GALAHAD'S ANIMAL SANCTUARY
"Be kind to every kind"
Through Galahad's Animal Sanctuary we aim to spread a message of hope and compassion. We rescue, rehabilitate and rehome farm animals from various circumstances within the food system. We have also rescued camels, horses, brumbies and donkeys. Both camels and brumbies are the unloved Australian Icons that deserve their place in our heritage and country. These animal ambassadors spread the message that they deserve our compassion and respect.
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Every year, millions of 'food' or 'production' animals in Australia are excluded from the protections of animal welfare legislation. They endure lives of abject misery in factory farms: barely able to move, they are subjected to acts of cruelty that would be illegal if done to a cat or dog.
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"Sit with animals quietly and they will show you their hearts.
Sit with them kindly and they will help you locate yours."
WHO WE ARE
Galahad and Rolf (pet therapy dogs) with Dr Harry at the Royal Children's Hospital in Better Homes and Gardens. It is the last story in this episode (episode 6) and is about the healing power of animals. Below is the full link and it's about 36 minutes into the show.
https://7plus.com.au/dr-harrys-animal-encounters?episode-id=DHAE01-006&startAt=2595
Lynne being interviewed by Faik Bouhrik from Vegius on Instagram - 24 June 2023
Lynne being interviewed by Elisha Atchison from A Kynd Life
- 28 August 2023
In this behind the scenes video, see the performers and producers talk about their experiences with the animals and sanctuary making this music video.
Blvk Harrison - Body Shot [Behind the Scenes], A Production by MaxFilm. www.maxfilm.com.au. Directed by Max Retro, Produced by Mailen Ramirez. https://youtu.be/QmptsX-6JyU
OUR MISSION IS COMPASSION
Galahad's Animal Sanctuary has a genuine love and respect for all animals. Galahad’s Animal Sanctuary was started 8 years ago by Lynne McAlister. "Her generosity of spirit and selfless dedication to her animals is heartwarming to witness." Lynne was inspired by her beloved Irish Wolfhound, Galahad. She learnt first-hand the difference animals make in the lives of people when doing pet therapy at the Royal Children’s Hospital and seeing the impact her beloved Galahad had on the children and nurses he visited. His pure love and that of many animals in her life, have inspired her quest to seek a harmonious and sustainable way to tread lightly on our planet and ecosystem using a plant based diet.
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Our purpose is to:
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Provide care and rehabilitation for orphaned, sick, injured, abused or abandoned animals and provide them a loving forever home. The animals at the sanctuary are not pets, Lynne and her volunteers are caretakers responsible for their ongoing physical and emotional care and protection. Many of the animals that arrive have been traumatised. Lynne provides the love and patience necessary for rehabilitation so they can feel healed, happy and learn to trust humans again. We also find homes for surrendered local rural animals. When people move off their land, to smaller properties, towns and retirement villages and have to leave their beautiful animals behind. We take them in, care for them and find them new homes with loving owners.
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Connect people with animals and nature and promote animal welfare and the humane treatment of animals to the community. Provide people the opportunity to engage with animals while staying at the B&B or through events, tours and social media. Animals are sentient beings with thoughts, feelings, and individual personalities. Animals have their own preferences, desires, and needs; we humans may not always know what they are. But if we can use our knowledge of animal sentience to monitor and measure their emotional states, then we can seek to ensure that we avoid causing them pain and distress. Animals are also wonderful teachers, they are straight forward and accept us the way we are. Around animals we can relax and be ourselves. Animals provide unconditional love, genuineness, pure joy — they accept the things they cannot change and are amazingly resilient. Animals do not dwell on the past or worry about the future. They teach us to live in the moment. Our bond with animals allows us to experience the world from different perspectives. By seeing the world through an animal’s eyes, we also practice mindfulness and ground ourselves, which brings peace to our often frazzled souls. At the same time, this mindfulness helps us practice patience and compassionate leadership.
