Ever heard the saying "happy as a pig in mud?" Well, these animals may just be the happiest pigs on the planet.
Yanjala farm is home to a group of free-range Wessex Saddleback pigs, raised into juicy, pastured pork that would put most Sunday roasts to shame.
Selina and Scott Carey moved from Sydney to Goomeribong in 2016 in search of a property to raise pigs, and also start their honey production, which they had both always been interested in.
Having both grown up in small country towns and having family ties to the bush, the couple were keen to get back to their roots and have a crack at their own agricultural operation.
Wessex Saddleback pigs are currently recognised as an endangered species by the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia, originating in southern England but going extinct in purebred form due to not suiting the intensive, indoor farming systems that are widely used in the commercial pork industry.
The breed was introduced to Australia in the 1930's and their numbers still remain quite low, with approximately 150 registered pure bred sows throughout the country, but Ms Carey says the future of the breed is looking up, with more and more producers looking to breed the slow-growing pig.
"I think they're recovering quite well because there's quite a few people getting into rare pigs now," she said.
"So there's quite a few breeders coming up around the place that do the Wessex Saddlebacks, there's probably more down south than up here."
When asked why Wessex Saddlebacks were their breed of choice, Ms Carey said it was their loving nature and ability to thrive in outdoor conditions that made them the pick of the bunch.
"We really didn't know what breed we were going to have, but we knew that we wanted a heritage breed," she said.
"The heritage breeds are the best for the outdoors because we find that they will root around and eat the grass and everything else, so it does make it easier on your feed bill as well. They're just very adaptable.
"The Wessex Saddleback's are also so gentle and quiet, they're really not aggressive pigs at all.
"They are very loving and very protective, so they're really good mums. They have fantastic milk and really big litters."
Ms Carey said that the meat from the Wessex Saddleback pigs also stands out from the crowd, with a thick layer of fat that means extra flavour and juicy meat that melts in your mouth.
"They have that fat layer which you just you don't get with the intensive pigs, where they're bred to have as minimal amount of fat as possible," she said.
"That's what the market now wants because it's been drummed into their heads for so many years that they shouldn't eat fat, so they think that seven millimetres of fat is really good.
"Our target is around 13 or 14 millimetres, but that's good because that fat will always render out and the meat stays moist."
While some mainstream consumers may be hesitant to buy darker meat, particularly those with the occasional black hair in the pork crackling, Ms Carey said their customers realise the difference in flavour and keep coming back for more.
Yanjala pigs are sent to a selection of butchers around the state to be cut up and bagged for collection by customers, which means the local butchers also gain extra business, something that the Carey's are very supportive of.
"We've got quite a few customers on the books and we've got half dozen regulars that would order every time we do a Sunshine Coast delivery, as well as lots of return customers in Brisbane.
"Some people will start out just getting quarter shares and now they just get a whole pig because then they can choose how they want it to be cut up.
"We also have different butchers that do bacon and different things like that as well."
Yanjala also has a range of pure, unfiltered honey which customers can purchase online or at several local businesses.
