Beechworth Wildlife Stays uses Gallagher fencing to keep their lawn looking good

Dave and Sue run Beechworth Wildlife Stays. An accommodation experience born out of their love of animals, rescuing animals, and taking in exotic pets people realise they can no longer look after.

Beechworth Wildlife Stays is home to a menagerie of animals, from grazing stock to Australian natives – including Fovian the crocodile!

Grazing animals need to eat

Dave and Sue wanted a nice lawned area for their guests. However, lawn is hard to grow when you have grazing animals roaming freely during the day. Their grass had been eaten down during dry periods and doesn’t get a chance to grow back with the animals constantly eating it.

Dave tried fencing off the lawn, but their sheep quickly climbed over it. ‘One of the sheep would climb over the fence, then knock it over so the other animals could get in as well.’

Gallagher electric fencing lets the lawn grow

Dave and Sue’s local feed supplier suggested a Gallagher electric fence to help their lawn grow. ‘At first I was a bit apprehensive,’ Dave said, ‘we also have dogs and families with kids are our main guests. I wanted to make sure it was safe’.

However, once set up, Dave realized how safe an electric fence is. ‘I thought an electric fence would give you a massive zap, but it’s more like a pulse that’s enough to tell you not to touch.’

The electric fence was able to keep their animals out where traditional fences had failed, to the point that the animals don’t try to cross the fence line now. Dave and Sue’s dogs even know to follow them through the gate to the lawned area.

Even guests know to keep their hands off the electric fence.

Now: a beautiful lawn and plans to do so much more

Dave and Sue now have a flourishing lawned area at the front of their property. It was nice enough that Sue’s daughter had her wedding at Dave and Sue’s place. 

Dave was able to take the fence down for the wedding and easily set it up again after, ‘I just took the fence down and kept the animals locked up for the wedding. It’s so easy to set up and move around, I’ve been thinking about moving the fence to grow the lawn some more.’

There is a gully next to Beechworth Wildlife Stays their animals are free to graze in, however the grass there has been eaten down with recent dry weather.

Dave has been thinking about moving the electric fence down into the gully to give grass a chance to grow. ‘I reckon I don’t even need the energizer on the fence around the lawn now. I could use the electric fence down in the gully to give sections a chance to grow, then move it around so the animals don’t eat it all at once.’