Despite spending months on the road as a cricketer and now commentator, Matthew Hayden remains passionate about life on his Queensland farm
Matthew Hayden knows the value of patience after 15 years facing the world’s best bowlers as an opening batsman.
This has held the cricket legend in good stead for life on his property just outside Brisbane, where he has everything from chickens to bees, and nuts to citrus fruits.
As someone who could be on the road for months at a time during his playing career – and still is due to a variety of television commentary roles – Hayden’s busy lifestyle was never going to be conducive to something like broadacre farming.
His life as a “toy farmer” stemmed from a desire to give his three young children a taste of country life as they grew up, while also remaining close enough to the capital city to facilitate the requirements of an international cricketer and now commentator.
He made the “green change” about 22 years ago, but as the son of a peanut farmer from Kingaroy, the move took Hayden back to his agricultural roots.
“I wanted to make sure that even though we were living in suburbia in effect, in Brisbane, that the kids got a taste of all the good things about the country that we could possibly bring to them,” he says.
“There was a limited amount of time but my wife Kellie and I wanted to give the kids a sense of family life without profile.
“There is something really grounding and humbling about living more of a country life and living a life where we challenge ourselves to be more sustainable.
“It was about the kids knowing where their food comes from, giving them responsibility and tasks in and around the house and property that would enable them to respect and appreciate and enjoy livestock.”
Famous face
In addition to the baggy green cap which he wore in 103 test matches for Australia between 1994 and 2009, one of the many hats which Hayden now wears is that of Mahindra Australia brand ambassador.
This is a role he has held for a decade and is a logical fit given the cricket-mad nature of Mahindra’s home country of India.
Hayden is not merely the face of a glitzy advertising campaign but is instead an active user of both Mahindra’s agricultural and motoring products.
“At the time Mahindra started to engage me as a brand ambassador, we had the XUV500 – the mid-range SUV – and we had the pickup,” he says.
“The pickup was automatically something that had great attraction for me because I wanted to tow my tinnies, I wanted to put my surfboards in the back and I wanted all the produce that I generate on the farm to go on the back of the tray.
“Even when I think to the tractor ranges, the little E-Max has served its purpose with the four-in-one front bucket and a slasher unit on the back so I can lift things and look after all my bees.
“It’s just been a very handy little vehicle and everything you see from a content creation point of view is actually just as authentic as you get.”
Hayden’s daughter Grace is also a Mahindra ambassador, with all three of his children learning to drive in the Mahindra pickup and holding manual licences.
“She’s a perfect fit for the role and a great ambassador as well, so it’s been a family affair really,” Hayden says.
Hayden has recently put Mahindra’s latest tractor release – the subcompact OJA series – through its paces on his property and gives them a glowing endorsement.
“They’re a very versatile product, especially with the centre mount slasher units on small properties with limited time,” he says.
“You start adding in some of those other requirements that I need to move dirt around from a light non-commercial agricultural plot point of view, plus they’re good for post hole diggers, four-in-one buckets to the front to move soil around and slasher units for rougher area around the property.
“They’re just gold, they’re unbreakable as well, and they’re the right price point.”
Farming life
Daily life at the Hayden residence manages to be both busy yet idyllic.
The days start with serenity but having such a diversity of animals and crops means plenty of maintenance is required.
“Our mornings are a cup of tea and hand-feeding kookaburras, magpies and butcher birds,” he says.
“We’ve got goats, we’ve got chickens, we’ve got geese, we’ve got pigs, we’ve got a menagerie of animals, each which have their function, if nothing else more than just adding to a property which is full of life.
“As a small lot holder, we’ve got bees, we’ve got poultry, we’ve got greens and we’ve got several veggie patches with potatoes, pumpkins and more.
“We’ve got nuts, mangoes, avocados, and we’re in clay country so we’ve got so much citrus – grapefruit, limes, kaffir limes – it’s wonderful.”
Farming is a year-round operation, something which can be challenging when you are as in-demand as Hayden.
A look at his 2026 commentary schedule reveals he will be in India and Sri Lanka for the Twenty20 World Cup in February before returning to India for the ever-growing Indian Premier League.
After that will involve time in the United States to commentate on the newly formed Major League Cricket, before travelling around Australia for the test summer.
“At the moment we’re lucky because I’ve got my mum and dad and my uncle that are living next to us, so we’re kind of like a Hayden compound in many ways,” he says.
“The kids and my wife add that constant and consistent effort when I’m away, although it’s not easy.”
Grounded mindset
Hayden’s farming operation is as much about the philosophy and what it represents as it is about the actual output.
His property was the subject of a 2010 television program called ‘Matthew Hayden’s Home Ground’, something which shaped both his mindset and the practicalities that have followed since.
“We virtually built our backyard around that show,” he says.
“In many ways, the theme of that show was the farmer in me wanted to grow his own food, the father in me wanted to know where his kids could learn and be educated around life, and the cook in me wanted to know where his food comes from.”
The lessons from that are still shaping Hayden today, who is a strong advocate for a ‘paddock to plate’ approach and believes in the benefits of growing your own produce.
“I’d never be an advocate to have small lot cropping, but if you can have planter boxes full of lettuce and herbs, that’s adding a lot of value to your house,” he says.
“If you can capture your own water, if you can capture the sun, and create energy, then it’s something that we feel really proud that we’ve been able to manage.”
Poultry is one area which Hayden is a particularly strong advocate of, describing it as the ideal starting point for any property owners deciding which path to go down with their farming.
“It’s not easy, particularly when I’m away, but the easiest thing would be to have none of it and to go to Woolworths and Coles and buy eggs,” he says.
“The reality is that it’s also not that difficult to feed birds, make sure they’ve got water, make sure they’re wormed and they’re supported in a way that’s enabling them to have a happy and free life.
“They’re high yielding too – I reckon poultry is great. If you’re going to start anywhere, I’d say to any small lot holder that poultry is a really good start.
“One, because eggs are extremely useful and unbelievably versatile. You can have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and they’re pretty consistent and not a lot of high maintenance either.”
Batting and business
Hayden’s commentary role means he keeps a constant eye on the Australian cricket team and he is an astute observer of the game.
The Australian test opening batsman position which Hayden made his own has been an ongoing source of discussion among cricket followers, both in the short and long-term.
Regardless of whoever ultimately claims this position, Hayden is confident Australia’s broader cricketing structure will hold the national team in good stead – provided there is a healthy dose of the patience which farmers know all about.
“The great thing about Australian cricket is that it does have a really solid pathways program, so whilst we all might be a little worried around whom our David Warner is, the reality is that we produce great cricketers because our various and respective states and clubs and volunteer base put a truckload of energy into making them good cricketers,” he says.
“I had seven years of averaging 21 before I started to really develop a good game at the highest level.
“Selectors were patient, other teammates were patient and I had to be patient – so there’s nothing wrong with the old ways of trying to work your way into a team.
“Competition doesn’t hurt anyone. No matter whether you’re in the ag business or cricket, it’s a healthy competition that makes you grow as a person, and that’s ultimately what you want out of the game.”