The location: The stunning clifftop farm is home to Norfolk Island couple Emily Ryves and Zach Sanders, their 6-year-old son Charlie and 14 goats. Visitors can meander through the property, watch the goats being milked, marvel at the vibrant vegetable gardens andsit down to a spread of fresh goat's cheese and backyard produce.
The story: A third-generation Norfolk Islander, Emily started the venture after being inspired by a documentary about award-winning Australian cheesemakers Carla Meurs and Ann-Marie Monda, of Holy Goat Cheese. She cut her teeth working on goat farms in Australia before returning home to establish The Hilli Goat. In 2013 she became the island's first goat farmer, importing four does and one buck from Australia on an Air New Zealand flight. The Hilli Goat is now a flourishing business that supports her young family and provides a popular paddock-to-plate dining experience.
The name: The Norfolk Island term "hilli" means a lazy or laid-back feeling. As Emily puts it, "If you've got a hilli, it means you don't feel like doing anything at all" - the exact state you'll be in after sitting down to the culinary feast at the end of the farm tour.
The spread: We were served homemade bread, roasted and organic vegetables, Tahitian fish (a traditional island recipe), avocado, chickpea and cucumber salad, cauliflower puree, guava jam and Norfolk pine-smoked ham. And then the cheese - goat's curd with olive oil, mixed fresh herbs and smoked paprika, followed by three variations of chevre (goat's cheese), with cranberries and goji berries, dukkah, and Norfolk honey and walnuts. We finished with a delightful mandarin, pear and rosemary cake topped with fresh cream.
Emily Ryves started the Hilli Goat after being inspired by a documentary about award-winning Australian cheesemakers. Photo / Supplied
Paddock-to-plate: Three goats produce 15-20 litres of milk each day. Cheese is made straight afterwards and is ready to eat in 24 hours. If not devoured by tour groups, the cheese is snapped up by local restaurant Dino's at Bumboras and butchery Slick & Sons.
Paddock-to-face: The business now sells goat's milk moisturiser, body lotion and cleanser, which sell out in a flash.
What next? An onsite cafe, The Hilli Goat Cafe, is due to open in November, letting visitors and locals enjoy the tasty delights and linger over a drink without taking the farm tour.
Anything else? Check out The Cottage Pottery, on the same property and run by Emily's parents Steve and Alison Ryves for more than 40 years. They produce high-fired stoneware and porcelain, often showcased through Emily's cheese platters.
The details: Find The Hilli Goat on Facebook and Instagram. Book a tour through the island's tour companies or by emailing thehilligoat@gmail.com.
