayed hatching maybe a day later than normal but its exciting to welcome our future layers into the world. We decided to hatch our own chickens after covid demand meant we had trouble sourcing laying hens. There is three different genetic lines that were hatching, silver, red and black. ... In time they will move to the chicken tractor and give us free range eggs again for the restaurant and markets. We might even keep some breeding lines.