Historic Rivermill

Alpacas and Turtle and Deer. Oh My!

Key Details

Address: 950 Beaudesert Nerang Road, Mount Nathan QLD 4211

Time from Ormeau HQ: 28 minutes (29.5km)

Contacts: 07 5533 7595 Email Facebook Website

Hours: Wednesday to Friday: 9am to 3.30pm, Weekends: 8am to 3.30pm

The Historic Rivermill Cafe is open Wednesday to Sunday for Breakfast, lunch and morning/afternoon tea. The cafe is a great place to visit with your toddler just to have a meal looking out over a gorgeous stretch of the Coomera river. It is a wonderful surprise walking through the small history museum into the bright light of the cafe and taking in the view.

You can purchase Alpaca Food from the cafe for $3 before heading past the outside eating area to the playground and petting farm or zoo. When we recently visited the petting zoo featured Alpacas, Deer and one large pig. All the animals liked the Alpaca food supplied by the cafe.

If your children will happily play on the outside playground as you supervise from a distance, consider ordering a coffee to have in the outdoor space and sit back, relax and watch them play.

Head down to the river with the $2 turtle food also purchased from the cafe and either sit on the jetty or the side of the river to feed the many turtles that are easily seen in the clear water. The turtles are trained or at least well practised in coming to the jetty to eat the food on offer. We also saw a couple of ducks among the many turtles.

With so much on offer at The Historic Rivermill Cafe it is well worth the little extra travel time to get there, for the experience you will have.

Unique Venue Choice for a Kids Party

The Birthday Party area is located in the Historic Rivermill barn. Children’s Party Packages come with a children’s meal, drink, donut balls and bag of food to feed the animals, the area is yours for two hours to celebrate.

Adults meals are available from their current menu and can be purchased on the day or alternatively we have a selection of parent platters available to pre-order. All parent platters need to be finalised the Thursday prior to the party booking.

There is a minimum spend of $150 for kids party bookings. A $65 deposit is required to secure your booking.

You can also also quickly and easily add the following extras to your party booking

Pony rides available every Saturday & Sunday (weather depending) from 9 am to 12 pm $6 per ride
Face Painting $5 per child (bookings essential & subject to vendor availability)
Art & Craft $5 per child (bookings essential & subject to vendor availability)
Balloon Twisting $2 per child (bookings essential & subject to vendor availability)

Contact Historic Rivermill directly for more information and to book.

Toddler Review

The scenery, petting zoo and turtle feeding were a highlight for me.

Both toddlers were a little intimidated by the alpacas in the petting zoo as they are definitely not shy and very interested in the feed. And let’s face it – a lot bigger than the children! It was good my husband came with us on this trip. We each took charge of a child which meant we could encourage them to interact with the animals and pick them up if they were afraid whilst in the petting zoo section.

They both loved the turtle feeding and were keen to sit on the edge of the river. I was a lot more wary of this and was poised to leap if they got to close to the edge. Again, great to have hubby there to feed the turtles as we watched and I acted as possible lifeguard.

The river is not fenced off from the cafe which makes it a nice experience but may cause concern for some mum’s if they have little explorers or runners on their hands.

Please don’t take the above as an excuse not to visit the Historic Rivermill instead use it to help you prepare for your trip there and make it the best experience possible i.e. I would recommend taking another adult with you so you can enjoy your time there as well.

The cafe has the most beautiful outlook over the river and is a lovely setting for breakfast, lunch or morning/afternoon tea. The cakes in the case looked divine. They have $9 kid’s meals on both their breakfast and lunch menus. If you prefer and have a picnic blanket with you, order some takeaway and sit by the river if you prefer. Just let the staff know as you order.

Hats and sunscreen are a good idea if you choose to spend a good amount of time in the petting zoo, by the river or on the outside playground.

What to pack (suggestions)

Hats and Sunscreen
Snacks and Water Bottles (I always include a snack in case there is a delay with your meals)
Tablet or phone or restaurant friendly toys for easy distraction / entertainment
Packet of wipes for spills and toddler clean-up