It’s pouring outside, and I’m watching the rain stream down the largest expanse of windows I’ve ever seen in a restaurant. They stretch across the entire front and sides of the building, dropping from a giddying ceiling height at the top all the way down to the polished concrete floor below. Its magnificent!
The view outside is impressive too. We are perched on a hilltop, and the vast expanse of rolling hills below us is illuminated by occasional streaks of lightning, creating a vibrant green glow over the landscape across to the distant Liverpool Range. The sky is rumbling and restless, and the scene is dramatic, almost cinematic, and very exciting.
“We have people who come here especially for storms, it’s exciting, because you’re sitting inside a glass building and you can see it all!” says owner, Sarah Haggarty
We are dining at the award winning Glasshouse Restaurant on Goonoo Goonoo Station (pronounced gunna-ga-noo), a 4,430 hectare working cattle station just 25km south of Tamworth on the scenic Liverpool Plains.
Our accommodation for the night is in the Shearers Quarters, which may sound reminiscent of a family farm holiday experience, but thankfully, there’s not one bunk bed anywhere in sight.
You see, Goonoo Goonoo is not your average large property station. It is a historically significant working farm which originally formed part of an 1832 land grant for “the production of Fine Merino Wool, as an article of export to Great Britain.”
In 1841, the headquarters of the Australian Agricultural Corporation (AAco) was established at the site where Goonoo Goonoo now stands. A homestead and various outbuildings were constructed, followed by a school, a church, and an inn. By the mid 1870s, with the addition of a much needed Wool Room, the shearing shed was able to process up to 3000 sheep a day, and in 1899 the property held over 212,000 sheep. The station was so successful and productive that the AAco retained ownership and continued to sell off land until well after WWII, and finally sold the remainder of the property in 1985.
When the Haggarty family acquired Goonoo Goonoo Station in 2011, Simon and Sarah Haggarty set about restoring, to the highest standard and minutest detail, each and every one of the 25 derelict buildings on the property
“The buildings were ready for a bulldozer,” Simon Haggarty says. “We kept original windows and original pieces of timber, then reconstructed the buildings using them…”
Today, station buildings such as the Shearers Quarters, the Homestead, the Jackeroo’s Cottage, the Gardener’s Cottage and more, provide stylish and comfortable luxury accommodation options to guests looking for a unique and peaceful stay just 15 minutes out of town. Even the Butcher Shop has been retained, and serves as a delightful ‘cooler room’ reception office for guest check in.
“You can stay in the old inn, where the Cobb & Co. horse-drawn cart stopped along the way,” Simon Haggarty says. “We’ve got the old butcher shop, that’s our reception building now. You sign in on the original butcher’s block; we use it as a table.”
Goonoo Goonoo Station is a lovingly curated rural resort of the highest standard, from the exquisite gardens lining the paths and buildings, to the picture perfect rural vistas from each guest’s window. Top this off with a c.1890 chapel, a contemporary and architecturally striking fine dining restaurant wedged sympathetically and cohesively between two original rustic buildings, (the Woolstore on one side is now a stunning 160 seat event space), and you have a winning formula for a unique events destination and a truly unforgettable stay.
The rain is easing as we spoon the last of the affogato from our bowls, and we head back down the hill to our cosy Shearers Quarters and a nightcap on the verandah. Tomorrow, we will return to the Glasshouse for a leisurely breakfast followed by a wander around the manicured gardens and old buildings, before checking out.
It has been an unforgettable overnight, and we are already marking our calendars for our return. But this time we’ll be star gazers, not storm chasers, and on a clear night after another gourmet indulgence at the Glasshouse, we’ll find a cosy spot on the terrace, where we can gaze up at the stars, and ponder once again the origins of this remarkable and memorable place.
Awards:
Goonoo Goonoo Station
- National Heritage Trust, Award for Adaptive Reuse
- Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) NSW, Heritage Award for Adaptive Reuse, Commendation
Glasshouse Restaurant
- World Architecture News- Best Commercial Building Award
- NSW Blacket Prize for Regional Architecture
- Gold medals at the 2017 LNA awards (Landscape)
- A coveted Chefs Hat from the Australian Good Food Guide 2020/2021/2022
- Ranked by Opentable as one of the Top 50 restaurants in Australia
Contact:
Reception: 0429 384 297 – 8:30am – 7:30pm
Location: at 13304 New England Highway, Timbumburi, NSW 2340
Email: enquiries@ggstation.com.au
Web: https://www.goonoogoonoostation.com
Getting There:
Goonoo Goonoo Station is just a 15 minute drive from the heart of Tamworth.
We arrived here after a stay at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, a 3.5 hour drive via the Golden Hwy and Black Stump Way.
We then headed north the next day via the New England Highway to Tenterfield for our next overnight. This drive also takes 3.5 hours.
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