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Promote awareness to the link between animal agriculture, the sixth mass extinction and climate change. Avoiding meat and dairy will significantly reduce our footprint on the Earth! Making the change to a more sustainable plant-based food system will not only improve our health, it will also spare billions of farmed animals from the horrors of factory farms and slaughterhouses, and help save our precious wildlife. Our impact now is game-changing on this planet, we are all responsible. It's true, eating beef is bad for cows and koalas! Humans are driving the sixth mass extinction. Data in a study was collated to provide people a perspective on the very dominant role that humanity now plays on Earth, of all mammals on this planet, 60 percent are livestock (mainly cattle and pigs), 36 percent are human, and just 4 percent are wild animals. When it comes to birds, 70 percent are farmed poultry, with just 30 percent being wild. Plants make up 82 percent of living matter. The study goes further in showing how disproportionate the impact of humans is on the planet: there are 7.6 billion people on Earth – which makes up just 0.01 percent of all living beings. Yet humanity has caused the loss of 83 percent of all wild mammals since the dawn of civilization. It is not irreversible yet, but we need to become the caretakers of our planet.
Gisborne Gazette Newspaper Article - November 2021
Herald Sun, Page 7 - 8 January 2022
Herald Sun, Page 7 - 13 February 2023
Tanya Tchirkova (Transformational Therapist and Coach - https://www.facebook.com/befreebeyoube/) and Lynne McAlister (Custodian) chat about Galahad's Sanctuary and the healing gift of animals on 28 July 2021.
WHAT WE DO
Their Stories
Galahad's Sanctuary has rescued, rehabilitated and rehomed many animals, including camels, horses, donkeys, cows, sheep, alpacas, pigs, chickens, roosters, as well as dogs. We currently have 55 animals onsite, but have helped to rescued and rehome over 115 animals so far. Lynne wants to do so much more for animals, she is in the process of applying to become a charity to assist with grants and donations.
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The stories of these animal ambassadors educate people on how the choices they make at each meal directly impact the lives of animals, our planet and ecosystem. They educate on the expendable and selfish way we treat our companion animals and our planet. They also represent the stories of the billions of animals that could not be saved.
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People are so important and a large part of our joy is helping them to reconnect with animals on equal footing, not based around use or profit. People experience magic and peace in their worlds through the higher understanding of nature and giving back. Animals remind us of who we really are in such an intrinsically natural way, in a way that our complex society has left behind in the name of progress. They provide a connection to mother earth, they provide a sense of belonging, and through them we know we are not separate or alone.
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The plight of our fellow earthlings
In a world where humans are over consuming and going to war, it can be easy to despair. Will the planet survive? Only if animals do. We need to look to the animals to save us all, because animals are the gateway to a more compassionate world. With more compassion comes understanding, tolerance and progress.
You experience it in your living room. Your dog or your cat makes your world better. In the wider world - the wild animals make the planet rich and beautiful. If we look after them, they will look after us.
Every year, millions of 'food' or 'production' animals in Australia are excluded from the protections of animal welfare legislation. They endure lives of abject misery in factory farms: barely able to move, they are subjected to acts of cruelty that would be illegal if done to a cat or dog.
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“If your food needs to be rescued and seeks sanctuary from people,
it should make you think twice about who you’re eating!"
WHAT WE OFFER
ZOOM MEETINGS
Bringing Joy to Business Meetings
Need a fresh face to brighten up your video conference meetings? Want a fun experience for an online Happy Hour? Looking for a virtual tour? Galahad's Sanctuary Ambassadors are here for you via Zoom. Fancy Milkshake and Catapult our resident rescue camels Zooming in to say hi?
ANIMAL EXPERIENCE TOUR - WONDERFUL THERAPY
Interact and feed the animals, hear their stories...
Balancing Passion and Practicality: A New Approach to Sanctuary Tours - Message from Lynne
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Running an animal sanctuary is a labor of love. It's a commitment that often stretches beyond the typical workday, filled with the joys of caring for animals in need, but also the realities of managing a complex operation. If you've ever dreamed of visiting a sanctuary and witnessing the incredible work these places do, you're likely familiar with the time and dedication required to make it all happen.
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For sanctuaries like Galahad's, where I’m working a full-time job and running the entire operation, time is a precious commodity. While I absolutely adore sharing the stories of our residents and the crucial work we do, providing multiple tours each week just isn’t feasible. You might think that means I've closed our doors to visitors, but that's not the case at all!
