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Kangaroo Creek Farm and their variety of fantastic animal friends are making a move.
People have been travelling to Lake Country for years to visit the farm, but now Kelowna will be its new home.
Although it’s not happening tomorrow, or even this year, the process is in the works and the business is slated to move in May 2020.
The wallabies, capybaras, goats, sugar gliders, birds and more will all be moving from their 10 acres of land to 55 acres at 5932 Old Vernon Road.
Caroline Wightman, owner of the farm, says that the main reason they have chosen to move is to provide their visitors with better access.
“We have a very steep narrow driveway and we just don’t have the space for parking on the property itself,” she says.
Kangaroo Creek Farm started out with one pasture and 3.5 acres, and used what is now their second pasture as a small parking lot. At the time they thought that a 30-car lot would be overkill, but they quickly grew out of it and started leasing two nearby lots, as well as utilizing part of Main Street.
Based on their projected growth, they expect to still not have enough parking for the future.
The move has been six months in the works already. They will still need approval from the Agricultural Land Commission before they head to Kelowna.
Wightman says the new location adjacent from the airport offers many things they currently lack. The property still offers lots of natural features for the animals, and has good access from a major travel artery - Highway 97. There’s also lots of room for onsite parking for their visitors.
Wightman, who has lived there for well over 30 years, says that they love living in Lake Country, and although they will probably sell their property there one day, that won’t be in the near future. She adds that she may even keep some of her animals on the property after the business moves to Kelowna.
“If we had been able to find any other way of solving this we would have,” she says. “I just want the community to know that they aren’t going to lose any of the perks we’ve been giving them. For instance, we’ve always allowed free visitation in Lake Country by Lake Country schools, daycares, retirement homes, institutions, clubs, organizations, and charities. And they will continue to get that even when we move.”
The business may be moving down the road a bit, but Lake Country still has a little while longer to enjoy the farm in their community.
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