On 150 acres of cane and cattle country in the Tweed Valley caldera, the Messenger family quietly built something no one else in Australia has — a single-estate Agricole rum distillery, the home of Ink Gin, and one of the most beautiful afternoons you can spend in the Northern Rivers.
Husk Farm Distillery sits where the Tweed River bends through the deepest caldera in the Southern Hemisphere — the eroded core of an ancient shield volcano known locally as the Green Caldera, with Wollumbin (Mount Warning) and the border ranges rising in the distance. The land is extraordinary; rich red volcanic soil, almost theatrical green, with sugar cane growing in the foreground and grazing cattle in the back paddocks.
This is the Messenger family farm, and what began as a backyard shed experiment in pioneering Australian Agricole rum has grown into something the rest of the world has noticed. Husk is now Australia's only single-estate, paddock-to-bottle Agricole rum distillery — every bottle traceable to cane grown in fields you can see from the cellar door. Only around 3% of the world's rum is made this way, and most of it comes from a handful of small islands in the French Caribbean.
The other thing Husk did was invent Ink Gin. Built around the butterfly pea flower and twelve other botanicals, it pours a deep indigo, then shifts to soft pink when tonic hits the glass. It's the spirit that put the farm on the international map, and the one that quietly funded the slow craft of making proper Australian rum.
From a structured 45-minute distillery tour to a long Sunday lunch on the lawn, Husk is designed for slow, generous afternoons. Everything is unhurried, everything is on the property, and the views barely change as the light shifts across the cane.
The signature experience. An Ink Gin and tonic on arrival, a behind-the-scenes walk through the production facility, and a seated tasting flight of four Ink Gins and three Husk Rums in the Barrel House. Visit during cane harvest (August – October) and you may catch the team crushing fresh juice.
Most popularThe on-farm restaurant, set beside the kitchen gardens with views across the fields. The menu changes with the seasons and leans heavily on what's grown on the property or sourced from neighbouring Northern Rivers producers — designed for the kind of long, cocktail-in-hand lunch the Tweed Valley does well.
Bookings essentialThe relaxed outdoor space sprawls in front of the distillery — grassed, generous, with picnic tables under the gums. Pull up a chair, order from the cocktail bar, and let the afternoon find its own pace. Children are welcome here; non-alcoholic options on the menu year-round.
No bookingThe cocktail menu rotates with what's flowering on the farm and across the Northern Rivers — expect lilly pilly, flamed lemon myrtle, native finger lime, Davidson plum and butterfly pea. The Ink Martini and a seasonal rum old-fashioned are reliably brilliant; bartenders happy to talk you through it.
Spirit forwardDrop in for guided tastings without committing to the full tour, or to pick up bottles to take home — including limited single-cask rum releases that don't make it into bottle shops. Discounts apply for tour guests on the day. Members of the Husk Spirit Lab club get first access to new releases.
Walk-in welcomeThe farm has hosted weddings, milestone celebrations and corporate retreats — famously including Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley's wedding here in 2016. Private tours, group lunches in the Barrel House, and full-property bookings are all possible by arrangement with the events team.
Enquire aheadTwo spirits, one farm. Both built around what grows in the Tweed Valley — and both genuinely unlike anything else made in Australia.
Made not from molasses but from freshly crushed sugar cane juice — the Agricole method. The cane is grown on the farm, crushed within hours of cutting, fermented, distilled and matured in the Barrel House you can walk into on a tour. The result has the grassy, mineral, slightly funky character that defines true Agricole, with a distinct northern NSW signature from the volcanic soil.
Husk's breakout international spirit. Built around the butterfly pea flower with twelve native and traditional botanicals — the flower is what gives Ink its deep indigo colour and its famous party trick. Add tonic and the pH shift turns the glass from inky midnight to soft pink right in front of you. It looks like a gimmick. It tastes like a properly considered, citrus-forward, juniper-led modern gin.
Husk Farm Distillery sits on Dulguigan Road, a quiet rural lane that runs north from the village of Tumbulgum along the Tweed River. The farm is signposted and the entry opens onto a sweeping driveway lined with sugar cane — the first hint that you've arrived somewhere with a different sense of pace.
The location is one of the great advantages of a Husk visit: it's close enough to the Gold Coast and Byron Bay to slot into a day trip, but rural enough to feel like a real escape. The Tweed River sits just beyond the property line, Wollumbin (Mt Warning) dominates the western horizon, and the drive in from any direction is genuinely scenic.
Getting there: A car is the simplest option — public transport doesn't reach Tumbulgum reliably. If tasting is on the agenda, a guided tour or transfer is the recommended choice (and what Cooee Tours is designed for). Rideshare from Coolangatta is available but limited on the return leg, particularly later in the day.
Saturdays draw the biggest crowds and tours sell out 2–3 weeks ahead. Friday afternoons are quieter, the lawn fills out without feeling rushed, and the bar staff have time to talk you through the seasonal cocktail menu properly. Sundays catch the lunch service at its most relaxed — book Planter's Kitchen for 1pm, then walk it off through the cane on the way out. If you can plan a visit during cane harvest (August to October), the production team will be actively crushing — book the 11am tour to catch the process in motion.
If you'd prefer to taste freely without the drive home, our Tweed Valley tours include Husk Farm Distillery as the headline stop, with local guide, transport, and time to enjoy lunch on the lawn.
Pickup from Gold Coast, Coolangatta or Kingscliff hotels for a half-day tasting visit — distillery tour, three cocktails, return transfer. Ideal for cruise port days and short stays.
Husk Farm Distillery tour, two-course Planter's Kitchen lunch with wine pairing, plus a second stop at Cape Byron Distillery (Brookie's Gin) and Tropical Fruit World on request.
A bespoke private day touring Husk, Cape Byron, Stone & Wood and Brookfarm — small group, premium vehicle, dedicated guide. Designed for spirits enthusiasts and milestone celebrations.
Husk pairs naturally with a handful of Tweed Valley and Northern Rivers experiences within a short drive — making for a full and varied day out.
500+ exotic fruit varieties on a working orchard — guided tractor tours, tastings and the famous big avocado.
The eroded volcanic plug at the heart of the Tweed caldera — a sacred site for the Bundjalung Nation with viewing platforms below the summit.
Home of Brookie's Gin, set on a macadamia and rainforest farm in the Byron hinterland. Distillery tours and tastings daily.
Heritage riverside village at the junction of the Tweed and Rous Rivers — the Tumbulgum Tavern is a classic NSW country pub stop.