Animal Instincts Australia

04/09/2026

We are excited to be a part of this awesome event once again in our local community alongside our charity arm Outback Instincts

Pony Rides
Pony Carts
Horse & Carriage Rides
Animal Farm
Dog Training Demonstration

Animal Instincts Australia and Outback Instincts has you covered!

Come along and enjoy the friendly family country atmosphere, the parade, kites, and other activities, stalls and demonstrations.

This is going to be the BEST Jacaranda Day Goombungee yet!

Mark your calendars for Saturday 7th November.

04/09/2026

27/08/2026

🐑🎨 THE CRAFTY PADDOCK
Farm Craft & Social Group | Ages 26+

Looking for something a little different to do on a Monday morning?

The Crafty Paddock is a new fortnightly social and creative group at Animal Instincts Australia, combining farm and country-inspired craft, practical projects and plenty of opportunities to learn new skills in a relaxed farm environment.

Each fortnight we'll have something different to get stuck into, which might include:

🧶 Wool, fibre and natural crafts
🌾 Rustic and country-inspired projects
🎨 Painting, decorating and creating
🪵 Simple timber and practical projects
♻️ Upcycling and repurposing
🌿 Nature and seasonal crafts
🐴 Animal and farm-inspired creations
🎁 Making useful items, gifts and decorations

No experience needed — it's all about having a go, learning something new, getting creative and enjoying time with others.

Along the way, activities provide opportunities to build social connection, communication, fine motor skills, planning, following instructions, problem-solving, independence and confidence through meaningful hands-on projects.

📅 Fortnightly Mondays, starting 7 September – participants can join at any time
⏰ 9.30am–11.30am
📍 Animal Instincts Australia, Goombungee
👥 Ages 26+
🎨 Maximum 5 participants
🤝 Support workers welcome
🧺 BYO morning tea and drink bottle

NDIS participants welcome. Funding may be able to be used where the group aligns with individual goals, plan and funding arrangements.

🐑 Create. Learn. Connect. Get crafty on the farm.

To book email us [email protected]

26/08/2026

🌱 THE GROWING PATCH
Social Gardening & Farm Skills | Ages 26+

🌼 Spring is almost here – and it's time to get growing!

Get outdoors, meet new people and learn how to grow your own food in a relaxed, small-group farm environment.

The Growing Patch is a fortnightly 2-hour gardening and social group at Animal Instincts Australia. Starting just in time for spring, we'll work together to create and maintain a productive farm garden while learning practical skills around food growing, sustainability and caring for the environment.

🌿 Plant vegetables, herbs and seedlings
🥕 Grow, harvest and use your own food
🌱 Learn propagation, composting, mulching and seasonal planting
🔨 Create garden beds and tackle simple garden projects
♻️ Explore sustainability and reducing waste
🧑‍🌾 Develop practical gardening and everyday living skills
🤝 Build confidence, communication and teamwork
☕ Bring your afternoon tea, have a chat and enjoy time outdoors on the farm

No gardening experience needed – we'll learn and grow it together.

📅 Fortnightly Wednesdays from 9 September – participants can join at any time
⏰ 1.30pm–3.30pm
📍 Animal Instincts Australia, Goombungee
👥 Ages 26+
🌱 Maximum 5 participants
🤝 Support workers welcome
🧺 BYO afternoon tea and drink bottle

The group supports social connection, independence, practical life skills, communication, confidence, routine, problem-solving and community participation through meaningful, hands-on activities.

NDIS participants welcome. Funding may be able to be used where the support aligns with individual goals, plan and funding arrangements.

🌱 Grow food. Learn skills. Meet people. Get outside.

25/08/2026

Kids between the ages of 8-12 who are animal mad and love being outdoors! This one's for you ;)

School holiday fun at Outback Instincts - come and get your hands dirty!

24/08/2026

🎟️ HELP US TURN $2 INTO $30,000! ❤️🌾

Outback Instincts has joined the People First Bank Foundation Community Lottery and they've set themselves a pretty ambitious goal…
They want to raise $30,000 for Outback Instincts!

And this fundraiser is a little different because 100% of every $2 ticket sold through the Outback Instincts lottery page comes back to them.

That means:
🎟️ 5 tickets = $10 raised
🎟️ 10 tickets = $20 raised
🎟️ 25 tickets = $50 raised
🎟️ 50 tickets = $100 raised

Their goal of $30,000 means selling 15,000 tickets. That's a LOT of tickets – but with our families, friends, supporters, local community and everyone sharing it a little further, we'd love to see just how close they can get!

And you're not simply donating – every $2 ticket gives you a chance to win some seriously incredible prizes, including a Toyota Kluger Hybrid GX, Toyota Yaris Hybrid, a Northern Lights cruise and plenty more. 🚙🌌

Every dollar they raise helps Outback Instincts continue providing practical, farm-based and animal-assisted opportunities for regional young people – supporting the programs, animals, equipment and infrastructure that make what we do possible.

❤️ Their target: $30,000
🎟️ Their challenge: 15,000 tickets
🌾 Our community: Let's see what we can do!

BUY YOUR $2 TICKETS & SUPPORT OUTBACK INSTINCTS

Can't buy a heap of tickets? Buy a couple and share the post. If enough people do the same, those $2 tickets start adding up very quickly.
$2 at a time. $30,000 to aim for. Let's go! 🚙🐴🐕🐮❤️

www.communitylottery.com.au/products/outback-instincts-ltd

🎟️ HELP US TURN $2 INTO $30,000! ❤️🌾

We’ve joined the People First Bank Foundation Community Lottery and we’ve set ourselves a pretty ambitious goal…

We want to raise $30,000 for Outback Instincts!

