A Few Weeks Worth Sharing From The Hive
It's been a full few weeks here at The Werombee Hive! There's a change in the air too, that particular feeling of almost spring. The bees are getting busier in the hives, and the chooks have started laying more eggs each day. Life on the farm has its own quiet way of telling you the seasons are turning.
Behind the scenes, we've been busier than usual, between markets, events, and our bee education programs, from our Homeschool Bee Program through to our Junior Busy Bee sessions out at local schools and centres. Here's what's been happening.
World Bee Day Morning Tea
We recently gathered for our World Bee Day Morning Tea, and days like that remind us just how special our community is.
This event holds a particular place in our hearts. It was started in loving memory of our son Rodney, after asthma took him from us far too soon, and it's become a day we look forward to each year, a chance to sit together over a cuppa, celebrate the bees, and raise a little something for Asthma Australia along the way.
This year, thanks to everyone who came along, donated, bought raffle tickets or simply helped spread the word, we raised $2,200 for Asthma Australia. It was filled with friendship, laughter and a shared desire to make a difference for the bees, and a beautiful way to honour Rodney's memory.
Thank you to everyone who was part of it. Your support means more than you know.
Out at the Markets
Back in July, we set up at the Mount Hunter Markets, and it was great to see so many faces, regulars we look forward to catching up with, and new ones discovering us for the first time. We also packed up the honey and headed to the Picton Markets, setting up at the showgrounds for the afternoon.
There's something we love about market days, the chance to stand behind our own honey, share a bee chat or two, and talk farmstay and workshops with whoever wanders past the stall. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and said hello, at both.
Roadside Stall
And then there's the concrete.
For quite a while now, our roadside store, bee experience room, toilets and commercial kitchen have existed as plans, measurements and plenty of "one day when we…" conversations. This week, "one day" started looking a lot like today, with the concrete going down for the next chapter here at The Hive.
We can already picture it: the roadside store filled with local honey and goodies, visitors gathering for honey tasting, and the bee experience room taking shape, all while our girls keep wondering what on earth we're building now.
We can't wait to open these doors and share this next stage of The Werombee Hive with you.
The Hive is growing!!! Watch this space!
What's Been Happening at our Farmstay
We've welcomed lots of wonderful families and couples to the farmstay lately, and we're starting to book up. Later in August, we'll also be hosting a group of Japanese students at the farmstay, here through Down Under Farmstays.
It's always a joy watching guests slow into the rhythm of the farm, gathering eggs, wandering the orchard, listening to the bees go about their day. A little taste of country life, a world away from home.
Junior Busy Bee at Leaping Learners
We also had a lovely morning sharing the world of bees with the curious little learners at Leaping Learners Childcare Centre in Camden, as part of our Junior Busy Bee program.
Our future generation of beekeepers learned all about pollination, how bees make honey and beeswax, and why bees buzz, and even discovered the famous bee waggle dance. Of course, no bee adventure is complete without a taste of honey straight from the hive.
Thank you to the educators and children for making us feel so welcome. We loved sharing our world with such an enthusiastic bunch of little bee explorers, who knows, we may have met a few future beekeepers along the way.
Coming Up: Homeschool Bee Program
Our next Homeschool Bee Program is coming up on Wednesday 19 August.
It's a 2.5 to 3 hour morning for kids aged 5 to 12: suiting up, exploring a real hive with Stu, tasting honey straight from the frame, and making a beeswax candle to take home.
Wednesday 19th August 2026 | 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Thursday 24th September 2026 | At Capacity
Wednesday 21st October 2026 | 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Places are limited, so if you'd like to join us, get in touch or book on our website: thewerombeehive.net/homeschool-bee-program
Mark Your Calendar: Traditional Crafts and Trades Fair
We'll also be at the Wollondilly Heritage Centre & Museum Traditional Crafts and Trades Fair next month, on Sunday 13 September, 10 am to 3 pm, a lovely traditional market well worth a wander.
Come and see some of Ally's leadlight pieces on the stall, and get a look at the process behind them, from copper foil to the finished suncatcher. If it sparks something, workshops with Ally can be booked any time on our website. We'll also have honey and beeswax candles on hand.
Sunday 13 September
Wollondilly Heritage Centre & Museum, 43 Edwards Street, The Oaks NSW
Entry is $5 for adults, $3 for children, or $15 for a family
That's the news from our little corner of Theresa Park for now. Between the bees, the markets, the building work and the guests coming and going, it's been a season of full days and quiet satisfaction, the kind that reminds us why we do this. We hope to see some of you out at a market, a workshop, or through the farm gate soon.
with love,
Ally & Stuart
