This morning we woke up to heavy rainfall. At breakfast, we
learned that our 9am horseback ride had been canceled due to wet grounds. By 10am, the rain had slowed to a sprinkle,
so I took the mountain bike on the villa porch through the rolling pastures to the emergency
dam for firefighting. The resort is located in a relatively remote valley and
it needs internal firefighting equipment and a dependable water supply. The
ride was pleasant but the bike lacked a front fender and, at the end of the
ride, I was wearing the red mud flicked up from the front tire.
A little historical information about the resort grounds. In
the 1790s, the ranch area was first explored by a former convict, John Wilson.
In 1813, the Governor of the city of Sydney, Lachlan Macquarie, granted acreage
in this valley area to three men. The Governor also commissioned the
construction of a road into the Wolgan Valley as this area was known for coal
and shale. In 1860s, a railroad track was
built along the valley to support the growing shale mining needs and
transportation of goods. As the area shale mining industry later failed, the railroad line was removed.
The first settlers of the ranch area arrived in the 1830s.
In 1832, Charles Darwin came to Australia for an 18 day visit and stayed
overnight in the original Wolgan Valley homestead that is located on the resort grounds. The ranch property
changed ownership in the late 1920s and mid-1930s. In 2006, Emirates Airline, acquired the ranch
property as well as adjoining acreage.
The Emirates found the original 1830s ranch homestead was
crumbling and embarked on a restoration effort. The building was jacked up and
braced as it was sinking. Replacement timber was milled using local woods and,
where possible, original wood was reused. The results were impressive.
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| ©2013, R. Ono |
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| ©2013, R. Ono |
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| ©2013, R. Ono |
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| ©2013, R. Ono |
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| ©2013, R. Ono |
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| ©2013, R. Ono |
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| ©2013, R. Ono |
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Water Supply for the Original Ranch
©2013, R. Ono |
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