And this fundraiser is a little different because 100% of every $2 ticket sold through our Outback Instincts lottery page comes back to us.

That means:

🎟️ 5 tickets = $10 raised
🎟️ 10 tickets = $20 raised
🎟️ 25 tickets = $50 raised
🎟️ 50 tickets = $100 raised

Our goal of $30,000 means selling 15,000 tickets. That's a LOT of tickets – but with our families, friends, supporters, local community and everyone sharing it a little further, we'd love to see just how close we can get!

And you're not simply donating – every $2 ticket gives you a chance to win some seriously incredible prizes, including a Toyota Kluger Hybrid GX, Toyota Yaris Hybrid, a Northern Lights cruise and plenty more. 🚙🌌

Every dollar we raise helps Outback Instincts continue providing practical, farm-based and animal-assisted opportunities for regional young people – supporting the programs, animals, equipment and infrastructure that make what we do possible.

❤️ Our target: $30,000
🎟️ Our challenge: 15,000 tickets
🌾 Our community: Let's see what we can do!

BUY YOUR $2 TICKETS & SUPPORT OUTBACK INSTINCTS

Can't buy a heap of tickets? Buy a couple and share the post. If enough people do the same, those $2 tickets start adding up very quickly.

$2 at a time. $30,000 to aim for. Let's go! 🚙🐴🐕🐮❤️

https://www.communitylottery.com.au/products/outback-instincts-ltd

23/08/2026

🐴🛞 DO YOU HAVE A YOUNG PERSON IN YOUR LIFE WHO LOVES HORSES?

Are they aged 12–17 and would love to spend their Friday afternoons in Term 4 learning all about horses — including how to drive a horse-drawn carriage?

Our charity arm, Outback Instincts, is taking bookings now for Kids & Carts — a 10-week small-group carriage driving and horsemanship program in Goombungee.

And there are only SIX places available! ❤️

🐴 Kids & Carts – Term 4
📅 Fridays | 9 October – 11 December
🕜 1:30pm–4:30pm
📍 Goombungee
👥 Maximum 6 young people

Horses and carriage driving provide the engaging, practical environment — but there's a whole lot more happening along the way.

Depending on the individual young person's goals, the program provides opportunities to develop:

🧠 Emotional regulation & self-management
🤝 Communication, social interaction & teamwork
⭐ Confidence, self-efficacy & independence
🧩 Problem-solving & flexible thinking
📋 Executive functioning – planning, sequencing, organisation and following multi-step tasks
⏳ Patience, persistence & frustration tolerance
💪 Fine and gross motor skills, coordination & body awareness
🎯 Attention, focus & task completion
🐴 Responsibility, decision-making & safety awareness
🌱 Social and community participation & relationship building

All while learning practical horsemanship, horse care, harnessing, safe carriage driving and working together with both horses and people.

The program is delivered by a registered counsellor and lead equine facilitator with more than 20 years' experience working with horses and young people.

Kids & Carts is fee-for-service. NDIS funding may be used where the support is appropriate and aligned with the participant's individual goals and plan. Self-funded participants are also welcome, and funding through other organisations or support services may be accepted where available.

📣 Bookings are open now and there are only six Term 4 places.

📧 [email protected] for pricing, funding information and bookings.

🐴🛞 NEW! Kids & Carts – Term 4 🛞🐴

Expressions of Interest are now open!

A unique 10-week carriage driving and horsemanship program for young people aged 12–17, designed to build confidence, resilience and real-life skills through horses and animal-assisted learning.

Participants will develop:
🐴 Carriage driving & horse handling
🤝 Social skills & teamwork
🧠 Emotional regulation
⭐ Confidence & independence
💪 Coordination & practical rural skills

📅 Fridays | 9 Oct – 11 Dec
🕜 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm
📍 Goombungee
👥 Max. 6 participants

Fee-for-service program
✔️ NDIS (where aligned with goals)
✔️ Self-funded
✔️ Support from other organisations may also be available

📧 Email [email protected] for pricing and funding options.

Discover the art of carriage driving while building skills for life. ❤️

23/08/2026

09/08/2026

New Research Supports Canine-Assisted Services for Mental Health and Neurodevelopmental Conditions

A newly published systematic review in the British Journal of Psychiatry adds to the growing evidence that dog-assisted interventions can provide meaningful benefits for both children and adults living with mental health or neurodevelopmental conditions.

After reviewing the available evidence, the researchers found that dog-assisted interventions were associated with improvements in:
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Emotional regulation
• Social functioning
• Engagement with treatment

One of the review’s most important findings was that the presence of a dog may increase engagement with professional services. For many people, this can help build trust, encourage participation, and support ongoing involvement in treatment.

The authors also emphasise that dog-assisted interventions should complement, not replace, evidence-based care, and should be delivered by appropriately qualified professionals with careful attention to animal welfare.

This latest research reinforces the important role that well-trained dogs can play in supporting therapeutic relationships and improving client engagement across a range of professional settings.

Read the full research here:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/dogassisted-interventions-for-children-and-adults-with-mental-health-or-neurodevelopmental-conditions-systematic-review/72599C9A5BDBA836E61D043FE8F097E7