A home for the family

1994 with a home for the horses, we now directed our energies to creating a home for the family. When we moved to Tawonga in 1986, we first rented a little log house nearby, then moved into an old house on the farm that was to become ours.

The family stand on the their own dirt.circa 1989

Home

People usually are the happiest at home.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) British poet and playwright.

The Stables today

After 17 years of service the stable building is busier and more appreciated than ever. The horses have always been assured of a quiet time in the "big shed" and nudge the gate enthusiastically when they are in the stable yard. The sounds of horses eating, the ring of the farriers anvil, the smell of fresh oiled leather and the excited chat of the day's riders all make for a lively and living work place.

Lin and Clay in the Stables today

Evening Stables

Stable goes up 1992

With a design settled on we got together a mob of helpers and had a "Shed Raising" over a couple of weeks. By the time the structure was finished and functional, 6 weeks had passed and it was the day before the first pack trip for the season. Life and work got a bit easier, the riding plant was safe and everyone could get out of the sun.

Original roof sheets were cut into three.

Sam Swings a hammer.

Trusses cut from original shed timbers

Stable design

We had a stack of timber and good roof sheets all 7.5m long, so designed a shed to use the materials we had, fit our vision. These are the original drawings for the proposed stables, covered yard and lounge.

Original Stable sketch

Original Covered Yard sketch

Original Riders Lounge sketch

The Dandongadale shed

So we went ahead and decided to build the stables.

In 1991 we found a disused burley tobacco shed in Dandongadale and bought it at auction. A big shed with twenty five 12 metre bays, you could park a fleet of semis in it.

It took us a week, a team of volunteers and some adventures with the kids to pull it down and load on to a truck for Tawonga.

The old burley tobacco shed standing at Dandongadale

Early stables & lounge sketch

Early idea for Stables, Lounge design

Early Ideas

From when we first purchased our property we had a vision for a collection of buildings that would enable us to provide a safe, fun and informative High Country horse riding experience.

We wanted the buildings to sit comfortably in the rural Australian landscape and pay homage to the great traditions of vernacular architecture.

Our first building had to be the engine house of the business, the stables. This is where our horses and quality Australian saddlery could call home, a place where we could work protected from the wild High Country winter weather and hot summer sun.

The Spring Spur Blog

This Blog is intended to describe and track the development of the Spring Spur Riders Lounge and Accommodation Facility at the Bogong Horseback Adventures home property - Spring Spur.
The development and the new products and services that will result is an exciting stage in the evolution in Bogong Horseback

The Genesis

When Kath and I arrived here in the North East, with a truck load of horses, a couple of young kids and an even bigger truck load of dreams, we did have a vision for our future.

Little did we know how close to our dreams our future would be!