OTR: Goonoo Goonoo Station

With our short road trip up to Brisbane planned very loosely, we had only two reservations for accommodations along the way. The first one at an AirBNB in Pokolbin … to relax in the famed Hunter Valley. The one for tonight at Goonoo Goonoo [gun-a-gun-noo] Station … a restored 1830s station/heritage-listed village.

The name of the station, which translates as “plenty of water,” comes from the language of the Kamilaroi, the traditional owners of the land. Though we did not see any water sources during our short stay, I understand there are many creeks, swamps, and rivers that flow through it.

Goonoo Goonoo was a sheep station from the 1800s until the 1960s. It operated under the auspices of the Australian Agricultural Commission to grow its merino business. A homestead was built … a school and church were added … an inn was constructed to accommodate travelers. Thus, a village was born. In 2011, the station changed hands. By this time, the sheep had been replaced by cattle … specifically Angus and Hereford.

Instead of demolishing it, the new owners decided to restore the 19th century village which had some 30 buildings that had fallen into disrepair. Our reservation was at one of those buildings … the shearer’s quarters … converted into a number of luxurious rooms.

After checking in at the heritage building that was once the butchery, we settled into our room and then went for a wander around the village … careful to stay away from the operating cattle station … biosecurity rules prohibit entrance. Following our meander, we enjoyed sitting on the porch where I could easily imagine the sheep shearers sitting out after a day of hard work … cooling breezes welcome in the late afternoon heat … then and today.

Dinner was at the Glasshouse Restaurant, sitting up on the hill, with views of the Liverpool Range in every direction. The restaurant lies between two of the heritage buildings … the wool store and the shearing shed. The food was delicious … the scenery pastoral. A perfect way to wrap up our day on the road.Read more