Kooralbyn, Queensland

Kooralbyn lies in the Gold Coast hinterland, approximately 20 km south-west of Beaudesert, itself some 64 km south of Brisbane, Queensland and 56 km west from Queensland's Gold Coast. It is part of the Scenic Rim Local Government Area.

History

First European settlement in the area can be traced back to the 1830s when southern timber millers sought the quality hardwoods of the lower valleys. It was not until Australia's first major land booms in the 1840s that free settler pastoralists migrated to the region. Kooralbyn subsequently became one of the region's most significant pastoral estates, the land used largely for cattle grazing.

Kooralbyn was one of the great pastoral properties for well over 100 years. The original settler was John 'Tinker' Campbell and the property formed part of the Tamrookum Run in the early 1840s The name Kooralbyn comes from the Aboriginal Dream Time legend, "The land of the Copperhead snake". William Barker who sold to John Haygarth in 1870 subsequently owned the property. William Barker employed Queensland's first poet, James Stephens, as a private tutor for his family and it was at Kooralbyn that his first published poem, "Convict Once" was written.

In 1890, Wellington Cochrane Bundock bought the property. The price paid was 29 shillings per acre ($7.25 per hectare). Over the next 43 years, it remained in the Bundock family and during this period it was developed to its fullest potential as a great grazing property. Having splendid well-watered agricultural and grazing land, embracing very rich flats along the creek sections, but consisting chiefly of undulating country, sloping to hills of more or less precipitous character. In 1933, Kooralbyn was sold to J.J.M & D.E.Redmond who held it until 1950 when Mr & Mrs W.H. King bought the property. At about the same time they also owned several other famous grazing properties including Forsdale, Kengoon, Pialah, Molesworth and Dingley Dell. Wally King was a champion Hereford breeder and studman, and on his retirement in 1963 the property was sold to Australian Estates (Pastoral) Company Pty Ltd. In 1969, Henry J Clarke acquired Kooralbyn and held the property for about 4 years.

Sir Peter Abeles and Sir Arthur George acquired the land in 1973 and in concert with others; financiers, planners and marketeers, dreamed of a totally new concept in tourism, hospitality and community living that all could share. By 1979 with much of the property development infrastructure and the first phase of building construction under way, project became a subsidiary of AGC, Australia's largest financier. AGC completed the first phase and with changing conditions in the Australian property and tourism markets, and reposition Kooralbyn Valley as an inland resort. This innovative concept in Australian tourism and hospitality presented significant and new challenges in marketing and operations as well as in financial and human resources. On October 1 1987, Kooralbyn was sold to Kooralbyn Valley Pty Ltd, subsidiary and Towa Khamuten Co. Ltd of Tokyo, Japan. The new Owners committed themselves to the further development of the valley with a new Hotel Complex being completed in 1991.

On October 1 1997, Kiwi International Hotels Australasia, purchased approximately convert|800|acre|km2 of the existing 10,000 which included Hotel and Lodge accommodation, 18 Holes Championship Golf Course, Tennis Complex and the large Equestrian Complex which includes 2 Polo Fields, racetrack, stables and paddocks.

Present day

Kooralbyn, commonly referred to as "The Valley" by its residents (due to the former name "Kooralbyn Valley") is home to more kangaroos than people. The residential streets, avenues, courts and roads wind around the undulating terrain and usually end up at a water tower. The town consists of a shopping complex (with real estate, fuel, groceries and other conveniences), 4.5 star international hotel, 18-hole championship golf course, world-class polo fields, an airstrip, a light commercial area, an indoor ski field (year-round, under development at the time of writing), mini golf, tennis, self contained accommodation, The Kooralbyn International School, and other facilities.

References

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