Save The Brumbies sanctuary.

© Melissa Rimac

Bitten by the brumby bug

By Melissa Rimac

A gloriously subtropical landscape and engaging horses await near the charm-filled Mid-North Coast village of Bellingen in New South Wales.

Promised Land. Never Never Creek. Crystal Shower Falls…. When you see names so suggestive of utopia sprinkled upon a map, there’s good reason to expect a special kind of Eden.

And indeed, the exuberantly lush scenescape that unfurls around the arty-chic heritage village of Bellingen sates on so many levels.

Think long, empty beaches backdropped by dramatic mountains; the opportunity to swim with whales; lagoons that are perfect for relaxed swims or paddle boarding; sigh-inducing country drives made magical by waterfalls and swimming holes, along with the impressive music, arts and cultural scene of Bellingen.

Best of all for horse lovers, visitors are welcome to visit the Save The Brumbies sanctuary by appointment or at one of its regular events. It’s on the incandescent green riverside pastures of the sanctuary – secreted into the hills south of Bellingen – that I meet Adam, a roguishly handsome, appealingly solid buckskin brumby.

Quite the charmer, Adam is not shy about planting a kiss on your cheek – on request, of course. He also knows how to shake hands, take a bow and answer yes or no to questions. Personable Adam is a most engaging chatterbox and the cheeky glint in his eye suggests there’s no telling what he’ll do next...

Read the full article in the May 2020 issue of Equestrian Life magazine here.

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