Creating Magic Memories at MagicBarn Fairy Garden

Did you know that the MagicBarn is the only faerie garden in all of Western Australia? This was something that surprised Annette Kent, one half of the business brains (and hearts) behind the MagicBarn Fairy Garden in Waroona. The other half, and Annette’s other half, is Brian Kent. They’ve been in business together for 35 years, with their first entrepreneurial adventure being the Noongar Arts Centre, in Walyalup (Fremantle). When I commented on how amazing that was and asked him what his secret to longevity and success in their partnership is, he said, ‘Always do things her way,’! That made me giggle. Brian told me this as he taught Jarrah, my four-year-old, how to be gentle when feeding the guinea pigs that live outside in their own little shelter, which he built himself. Actually, he built all of the structures, from the child-sized huts to the cement logs, and Annette painted them in bright, sweet colours.

MagicBarn Fairy Garden is Annette and Brian’s semi-retirement project. Perhaps that’s why it’s open for only half the week: Thursday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm. Which still makes it a very busy semi-retirement, in my books! MagicBarn Fairy Garden itself is a hot pink building, located at 124 South Western Highway, about an hour’s drive south of Rockingham. The drive is gorgeous, the landscape the straw-coloured grass, cows and bush typical of this region, with the hills in the distance.

There’s such a relaxed atmosphere about the place, and yet the simplicity is somewhat deceptive (guilelessly so): there’s just so much to see and do, inside and out!

‘Even though it’s for the children, we actually always had it in mind to build it for parents and grandparents and Aunties. It’s a place where parents can come and relax and drink their coffee while it’s hot because it’s all enclosed, and it’s a place where they can connect with their children,’ Annette told me, with a smile in her voice.

There’s a faerie shop, an old-school lolly cart with modern lollies, a bookshelf with books that are free to take (me as a child would have adored that particular aspect!), a playground, and a café with mini cupcakes topped with rainbow-swirl icing and sprinkles — gluten-free options available, and Annette makes them fresh every day.

Brian makes many of the wares himself: cement faerie doors and planters. He even builds gorgeous, intricate faerie treehouses and my favourite part about that is that they are made with 70-year-old jarrah wood that he sourced from the SAS soldier barracks in Swanbourne during renovations: he’s an ex-soldier.

You would think you could sink a lot of money in such a place, but actually, MagicBarn Fairy Garden is free to visit, and all of the prices are very reasonable. Coffee is generally $4.50 and a kid’s pack, which consists of a juice, cheese toastie, and a cupcake, is only $6. So even on your slow entrepreneurial months, you can still afford to visit.

My interview with Brian and Annette was completely spontaneous and yet they were both so generous with their time. Community is something important to the both of them and it shows. Even when I followed up with a phone call, Annette spoke of her family’s beautiful community connections.

‘Are you local?’, I asked her, and she told me that her family have been in the Shire of Murray since 1910, originally residing in Yarloop. When the area became prone to bushfires, the Kents moved to Furnissdale. Annette’s grandparent’s house in Waroona is now a community park, and the same giant Moreton Bay Fig tree they had in their yard is a part of the park.

Not only is the MagicBarn Fairy Garden beautiful to visit all on its own, there are also some very lovely things to do there.

On weekends, handmade fairy-door painting workshops are held, and children get to take home their own hand-painted fairy door. There’s a gorgeous room for fairy-themed birthday parties, and a MagicBarn Fairy Trail is in the process of being created.

Hand-painted faerie doors, some by local artist, Carmen, from Marina Dreaming, will be given free to local businesses. Customers from MagicBarn will have a map that they can tick off whilst they go on a faerie-door hunt, which will take them to the literal doors of local businesses, thus sharing the patronage that now comes into Waroona from as far as Albany, attracted to the town by the Fairy Garden. Annette and Brian want everyone to see how special a place Waroona is, with its history, nature, and creative population.

‘What’s your favourite local day out?’, I asked Annette. ‘Going up to the weir in Waroona. There’s a dam and a weir,’ she told me, ‘There’s trout and marron, a big grassy picnic area, people swim and water-ski, and hardly anyone from Perth knows about it. The more people that visit, the more the shire will put money into it.’ The facilities have recently been upgraded, she told me, now that more people are travelling to the Drakesbrook Weir.

So, please go visit MagicBarn Fairy Garden, and whilst you’re there, take a look around. Immerse yourself in nature, rest, and allow your imagination to take flight. Your inner child will thank you for it.