THE FARM
Breaking Paradigms
Swan River Sanctuary lies at the heart of “Riversdale Farm”, a 1,000 acre regenerative cattle farm nestled amongst the stunning East Coast wine growing region of Tasmania.
When moving into the district the local famers all said to owner, Mat Routley: “You can’t farm cattle in this area”. In reality the landscape has responded extremely well to the grazing system used for the herd of 100 Hereford cows producing fat calves annually.
Taking courses on Natural Sequence and Regenerative Farming, he has found a new way that works with the environment instead of trying to control it, to be produce the highest quality beef.
Transforming Riversdale Farm into an environmentally conscious oasis, is a lifelong project for Mat and his family.
Regenerative Farming
Our cattle graze within a grassland that encourages the natural environment to co-exist with our farming operation.
Using a regenerative farming model, the owner takes a conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems. Like the great plains of Africa, herd animals working for the land, not against it. We have nature corridors fenced along our 3 rivers and through the farm for birds and native animals to thrive.
We take a natural sequence approach to managing water flow across the landscape, interspersing wetlands with grazing areas, slowing down the flow to create a cooler, lusher environment for plants and animals to thrive.
Coupling rotational grazing with these principles results in rich soil full of biomatter that in turn creates healthy animals loaded with vitamins and minerals.
We sell our beef direct to local customers, to order click here.
Our Commitment To The Environment
…is best expressed by the Sanctuary’s interaction with its local natural and cultural surroundings. A dynamic environmental management plan featuring continually evolving technologies steers our operations both in the lodge and on the farm and gives our guests great insight into how sustainable tourism and farming can work together.