The Drover's Cook

Next we must ask WHERE should the Drover's cook set up, and when?
In brief, this is my plan:

1: CHOOSE the LOCATION, analayse and commence business planning;
2: COMMENCE TELEVISION PROGRAM CALLED "THE DROVER'S COOK.
3: FINANCE BUILDING PROGRAM and commence 26th of January 2001.

LOCATIONS FOR THE DROVER'S COOK

FIRSTLY In New South Wales

1: Colo, Upper Colo and Putty

2: Around Windsor

3: Hawkesbury, Yarramundi
and
Agnes Banks

4: Hartley

=Pros and Cons=

IN FUTURE:
Queensland at LONGREACH
Around YARRAWONGA in Victoria

FIRSTLY In New South Wales. WHY? I have chosen the SYDNEY BASIN because it is fundamentally superior to any other location in terms of business risk off-sets.
I have so far focused on the region surrounding the Blue Mountains. It would allow a degree of detachment in sub-rural bushland and farmland. This will mean the best atmosphere for this kind of operation.

The PRIMARY LOCATION region of the FIRST DROVER'S COOK

1: COLO 2: WINDSOR, including Rouse Hill 3: HAWKESBURY 4: HARTLEY

The Location Plan of The Drover's Cook Incorporated is C o p y r i g h t, “Bluey” Quilty TDC, 2000

COLO RIVER, 35 Km North of Windsor on the Putty Road

I was originally in favour of COLO RIVER. There is a plot of land of about 25 acres next to the Colo River Resort there which will be easy to lease. Many endurance riders, some who went in the original Tom Quilty Cup in 1966, live around this district. I had oriented my plan this way. I knew that, owing to Tom Quilty's connection with the name, "The Drover's Cook", setting up to accommodate and entertain endurance riding will be popular and seal the deal for a steady local flow. I had in mind for Colo to set up a de facto endurance riding centre. The opportunity is to make the Cook-House, a Shanty Bar and Dance Hall along with a set of Pioneer Cottages a a place of retreat for endurance riders. Yards and stables would make such a plan succeed as a horse-born access target.

"FOR" COLO:

1: Endurance riding link:
MY surname and TOM QUILTY'S surname and The Drover's Cook
relate to the Tom Quilty Cup, the Endurance Riding Association's peak event.
= Many local endurance riders and endurance horse breeders.

2: PROSPECT that the Colo River Resort company would participate in an accommodation operation for the Drover's Cook and would off-set the costs of operation and marketing. They will be eager to receive anything which brings interest to the immediate area. [The Colo River Resort runs caravans and cabins].

"AGAINST" COLO:

3: The sites along the river are flood prone. The Hawkesbury Shire expects a 100 year tree-top flood. The Resort experiences bi-annual flooding which requires evacuation.

PLAN for COLO:

Set up for endurance riders; BUT expand through television. Establish as a unique pre-electric living unit with Sovereign Hill standard early buildings.
Vie for the Tom Quilty Cup. Run country and western and bush dances and festivals. Promote through live and recorded on-site television.

Whereas COLO is not too far from Windsor, Windsor is a target of its own which deserved research. The Windsor area is an historic district replete with old stone hotels dating back to the earliest settler periods of Australia. The Hawkesbury and the Nepean Rivers run through this area.

TWO EXISTING OPERATIONS were of consideration in research during June 1999 and during the period following October 1999 to the now, April 2000. They are THE WINDSOR HERITAGE FARM and THE ROUSE HILL WOOLSHED which is at the back of the extremely successful "MEAN FIDDLER", and Irish pub.

Against these locations, in terms of my fully-fledged plan which favoured endurance rider interest: neither was suited to horse-borne access; and both were surrounded by market gardens, which generate a unique range of odours!

FOR The Heritage Farm: It has a wonderful range of operating Heritage style attractions and is a popular destination. It is heavily targeted by schools and tour buses. The Farm actually has the original "Quilty Shed". This shed was the central meeting place for the Tom Quilty Cup which ran in Windsor for 10 year 1966 - 1976. It sheltered endurance riders and their families and following during the event's first ten years.
AGAINST: Market farm smells; built up = no bush; there is a pub next door which would impinge upon a said Shanty Bar plan. Could not run endurance or much horse riding.

