Potions to take your breath away
Lee and Fred have been living in the Gladstone region since 2004.
A born and bred Sydney boy Fred has worked in the shipping and mining industries for over 30 years.
Born in PNG, Lee has a background in journalism and has worked on major infrastructure projects in both NSW and Qld.
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They both run Mugul Mountain Retreat and are keen to develop the property into a unique and renowned spiritual wellness retreat, incorporating and celebrating the region’s Indigenous history.
We bought the 300 acre property in mid-2012.
Our property runs along the base of Mt Colosseum (or Mugul as it is known by the Gooreng Gooreng) just off the Bruce Hwy. The property had been vacant for about two years so was pretty wild. Undeterred by that we began the massive process of cleaning it up and sorting out what was what.
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During the following two years we found out the property was a site of significance for the local first nation’s people, the Gooreng Gooreng. Around 30 years ago, ancestral bones were repatriated back to the Gooreng Gooreng and those bones were buried on Mugul.
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Our property holds special significance for the Gooreng Gooreng. Mugul was a meeting place for the Gooreng Gooreng and there are many stories associated with the mountain as well as sacred and significant sites.
Ten years down the track and we are now at the point where our vision for the site is starting to be realised.
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We have been completing the main house, a 400 sq. metre Balinese influenced pole home.
As well we have installed a bush kitchen and bush toilets on our runway which we have called The Strip in the Bush and this site is now available for campers and rallies.
And work is fast being completed on our entrainment and workshop area.
Our organic herb and vegetable gardens are well underway, as is our orchard.
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Boasting fruit trees such as the pomelo, four different varieties of grapefruit, bowen mango, avocado, mandarin lime, Burdekin plum, strawberry mango, macadamia, peach, finger lime, kaffir lime, pistachio, peanut butter tree, mulberry, orange, olive, cumquat, pomegranate, mandarin peach, and tropical apple we are keenly waiting in anticipation to taste their fruits.
Our revegetation planting programme has seen over 1000 trees planted on the property. On the southern side of our first dam, our native forest is developing into mature trees and is a wonderful experience to walk through and among.
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We have set up the property to reflect the spiritual significance of the site.