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Instead, I am implementing a new approach to sharing our slice of sanctuary life: a dedicated monthly tour. This means that once a month I will be opening our gates to a group for an insightful and engaging tour. This allows us to provide the best possible experience to visitors while also protecting our limited time, ensuring the animals receive the continuous care they deserve.
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Why this approach?
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Focused Attention: Limiting tours to one group per month allows us to dedicate our time and attention to that particular group. We can offer a more personal and in-depth experience, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions and truly connect with the animals.
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Less Disruption for the Animals: Our animals thrive on routine and a calm environment. Reducing the frequency of visitors allows us to minimize disruptions and maintain the peaceful atmosphere they need.
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Sustainable Scheduling: Managing a sanctuary is a demanding task. By setting a specific monthly tour day, we can better balance our work commitments with our passion for sharing our mission with others.
What to expect from a monthly tour:
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A guided walk through the sanctuary, learning about the individual stories of our rescued residents and the unique challenges and joys of sanctuary life.
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Opportunities to observe the animals in their natural habitats and gain a deeper understanding of their behaviour and needs.
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A chance to connect with me and my team and learn more about our mission of animal care, rehabilitation, and advocacy.
​I understand this new structure may not suit everyone's schedules. I appreciate your understanding as I navigate the best way to continue this work, while creating experiences for people to connect with the residents and our mission. ​
I'm incredibly passionate about sharing Galahad's sanctuary with the community, and I'm excited to welcome you to experience this special haven in a sustainable and meaningful way. Thank you for supporting my mission, and I look forward to seeing you soon on a monthly tour.​​
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Tours
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With the help of your tour guide, you’ll feed camels, horses, donkeys, cows, alpacas and sheep and so much more. Being at Galahad's Sanctuary is like walking through a giant storybook where you’ll hear the animals’ extraordinary stories of resilience and learn what they teach us about forgiveness, unconditional love, and living in the moment. You are sure to be surprised by great facts and fall in love with animals more deeply than ever before. Afterwards you are also welcome to have a picnic and enjoy the view with tables and chairs provided.
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Please note: Bookings are by appointment only. All guests will also be expected to have signed and printed/emailed the attached Waiver before or when they arrive. Please keep in mind that animal welfare comes before your own requirements.
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​Group Tours
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Cost: $350 - Hay, carrots, apples and Weet-Bix provided.
1 - 10 guests (1 - 2 households)
This is intended to be an intimate experience for a small group of close friends/family.
1.5 hour sessions held on Saturday or Sunday.
Time slots: 11.30am-1.00pm or 2.00pm-3.30pm
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Mini Tours
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Same as the group tour above but for 1-5 guests.
Cost: $175 - Hay, carrots, apples and Weet-Bix provided.
This is intended to be an intimate experience for a small group of close friends/family.
1.5 hour sessions held on Saturday or Sunday.
Time slots: 11.30am-1.00pm or 2.00pm-3.30pm
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Professional Photography Session
An optional extra is for a professional photographer to capture this special time together with the animals and friends and/or family (maximum number per group is 5, please contact us for pricing if you require more). Duration varies, but around an hour. Includes 20-30 photos supplied after professional editing with a download link. This extra experience is not only great for the photo album but also goes toward the feed and care of the animals at our sanctuary. The cost is $550. If you split this cost up in a group you save individual dollars and receive high quality, high res professional digital images ready for social media.
B&B
Come and Stay
Feel like getting away? Relax and unwind in our self contained in-house accommodation, enjoying panoramic views of Mt Macedon. Sleep in a luxurious king size four poster bed. You will have a separate entrance, bathroom and kitchenette with modern conveniences such as a coffee machine, microwave and oven. As well as filtered water, Bluetooth stereo, TV, Netflix, DVDs, WiFi, games & books. Your own fully fenced garden, plus shared outdoor washing machine, dryer & undercover outdoor dining table.
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There are lovely walks on the property to enjoy all the views and interact with our animals, as well as the native kangaroos. Gisborne town centre is 5 minutes drive away, with plenty of restaurants and supermarkets to choose from. We are 10 minutes away from Mount Macedon, Hanging Rock, Sanctuary Lake, Wineries, Open Gardens and Hiking.
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Please bring your dogs if they are well behaved with other animals. Must be on lead. Bring your horse as well! Short term agistment and separate paddock can also be available during your stay.