The Wool Shed has fallen into a secondary-use standing, and this will mean that the owners might be open to a successful plan.
The MEAN FIDDLER is heavily marketed and is attended by young breeders from 18 to 35. People come from North Sydney to attend. Is immediately accessible from the M2 motorway. It is INSIDE the 1 hour trip from Sydney.
The assistant manager says that the owners are focused on the Mean Fiddler.
BUT:
There is NO BISTRO in this business! The managers have focused on self-service barbeques and salads.

Will not allow me to live on site, which was a personal favour I sought from my plan.
Will not help a Pioneer Cottage plan, farmlet, et al.

STEP ONE: FOCUS on a Television program called "The Drover's Cook", sincerely exploring the finer aspects of bush cookery, moving cleverly on to the main aspects of the said Cook-House style.

STEP TWO:
i -WITH a good plan laid out on video and multi-media,
ii - AFTER 4 months of television exposure of the Drover's Cook name and the Cook-House concept to the world and the owners (with frequent conversations and approaches during that time) OFFER TO
1: REVAMP the ROUSE HILL WOOL-SHED with the ampitheatred floors according to the Cook-House pattern as devised by me under copyright, and shown above.
2: SET UP the Cook-House and operate there in cooperation with Irish Murphy Inc.

    Irish Murphy will get a share of the Mean Fiddler's action it could not get any other way!
    The relationship will build the Cook-House operation and Irish Murphy and Bluey Quilty as The Drover's Cook can better see where further to take it without as many risks as setting up from scratch.
    Russell Holden, my preferred Hospitality consultant, figures that, owing to overgearing for the Olympics, his sector will be in a slump around January next year. If this is the same with The Mean Fiddler, this may soften their hold on the Wool Shed. They may well be interested in any operator who is willing to take an expense off their hands.

These locations are favoured for a full version of The Drover's Cook plan which might aptly be called "The Drover's Camp". "FOR" HAWKESBURY, etc:

Environs here are sub-rural bushland.
The areas are 50% wealthy professionals and millionaires.
50% of locals are families middle to working class.
Large contingent of patriotic Air Force members.
Access from Penrith from Sydney and from the M2 once you got yourself to Windsor.
Numerous positive reactions from locals

Mr Holden says that

- "these locales still impinge upon [and may be impinged upon by] The Mean Fiddler."
- "encroaching high income professional occupants may obstruct a plan to establish any potential noise-making attraction here." Is it zoned okay?

ALSO:

Land prices go with "jealous" you-wish acreages: 25 acres was $448,000 with Paul Pace around Agnes Banks.

PLAN FOR HAWKESBURY and locations west of Windsor:
STEP ONE: ESTABLISH The Drover's Cook on Television to ensure limited inertia with detached location.
STEP TWO: Set up in stages, THE COOK-HOUSE > THE SHANTY BAR> THE DANCE HALL >THE PIONEER COTTAGES >HOST FARM and bush food plantation etc.

WHERE-ABOUTS: Hartley is on the M3 which is the Great Western Highway which passes through the Blue Mountains on the road to Lithgow. Chief in its favour is that Hartley is being pursued by would-be Duralites who cannot meet the costs of lkand there west of Hornsby. These people are also "horsey" people. If it is so that a gentrified rustic format such as the Cook-House is what these people want, there may be a future for this localite

FOR Hartley including Mount Victoria and
Bells Line of Road before Lithgow:

Land here is cheaper than the Hawkesbury area.
A growing horse-rider occupancy.
Swift access from the M3
Little Hartley Historic Village is an appropriate attraction:
Suits my personal needs to occupy.

AGAINST Hartley:

The Road Traffic Authority prevents immediate in-off business along the route
This would still be amenable: The distance required is about 1km off the route]
Russel Holden of RaH Hospitality consulting says - "Once you've gone past Mount Victoria, you've gone too far."
LITHGOW is heavily stocked with pubs which locals love to attend.