Continuing on with last week's article regarding the beginning of success for Amandus, his sons and other settlers at Orara, Ian this week takes a look at how Amandus' impatience led to him building his own separator to produce cream for sale. Click through here to read full article. There are specific dates for some … Continue reading →

So tell me, when you think about a raging party happening over 120 years ago what would you picture? A quiet event finishing early in the evening perhaps? How about a raging party that had over 300 guests and started with athletics in the morning and continued with dancing through until 4am?! Seems the early … Continue reading →

Hi everyone, This week Ian has researched news from 122 years ago, when all sorts of interesting happenings were reported! This column is from The Raleigh Sun and outlines some of the issues facing the community at the time. And some things never change, like looking forward to a great cricket season. Click here to … Continue reading →

Can you imagine what it must have been like for the first settlers of the Orara Valley? How hard they must have battled to not only clear the land but petition for resources such as roads, a school, post office and even the jetty at Coffs Harbour. This week Ian has taken a deep dive … Continue reading →

Hi family and friends, Have you ever wondered what it might have been like for Amandus and Mary when they first came to the Orara Valley, with their family of 10 children under the age of 15? There were no towns or roads into the valley, check out our first update where we get a … Continue reading →

Article and photos by Ian Hoschke - March 2016. When the Hoschke family, and others, first came to Orara the land was covered by sub-tropical rainforest.  The land purchase was conditional on it being cleared and fenced.  They had little money and the nearest shop was a day’s walk away. They needed to build a … Continue reading →