We Came, We Saw, It Conquered - Edi Treplow and Ingrid Lange (Germany)

This story must start some twenty years ago when our respective husbands and we were touring your beautiful country Australia.  We had arrived at the twon of Glen Innes in Northern NSW about mid afternoon and were having some problems with our car.

We decided to stay the night to have our car fixed then move on.  A visit to the tourist office changed that and we think some aspects of our lives.  We had asked about somewhere to stay, perhaps a farm.  We were told about a horse ranch on Bullock Mountain with accommodation and meals where our husbands could dig for sapphires and we girls could go riding on horses which we love to do.

There we met the owner Steve Langley who welcomed us in, made us comfortable and arranged for the next day to show our husbands how to look for sapphires and to take us girls horseriding.  One week later we were very sad to leave and a friendship with Steve had started which has lasted these many years.

Edi's Story:

Ingrid and I were school friends from about 16 years of age and when Ingrid and husband Jurg moved to Australia to live and work.  I was unhappy losing my best friend and missed her terribly, so I vowed as soon as it was possible I would travel to Australia to see her again.

When that time eventually came we all met up in Sydney to start our Australian tour.  At this stage I must say that my marriage was not fully OK and soon after our return to Germany my husband and I separated leaving me to support our two small children, Jessica and Benny.  I was then employed as a medical secretary.  When the trauma of everything had settled down somewhat I found myself continually dreaming about your beautiful country, it's climate, your wonderful way of life and would I ever be able to go back there again.

Ingrid's Story: 

I was so excited that my dearest girl friend was coming out to Australia to visit and found myself spending many hours planning where to go and what to see in the time she had in this country I had come to love.  Many hours of poring over maps and brochures till the final trip was planned and so we eventually arrived in the New England region and found Bullock Mountain near Glen Innes, the place we christened 'Magic Mountain' , not then realising the profound effect it was going to have on our future lives.

It was there at Steve Langley's Boolabinda Holiday Farm riding his horses around the mountain that Edi and I agreed that we had found the perfect destination for what we enjoyed most, bush, forest, creeks, river, colourful birds, kangaroo, wild deer and good old Aussie horpitality.  But more than that we become friends with a man who to this day is one of our dearest friends.

We vowed that we would return no matter what.  Over the next few years we all kept in touch, in this period of time my marriage had ended, Edi would madly save money for her plane fare to Australia and Steve would employ her for working holidays on his lovely property.  I had worked inot senior management in a medical company and felt wonderfully free and would visit there as often as possible.

When Steve sold Boolabinda and started his very popular 'Great Aussie Pub Crawl on Horseback', Edi and I just had to do the 6 days, 150 kms to three tiny outback pubs and tons of fun.  Then SHOCK, HORROR, after 10 years of horse trekking he decided to sell Magical Bullock Mountain and retire, we could not believe it!  That was September 1997, and here is the reason we are writing this story, at the time he was selling Bullock Mountain Homestead, a neighbour and friend was selling a beautiful 1200 acre property tucked into the lower flanks of the mountain and this land had the best of it all.  Three boundaries of water comprising two flowing creeks and a river and a magnificent view of Magical Bullock Mountain form his new homestead.

Now Steve and his wonderful partner Kerry, also a dear friend, named this place 'Three Waters' and turned it into the perfect bush retreat. Hooray! Edi and I now have the perfect place to dream about and visit.  With over 3000 acres of bushwalking and horse riding tracks, lovely creek bank camping areas, great swimming and fishing holes with jetties and ladders, and prolific wildlife. They are building a clubhouse amenities recreation building which will be known as the 'Wummamurra Gunyah' - Wummamurra meaning 'Meeting of the Waters', and a Gunyah was a shelter.

Well there you have it our friendship with Steve and Kerry has added another dimension in it's meaning to us, friendship, and even though Edi and I are both back living in Germany, because I accepted a lucrative job offer, I carry dual citizenship and Edi applies for visas and we will continue to make trips to Aussie to stay with our friends at 'Three Waters' and to enjoy again the Magical Mountain.

We Came, We Saw, It Conquered Us.