This is more than a country escape; this is a true step back in time to an old sheep shearing station.
Nine-hundred-and-fourteen metres above sea level on the Great Dividing Range, the tree-lined town of Crookwell has great natural beauty.
Its cool climate leads to wonderful displays of spring flowers and in autumn the town is ablaze with the colours of turning leaves.
There is busy industry in Crookwell — lambs, cattle, seed potato, apple and pear orchards, flower bulb gardening, vegetable farming, weaving and a growing tourism industry. Traditional industries are being added to as farmers diversify — there are cabbages, garlic, broccoli, wheat, olives, asparagus, olives, grapes, honey and ostriches, alpaca and deer.
Jeff and Jess Press own Gundowringa Historic Homestead. Jeff's grandfather, a pioneer of pasture improvement from Queensland, built the Federation home in 1905. He was awarded an OBE for his work, as his innovative ideas changed capacity from half a sheep to five sheep for each half hectare.
Jeff, who has the original plans of the property, opened Gundowringa as a B&B and fly fishing farm in 1992. Like his grandfather, Jeff was also awarded an OBE for pasture and environment protection.
The property is a working sheep farm and before the drought struck, they ran cattle as well.
The homestead has four bedrooms which sleep up to seven people. Rooms are large, with 3.5-metre ceilings, open fireplaces and underfloor heating for chilly nights. There is plenty of memorabilia.
The self-contained Stone Cottage, built in 1916, accommodates four to six people. It has a kitchen, lounge and gas heating, as well as views of the Wollondilly River valley.
The Shearers' Quarters is ideal budget accommodation. It was built out of stone in 1960 and sleeps up to 18. The kitchen is basic but fully equipped. There is an open plan living and dining area and open fireplace. There is an outdoor barbecue and community washhouse.
