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Our Story: It's a Bit of a Yarn

THE YARN: PART 1

Not so long ago in a not so far away place, lived a not so young man named Brian, who was dreaming of building his forever home.

One not so dark and stormy night, while waiting for inspiration, he turned to comedy to cheer himself up. The movie ‘Twins’ starring big Arnie and little Danny, caught his attention. They were searching for their mother, who they found, living in a Santa Fe Styled artist colony!

Well, inspiration struck – the colours, the curves, the timbers - and by midnight that night, the first draft of Indigal was drawn up and a new chapter in Brian’s life began.

That was in 1995 and within a couple of years the eastern end and the workshop were completed enough for Brian and his two boys, Jesse and Jules, to live comfortably in the one-bedroom and large living area part of the house.

Looking back, Brian feels that subconsciously, he was building his bower and maybe he'd be lucky and attract a mate to share the journey.

The Yarn: Part 2

Then magically, one Friday night in 1999, friends of Brian came to visit and brought along their friend, Liz, who was visiting from QLD... Yep, you guessed it, sparks flew!!! Brian and Liz met up again 2 days later and as Liz says more than 25 years later ‘I came one night and stayed a lifetime’. At the time, Liz was a Uni student studying externally, so her address didn’t matter!

It was a match made in heaven, their two separate lives blended into one effortlessly.

After about a 12-month honeymoon period they got working on the western end of ‘Indigal’.

Working together, Brian and Liz got their hands dirty digging footings, laying steel, pouring concrete, moving concrete blocks and preparing timber cut from the property. The roof went on and Brian built the colonial doors, doorframes and windows from the property timber.

Unfortunately, in 2004 illness struck Liz a serious blow. Life slowed dramatically. Brian’s focus became caring for her, keeping the life going for the boys, and just getting by. Liz spent most of that time in bed very slowing recovering.

In 2008, with Liz still recuperating, Brian started back on finishing his dream home, but the goal posts had shifted. Jesse and Jules were growing up getting ready to leave home. Brian and Liz’s business Skramp, the manufacturing of portable skate ramps and accessories, had slowed to the point of no return. So what do you do with a BIG unfinished home… finish it … and SHARE it.

Back in 2008, Airbnb didn’t exist to any degree in Australia, so the idea of holiday letting AND sharing a property space (Brian and Liz’s intention) was unheard of except for specialised Bed and Breakfasts. So stepping into the unknown, they launched Indigal Hacienda Grande with their first guests arriving (by helicopter!) on January 1 2009!

With Liz still recuperating, they moved in and out of the house and into the shed as they got bookings, trying to find their footing in the holiday home industry. It took a few years, but they slowly found their niche and Indigal became the Family Reunion Specialists!

With 6 bedrooms (one a Gypsy wagon), 5 bathrooms, 2 kitchens, 3 living rooms, a huge outdoor entertaining area with kitchen and BBQs and a magnificent (Brian built) timber table, Indigal became the go-to holiday home for special family get-togethers. Having the whole family (up to 23 people) under the one roof was rare find and Indigal did it VERY well!

The Yarn: Part 3

Then… Covid hit!

Shock, uncertainty, shut downs!

All Indigal bookings were cancelled for the initial 3 months. Following that period, gatherings of 10 or more were not permitted, so another 3 months of bookings had to be cancelled.

After the initially shock, Brian and Liz decided to embrace the situation and re-evaluate, and maybe re-invent their lives. With no bookings, they were able to move back into their beautiful home full time and have a very long overdue and well deserved rest!

By being back in the home fulltime after 12 years of moving in and out, Liz felt that she was able to put down roots again. With great relief, they quickly decided that it was time to go back to their original idea of only sharing half the house.

Airbnb had changed the holiday home rental industry, and sharing property space had become fully acceptable.

After honouring their final 6 bookings, on 1st April 2021 Liz and Brian moved back into their home for good and Indigal Hacienda Grande morphed into Pueblo at Indigal.

Catering for 23 Guests per booking was reduced to looking after 6! This was life-changing, especially for Liz who was managing all bookings and the running of the property. She had time to rest, garden, do courses, even days for doing nothing, and if the doing nothing didn’t get finished, well she’d finish it off the next day!

For Brian it felt like retirement! He started working on restoring vintage cars and smaller building projects on Indigal, making it more suitable and private for the smaller groups, such extending Pueblo’s outdoor dining area.

The holiday industry had irreversibly changed with Covid. The process changed: people planned and took their holidays in new ways.

Over the last couple of years, Indigal morphed again - no name change this time, but a shift from small family groups to Pueblo at Indigal becoming very popular for couples and solo travellers.

This past year has seen Liz completely revamp Pueblo into a luxury retreat. She has placed high emphasis on making the ‘little things count’; every need and comfort has been considered and provided.

As the dream continues, the spirit of Pueblo at Indigal now truly reflects the home’s original dream of being a true, beautiful bower.