Leah Christie says she’s made an egg-cellent choice moving down to Mt Egerton from Queensland. The Egg-erton Free Range Eggs owner speaks with Sumeyya Ilanbey about life on the farm.
What’s your connection to Moorabool?
I live in Mt Egerton and have been here for three years. We moved down from Queensland, which was a big shock, I guess.
My husband got a work offer … and then my mother moved and she was miserable, missing everybody, so we decided we’d do it and come down.
What’s your favourite thing about living in Moorabool?
I like the country. I love the peace and quiet and everyone in town is friendly.
When we first moved we were looking more around the Bacchus Marsh area. We didn’t want to come out too far from Laverton, where my husband works, but we couldn’t find anything we wanted so we stretched ourselves to Mt Egerton.
What would you change about the area if you could?
I would just like to see a few more shops around. Ballan’s our closest with shops, and Gordon’s only got a milkbar that’s not open all the time. I miss just being able to go to a few different shops at any time.
Where’s your favourite place to hang out in Moorabool?
I quite like the new Zest cafe in Ballan. I don’t drink coffee, actually, but they make a good hot chocolate.
Melbourne hasn’t converted you into a coffee drinker?
[Laughs] I don’t even like the smell of it. I’m not really a tea or coffee person.
How did you get involved with the egg farm?
I sort of just got some chickens to have some eggs. And then people at my husband’s work started asking for eggs. He started selling more than I could produce so I got some more chickens. Everything just fell into place.
I was reading about a mobile chicken farm in the newspaper; I looked into it, did a course and then ordered my first hundred chickens. This was only about 18 months ago.
I really enjoy it. I’m a homebody. I love the bush and acreage so I don’t feel the need to get out of my place and go into town.
What’s the hardest thing about managing a chicken farm?
With this wet weather, keeping the damn eggs clean. It’s so muddy at the moment so I’m constantly cleaning them. We’re setting up our sheds in a different way so the eggs won’t need that much cleaning – it’ll probably save me about two or three hours a day.
What’s your favourite egg dish to make and eat?
I like quiches, any sort of quiches. And it’s gotta be free-range eggs, of course; otherwise the taste’s not right.
