This year we went to the New England Tablelands for our holidays. I'd previously lived in Armidale during High School and wanted to show Linda and the boys. And to check out the land for my farming dreams.
We stayed at two farmstay Bed and Breakfast places.- Cheyenne - a 2000 acre property about 30Km east of Walcha. They ran beef cattle.
- Lindon Cottage - about 3500 acres 30Km west of Uralla. They were a fine merino wool station.
Cheyenne was prepared to let us mix with the animals and so we fed the chooks and pigs morning and night and milked the house cow in the mornings. We also helped prepare some electric fencing they were using to implement "cell grazing" a new farm management strategy to help pastures recover from grazing.
Steve letting off steam on our way to Port Macquarie. |
Port Macquarie. |
| We stayed with Lindas mum and dad at Port Macquarie the the first night and then we travelled to Walcha then next day and stopped at Apsley Falls on the way. With the drought the falls weren't that spectacular, but better than the later visit to Dangar Falls. | |
Apsley Falls |
Our cottage at Cheyenne |
The boys feed "Coco" |
Steven feeds the chooks |
 Feeding the pigs. Now the boys know what we mean when we say they eat like pigs ;) These will become bacon when they are big enough. |
This is the view at Cheyenne. The property is nearly sourrounded by the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. |
| We went to Harlow Park Horse Riding one day and all went horse riding. Linda was the only one of our family that had previously ridden. The horses we were given though were very forgiving though and we had no troubles at all. It was fun listening to Steven shouting "Whoa" whenever we got into a trot. I don't think we ever galloped :) | |
Stevens horses head is on the left, Linda in the centre and Robert is in black on the right. |
Steven and Ziggy |
Linda and Divan |
 My horse Suzie |
Steven on the trot. |
Robert and Steven as horsemen |
Ziggy has a rest at the end. |
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Each night, around 9PM, Burgh (our host at Cheyenne) would go out and feed a small colony of brush tailed rock wallabies. We'd get about twelve each night, but in winter apparently many more will arrive with the shortage of food. Although some may think this feeding is a bad practice, these animals are endangered and this feeding may well help their numbers. |
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A young one. |
Dinner time |
After 3 days at Cheyenne, we moved to Lindon Cottage. This property was about 30Km west of Uralla. We had to arrive late in the day there amd so went to Armidale in the morning and saw my old house. |
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Our old home in Armidale. |
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Dangar Falls. Unfortunately there isn't enough water to fall over the edge. |
The chapel at Gostwyk, one of the original properties in the area. |
The cottage at Lindon was previously a shearers cottage that has been restored (with a kitchen and bathroom added). The cottage contains two bedrooms with double beds and one room with two singles. Each double bedroom connects to a bathroom or ensuite, but to reach the lounge/dining/kitchen room at the far left of the cottage you travel via the front verandah. Quick travels in winter. It's corrugated iron externally with weatherboard and plaster internal walls. This place wasn't set up to allow you to do any farmwork, just a B&B on a working property. | |
Front of Linden Cottage |
Rear of Linden |
Linden (north-west) |
Linden (south) |