About the owners

Steve and Vanessa Rose have owned and lived on the property for nearly 20 years. They own and operate VS Enviro – an environmental business which undertakes ecological assessments and rescues at-risk wildlife due to removal of habitat. Over the past 15 years VS Enviro has safely captured and relocated over 10,000 animals. In 2015 VS Enviro won the Business Excellence Awards for Most Environmentally Sustainable Business in Tweed Shire.

Steve’s a qualified aquatic ecologist who loves everything to do with fish & water including our beautiful Christies Creek located on the farm. Vanessa (aka Ness) is recently retired from nearly 30 years of flying with Qantas international, finally hanging up her wings due to the covid pandemic. She speaks fluent Japanese and is also a qualified life coach.

Both Vanessa and Steve are lovers of nature, wildlife and the magic of the natural world. The farm has always been Vanessa’s passion. It has been a dream of hers  to create a place for people to come and stay where they can relax, reconnect, enjoy, learn and engage with the simple beauty of farm life.

Why we built Coolamon Station

Now that’s an interesting story! In 2017 there was a house fire at the site of the current woolshed and the old Queenslander burnt to the ground in minutes. Thankfully no one was injured, but the dwelling was completely destroyed. Steve and Vanessa were in Tokyo at the time when they received a text message from a neighbour saying “your house is on fire”. Once the shock wore off and a few more sakés (traditional Japanese drink) were consumed. Vanessa looked on the bright side and saw the potentioal for a opportunity to build something unique. So the concept of Coolamon Station was born and the journey began.

“Build it and they will come” was the motto… and five years later with a lot of hard work and perseverance the woolshed was born and is a perfect reflection of Ness and Steve’s vision being a sustainable, multi-use inclusive space for all to enjoy. They look forward to all sharing a drink and happy times at the aptly named “Phoenix Bar” (‘out of the fire the phoenix will rise) which is so named to remind us to always follow your dreams, dream big and never lose sight of what you really want!

Story of the land & those that live on it

Steve and Vanessa’s desire has always been to farm sustainably whilst conserving and enhancing wildlife habitat. Approximately 60% of our farm is dedicated to cattle grazing, with the other 40% for Koala habitat and wildlife conservation. We are proudly part of the Tweed Shire Council’s Koala connections program, undertaken weed control and regeneration programs, and planted hundreds of Koala feed trees and other natives throughout the property. Christie’s Creek, which meanders through the farm, is home to a variety of aquatic life such as several species of fish, turtles, eels and some very large crustaceans.

All of our livestock are organically raised and free range. Our pigs are Tamworth Reds which are a heritage breed. Harry is Ness’ old standardbred horse, who is a true workhorse. He had a very successful career in racing (trots), before retiring and coming to live with us here as a rescue horse. He is Ness’ ever faithful mount and still enjoys trail rides and the odd muster. And finally, you may meet Muddles. Muddles is the 2-year-old very excitable chocolate Labrador. He is full of mischief and energy and loves nothing more than to swim in the creek and play with his best friend Charlie. Surprisingly he’s a pretty good muster dog (better than Harry the horse) but has limited spatial awareness and just wants to play with everything and everyone.

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