Making the most of country plunge

Moving on from Brookfield in Brisbane, the pair was looking for a fresh start.

Their four daughters had married or moved out and they began their search for their idyllic home.

Surprisingly, they settled on a derelict old remnant of their areas past and set about renovating the building up to what it is today.

“We came here around five years ago and had a look around with the intention of buying,” the couple said.

Peter’s father owned a property down near Orange and he recalls the times he and his family would drive through Tenterfield.

“Dad owned a property down there and we always came through – I just remember it had pristine rolling hills,” Peter said.

They first purchased in town before making the bold move to buy up the old Bungulla Post Office.

“We ripped it up and renovated it – we had great fun doing it.”

In the process they stumbled upon some unique pieces of history.

“We found old suitcases that had been left with letters in them. We’ve found old coins – I don’t have a metal detector but who knows what we’d find,” Peter said.

Now settled in their home for around two-years now, the couple has turned their property into a little getaway for city dwellers and passers-by.

Their property, Hill Top Farm, is beautiful venue offering both homestay accommodation in a self-contained cottage and a unique wedding and private function venue.

With 360 degree views of the area, it has a special feel to it.

While they regularly return to Brisbane for business or family visits, they both agree they’ve found somewhere exceptional.

“I’m passionate and have really come to love the area,” Peter said.

“It’s always nice to see the eyes of other people light up when they come out here,” he said.

Since their move Peter has immersed himself in Tenterfield life and has since taken on a committee role with Tenterfield and District Business Association as well as being recently announced as the new president of the Tenterfield and District Visitors Association.

“I’m working hand in glove with the visitors centre at this stage,” he said.

“I wanted to come in and breathe some new life into the group – I really want to push to get Tenterfield more on the map.

Despite only being here for a short timeframe, they both said they didn’t simply want to be reclusive and not involve themselves.

“We wanted to contribute – people here have always been welcoming and friendly.”

They intend to get more in touch with locals as they look to expand their Hill Top Farm business.

The pair has a plan to bring more locals and tourists to their property by offering cheese and wine at sunsets.

While more work is being done to prepare that initiative, they hope it will only add to the work they are doing at the moment.

Despite trying to keep up with busy lives, the pair has three dogs and have quickly taken to farm life by investing in some cattle.

“It’s nice to have cows, chickens and be able to let the dogs run,” Cathie said.

With so much history on their 100 acre abode, they see it as an advantage of attracting tourism to their business as well as others.

“We have a good relationship with all the other places in town – the other day we told a couple they should go for a stay at Stannum House.”

To tie in with their foray into the accommodation business, the couple are partners in network marketing company Amway Global.

“In 1992 we started in the Amway business and we are still involved – it’s a manufacturing distributor that lets you do everything over the internet,” Peter said.

It’s their homestay accommodation that is catching local interest though as Hill Top Farm was nominated for tomorrow night’s business and tourism awards.

“The awards are a real advert for lots of businesses – it’s great to get a nomination, to get any recognition is important,” Peter said.

Looking to the future they say there are intentions to possibly build on their homestay accommodation but they were taking their time and simply enjoying Tenterfield life.