Danny bought the block back in the 80's, a second generation bush arborist who specialised in remote tree felling. He spent a few years clearing the property and processing the timber, it was Danny's dream to build a house out of timber he felled and milled himself.

While Danny was building the barn, his Uncle was working as part of the construction crew who were replacing Melbourne's cobblestone streets with bitumen, he'd heard word of Danny's project and offered the discarded bluestone for the build. Danny's Uncle brought a truck load of bluestone, enough to create foundations of the barn.

Originally the barn was built as a machinery shed, Jo and Danny fell in love with the barn and couldn't see themselves living anywhere else so they converted it into their two bedroom home. Jo and Danny over the next 20 years raised their children at the Little Bellbird, nurturing and caring for the property which will forever have a place in their hearts.

Sugar Rock Ranch foundations are firmly built on our strong commitment to the environment, we aim to be ecologically sustainable and culturally responsible in everything that we do - we're building for the future of tourism.

To ensure our ranch would have minimal impact on flora and fauna a considered approach has been taken to our construction footprint and the practices we take in running our operations with an aim to put back what we take and more.

We're putting in place the right tools to measure waste, energy and water consumption which will allow us to reduce where possible and offset what we can't - our goal will be to achieve carbon neutrality in the first year of operation.

Over a 5 year period we will be completing our Rewilding initative, a natural asset management project that not only protects the natural heritage of the land but regenerates biodiversity providing vital habitat for endangered plants and animals.

There’s an opportunity to learn and discover the concept of rewilding with our educational self-guided walks that talk through the conservation activities that take place on the ranch. From building nesting boxes for endangered owls to hollow log housing for frogs down by the dam. - Coming Soon

We will be an alternative accommodation for the eco-conscious traveller.

What we're listening to at the ranch. We've put together the ultimate ranch playlist so you can relax and unwind after you've left. Your stay will never end with these smooth tunes from Willie Nelson to Allah-Las and more.

On the ranch we're all about the outdoors, there's nothing quite like a meal cooked over a campfire. Make delicious jaffles or slow cook a stew, maybe give a steak or two a whirl using our provided Barebones cast iron cookware.