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Professional Photography Session
An optional extra is for a professional photographer to capture this special time together with the animals and friends and/or family (maximum number per group is 5, please contact us for pricing if you require more). Duration varies, but around an hour. Includes 20-30 photos supplied after professional editing with a download link. This extra experience is not only great for the photo album but also goes toward the feed and care of the animals at our sanctuary. The cost is $550. If you split this cost up in a group you save individual dollars and receive high quality, high res professional digital images ready for social media.
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Click on the Airbnb button or the Vegius button below to book, plus further details and many photos of the B&B.
Please note: all guests will also be expected to have signed and printed/emailed the attached Waiver before or when they arrive. Please keep in mind that animal welfare comes before your own requirements.
VIRTUAL ANIMAL EXPERIENCE/TOUR
For Hospitals, Schools and Retirement Homes, a Virtual Encounter of a Different Kind...
Invite Milkshake and Catapult our resident rescue camels to Zoom into your lounge room, school room or hospital bed. We will call in to bring some smiles to your faces! Best of all, all proceeds go to the feed and care of all the animals at Galahad's Sanctuary.
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What happens on a call, you say? We will join your call, do a quick intro of the farm and introduce you to Milkshake & Catapult on your virtual tour! You can ask us questions or just hang out.
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We can use any virtual meeting software you prefer! Contact us for pricing and availability.
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CAMPING AT GALAHAD'S SANCTUARY VIA HIPCAMP - ON PAUSE
Hipcamp is where you will step outside into a whole new world of amazing private land camping adventures.
Camping here has been put on pause. We know that some of you may have enjoyed the opportunity to stay overnight in our fields previously through platforms like Hipcamp. However, managing that required a significant amount of time and energy, including moving animals to accommodate campers. As much as we enjoyed hosting, the reality is that these overnight stays have had to pause for the time being...
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30 picturesque acres in Gisborne with views to Mount Macedon. We are an animal sanctuary and have rescue camels, horses, donkeys, sheep, cows, pigs, alpacas and chickens as well as dogs. The property has two dams, it is well treed with large open spaces and has a beautiful view to Mount Macedon. kangaroos, possums and echidna's also live here. You are welcome to walk the property and visit the farm animals during your stay (as long as you stay on the outside of paddocks/yards).
Dogs permitted but must be well behaved and not chase any animals - must be on lead.
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Please note: all guests will also be expected to have signed and printed/emailed the attached Waiver before or when they arrive. Please keep in mind that animal welfare comes before your own requirements.
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Professional Photography Session
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An optional extra is for a professional photographer to capture this special time together with the animals and friends and/or family (maximum number per group is 5, please contact us for pricing if you require more). Duration varies, but around an hour. Includes 20-30 photos supplied after professional editing with a download link. This extra experience is not only great for the photo album but also goes toward the feed and care of the animals at our sanctuary. The cost is $550. If you split this cost up in a group you save individual dollars and receive high quality, high res professional digital images ready for social media.
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There is also an onsite B&B. Click the Hipcamp buttons below for further details and bookings.
EVENTS AND WEDDINGS
Our animals, native visitors and picturesque views would be a delightful backdrop to any gathering, small feast, picnic or event. Contact us if you want to hold photography classes, yoga classes, or art classes. We have held corporate Christmas parties, Halloween parties, Happy Hours, Dog Birthday parties, Dark Age Re-enactment Gatherings, Dog Club events and Children's Birthday parties. We are also happy to provide our backdrop for your Wedding. Please contact us to discuss arrangements. Please feel free to provide your own catering to keep the costs down. We can provide gazebos, seats, BBQ and parking. (Portaloos can be arranged at your expense.)
We also have an onsite B&B and camping available.
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Please note: all guests will also be expected to have signed and printed/emailed the attached Waiver before or when they arrive. Please keep in mind that animal welfare comes before your own requirements.
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Professional Photography Session
An optional extra is for a professional photographer to capture this special time together with the animals and friends and/or family (please contact us for pricing). Duration varies, but around an hour. Includes photos supplied after professional editing with a download link. This extra experience is not only great for the photo album but also goes toward the feed and care of the animals at our sanctuary. If you split the cost up in a group you save individual dollars and receive high quality, high res professional digital images ready for social media.
“Animals are here with us, not for us.”
