Where it all began
the first seed
One day. One farm. One sloth left on a fence post. A world that followed.
WHEN IT ALL BEGAN
It started on a farm in Nannup.
Not a business plan. Not a pitch deck. Not a market analysis. Day Six of an international agritourism tour. 14 March 2025. A coach full of farm owners and industry leaders from across the world had spent the whole day at Chestnut Brae, hosted by Linda and John Stanley. Two of the most respected agritourism voices on the planet.
Alyson & Jordan from Pingle's Farm in Ontario, Canada were there. Their daughter Georgia four years old at the time with Souci the sloth tucked permanently under her arm.
They left Chestnut Brae and headed to Out 'N' About Free to Roam Eggs a free range chicken farm further up the track in Nannup. The second last stop on the tour. Georgia was running after a butterfly. Then a guinea pig with opinions. Then the bus.
Souci, like always, left the tour bus and explored the chook farm. But this time, he enjoyed it so much that he decided to stay behind. Unaware, Alyson, Georgia & Jordan departed. Only realising Souci was missing when they arrived in Harvey for lunch with Secret Picnic Adventures from Bridgetown. John received a call from Beth at Out N About Eggs - complete with a photo of Souci sitting on a fence post, happily settling in with The Thunderclucks.
The bus to the airport was going. Then..Canada after that. Souci was still on the fence post.
Small town kindness stepped in and got Souci back to Georgia in time.
That afternoon, that story, something happened. Storylands Atlas happened.
Chestnut Brae posted about it on their socials. Craig wrote some stories, John & Alyson read them and something clicked that doesn't usually click in agritourism.
What happened in Nannup wasn't just a story. It started a system. A system that took a real life situation on a farm and turned into a storyworld. A chapter in an atlas, Storylands Atlas. Stories, ditties, yarns, things to do and legacy recipes all part of a story. Your story. You're Onlyness. You're Legacy.
Your legacy deserves to be a part of this. Become a chapter in the Storylands Atlas. Share you're Onlyness.
THE FARMS
Two farms. Two continents. One origin.
CHESTNUT BRAE
Nannup, Western Australia
John from Chestnut Brae & Craig sat down on the homestead verandah. Overlooking the lake and the orchards and asked a question nobody in agritourism was asking properly. What if the farm's story was the product?
Not the chutney. Not the gift card. Not the farmers market stand.
The story.
Chucky Chestnut was born from that conversation. A character grown from real land, real trees, real history. The kind of character a four year old asks for by name at bedtime. The kind of story that brings a family back for the next chapter.
John calls it Memory Marketing. Craig calls it Storyselling. Both mean the same thing. Both just as powerful on their own, but together. Magical. When a place tells its story properly, families don't just visit.
They return to again & again.
For each update. Each new chapter.
"People may visit for a moment. Memories are what make them return." John S · Chestnut Brae · Nannup, Western Australia
"Products just get consumed. Stories resonate and get carried forward." Craig W · Storylands Atlas · Perth, Western Australia
THE CHICKEN COOP
Pingles Farm. Ontario, Canada
Building the Onlyness.
Georgia left Souci on that fence post back in Nannup. Souci eventually found her way back to Georgia. Back to to Pingle's Farm in Ontario.
Alyson didn't just embrace the story. She helped build the world.
The Chicken Coop at Pingle's. A part of a story playpark designed by the magicians at Cap.co. Becomes the physical home of the Thunderclucks, Georgia, Souci & chapters of characters that kids now ask about by name on the drive home.
Content they watch, listen, learn & laugh, together with their families. On their way to & from the farm and at home winding down after a big day. Five, ten, fifteen peaceful, soulful minutes.
The Pingle's chapter is the proof of concept. A real farm. A real playpark. Real characters. Real families who come back.
This is the Onlyness, you can only get from Pingles Farm.
What's yours?
"I love your passion and zeal for storytelling and feel honoured that Pingle's and our story would form the backbone of Storylands Atlas" Alyson M · Pingle's Farm · Ontario, Canada
THE PARTNERS
The people who belived first.
AGRITOURISM TRAINING ACADEMY
Perth, Western Australia
JOHN STANLEY
Five decades. Six continents. The man who coined Memory Marketing. The art of making a place live in a family long after they've driven home. John has seen agritourism grow from farm gate sales to multimillion dollar enterprises and has spent his career helping businesses worldwide turn that shift into something extraordinary.
He owns Chestnut Brae with his wife Linda. One of the top ten agritourism destinations in the world. He was there on the Storylands conversation. He saw it immediately. He's been part of it ever since.
LARA JOHNSON
Where John sees the big picture, Lara builds the path to it. With a career spanning tourism, retail, events, outdoor recreation and adult education. Lara specialises in turning great strategy into something a real farm can actually run. Clear systems, practical layouts, trained teams, experiences that work when the weather changes and the visitors keep coming.
Co-founder of the Agritourism Training Academy alongside John. Lara is the reason good ideas become working farms.
Together they are the Agritourism Training Academy. Strategy & implementation. Vision & execution. The big idea and the person who makes it happen on the ground.
"Marketing gets attention. Memory gets loyalty." John S · John Stanley & Associates · Perth, Western Australia
"The businesses that win tomorrow are the ones creating memories today." Lara J · Agritourism Training Academy · Perth, Western Australia
WE ARE CAPCO
Badersfield, UK
The Barns at Pingle's Farm weren't just built. They were designed as part of a physical story world. The Homestead. The Grain Silo. The Chicken Coop. The Windmill. The Double Zipline. Every element a chapter waiting to be climbed, discovered and remembered.
That's what happens when Cap.co builds playparks & Storylands builds stories.
Cap.co are one of the world's leading adventure playpark designers. Holders of the Royal Warrant of Appointment, having built play spaces for Windsor Great Park, Sandringham, Balmoral and The Play at Poundbury. Playparks designed to last. Built with meaning. Rooted in place.
The same philosophy that shaped royal estates now shapes farm adventures.
“To receive a Royal Warrant is such an incredible recognition of our work and we feel extremely honoured. To be endorsed by the Royal Court and to be allowed to fly their flag on our own letterheads is a great achievement and we are all delighted and rather emotional. It’s at times like these that you wish your father were still alive,“ Cap.co founder Simon Egan.
Physical play that starts the story. Storylands content that carries it home.
“The rarest talent in business is making people feel wonder again. Craig has built his life around mastering exactly that.” Simon E · Founder · CAPCO, UK
“The rarest creators in the world are those who can make imagination feel tangible. Craig happens to be one of them.” Johnny L · CAPCO, UK
WHEN REAL PLACES FIND THEIR STORY
"None of them set out to build a platform together. It started with a sloth on a fence post in Nannup and it's still early.
Two farms. One playpark. One legend in agritourism. That's not a finished platform. That's a beginning. We're looking for the people who want to help write what comes next."
Is that you?
"Ask the questions while you still can."