Farm, Family, and Fighting Spirit Karinda Anderson, Oh Deere Farm Stay and Tours

Karinda Anderson’s story is nothing short of miraculous—a tale of resilience, passion, and an unyielding will to survive against unimaginable odds. Her journey began in Tasmania, where agriculture runs in her veins. Karinda, alongside her husband Dale, and their four children, has dedicated her life to the land, cultivating not only crops but also a deep respect for the farming community. But it’s her battle against trauma that defines the incredible life she leads today.
In 2004, at the age of 29, Karinda’s world was turned upside down when she suffered a catastrophic brain aneurysm. One moment, she was riding a quad bike, tending to sheep in a paddock; the next, she was waking up in a hospital after falling off the bike and plummeting down an embankment. Her condition was so severe that doctors didn’t think she would make it to the hospital alive. She had suffered 27 fractures to her face and skull, and lost the 3rd to 8th cranial nerves that broke off at the brain stem. But she defied all odds by surviving.
The aneurysm was a hereditary condition—Karinda’s mother had suffered the same fate at 29. It was a harsh reality, one that would shape Karinda’s future and her incredible journey of recovery.
“They told my husband Dale to prepare our children for the worst,” Karinda remembers.
“They didn’t think I’d survive.”
For Karinda, the road to recovery was excruciating. Long years of rehabilitation followed, during which she re-learned the basics. It was during this time that Karinda, a proud and passionate farmer, discovered a new way to keep going: by immersing herself in the thing that had always sustained her—the land.
“I had to keep pushing,” she says.
“My four kids were my reason to live. I didn’t want them to see me how I was for the rest of my life.”
Despite the daily struggles and the pain that would never fully subside, Karinda’s mind remained focused.
“You’ve got to tell yourself you can do this. It’s in your own mind to pull yourself out of any negative dark hole,” she says. The aftermath of the aneurysm left Karinda with severe osteoarthritis and other ongoing physical challenges, but it also forged a resilience that would define her life and become the inspiration for a new book.
The family had lived in Tasmania, growing potatoes and contracting large equipment. When their daughter Lucynda expressed a desire to attend Emerald Agriculture College, it prompted Karinda and Dale to make a life-changing decision. They packed up their lives and moved to Queensland, seeking warmer weather and a better climate for Karinda’s health.
They ended up purchasing a cane farm in Calen, which was producing around 2,000 tonnes of sugar cane per season.
“If you’d asked me when we left Tassie whether I’d be doing what I’m doing today, I would have said no way,” Karinda laughs.
Today, their farm produces around 10,000 tonnes of sugar cane, a staggering achievement from humble beginnings. And it’s not just about the farming—it’s about sharing that passion with others. Karinda’s farm stay, Oh Deere Farm Stay and Tours, has become a local institution. What started as a small idea to offer a few people a taste of farm life quickly exploded into something far greater.
“I thought we might get two or three vans a week, but at one stage, we had 45 vans here on the farm,” she recalls.
The tours, which teach visitors about where their food comes from, have become one of Karinda’s greatest joys. She’s passionate about showing people the entire process—how food is planted, grown, harvested, processed, and refined before making its way onto our plates.
“If you ask a child, or even a lot of adults, where sugar comes from, they’ll say the supermarket. But it starts on a farm, and I want to show them that,” Karinda explains.
Her tours also offer hands-on experiences, like chewing on cane or trying fresh sugar cane juice. For Karinda, it’s more than just educating the public—it’s about fostering a deeper connection with the land and the people who work it.
“Without farmers, the world would be lost.
“There’d be no food, no fuel, and no beer to drink at the end of a hard day,” she says.
“I want people to understand what it takes to get food on the table.”
While living in Tasmania, she and her family operated a farmstay that was entirely themed around John Deere, with everything from décor to the farm’s machinery reflecting her love for the brand. The idea grew from her own personal connection to the tractors, which started when she purchased a metal replica John Deere Tonka toy for her son Harley.
The John Deere theme didn’t stop with the farm stay; it blossomed into something even bigger. Karinda transformed an old shack on her property into the "Love Shack" Museum, which houses the largest single-colour replica tractor collection of memorabilia in the southern hemisphere.
Visitors often come specifically to see the museum, which features hundreds of John Deere items and classic old farm items. It even features a John Deere-designed coffin, a symbol of Kalinda’s lifelong connection to the brand.
But Karinda’s story doesn’t end with her success as a farmer and tour guide. There’s another layer to her journey, one that’s just as harrowing as the aneurysm.
Eight years ago, Karinda was diagnosed with chronic myeloma leukemia, a form of blood cancer. The news came after a period of rapid illness, during which she could barely get out of bed.
“They did a blood test, and within 20 minutes, they discovered I had chronic myeloma leukemia,” Karinda said.
“I’ve been to hell and I’m not going back,” Karinda adds, her determination clear.
After her best friend lost her battle with pancreatic cancer, Karinda didn’t want to suffer through the intensive chemotherapy recommended to her in Townsville. Instead, she now takes chemotherapy in pill form, the only type that doesn’t interact with the other medications she needs. Though the cancer has reduced, it's not in remission, and Karinda will likely live with it for the rest of her life.
She suffers daily with the side effects from the chemo, from neuropathy in her hands to constant hair loss. She also struggles with periods of severe vertigo which has hospitalised her on numerous occasions.
Through it all, Karinda has found strength in her family, her farm, and her unwavering love for agriculture. She’s also found a voice—a voice that she’s now using to inspire others. Karinda is currently writing a book to share her story, hoping that it will give others the courage to face their own challenges.
“There is life after a major trauma, and there’s life even after the worst sickness,” she says.
“If I can get through this, anyone can.”
Her book will be a testament to her journey—a journey marked by not just survival, but by thriving against all odds.
In a world where trauma often silences, Karinda’s voice rings out loud and clear—a voice that tells us there is always hope, even in the darkest moments.

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