Menangle rotolactor to be reborn to take on Hunter Valley
Sleepy Menangle could be reborn, with plans for the historic town to rival the Hunter Valley as a tourist hub through the famous rotolactor.
Macarthur
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Sleepy Menangle could be reborn, with plans for the historic town to rival the Hunter Valley as a regional tourist hub through the famous rotolactor.
The rural landscape will be a backdrop for concerts and weddings, with restaurants, accommodation and an 8000-person amphitheatre constructed less than an hour from Sydney.
Site owner Benedict Industries has a vision to maintain and restore the historic buildings on the land.
Benedict Industries director Ernest Dupere said the tourism potential of the site was “astronomical’’.
“Why can’t we compete with the Hunter Valley?” he said.
“We are going to have a boutique brewery and distillery, kid’s farm, cooking school, play areas, wine bar, farmer’s market, a huge informative veggie garden, function centres and accommodation.
“We want to have functions and weddings and we will provide a range of services for the family.
“We want to completely restore the historic buildings surrounding the rotolactor and make Menangle a regional destination. We are very excited and have been working on it for a very long time.”
The development of the site is out of Wollondilly Council’s control, with the Joint Regional Planning Panel to consider the plans.
In June, Wollondilly, Campbelltown and Camden councils opposed the development of 5000 homes by MIRVAC in Menangle.
Mr Dupere said the restoration of the historic buildings would cost more than $10 million.
“We intend to revive the site,” he said.
“We have terrific land and beautiful buildings as foundations. We want to completely restore all the existing structures.”
Although the rotolactor’s functional purpose as a dairy farm is now redundant, it will transition into a 400-person function centre.
A farmers’ market will be held in the big shed, Mr Dupere said. He has been been working towards his vision for the picturesque rural site for eight years.
“We have such a beautiful canvas to work with, really a terrific palate,” he said.
“We are 40 minutes from Sydney. Why can’t we have concerts? It is absolutely achievable to have 8000 people in the concert amphitheatre.
“We have our own station and we own all the land around it. We just need to get planning approval.
“The planning system is challenging and what I would like to see is Wollondilly Council get behind this proposal. We needs the jobs and we are very happy to have the tourists.”
Wollondilly Mayor Judy Hannan said she believed the development would be better than the Hunter Valley.
“I would love to see it happen,” she said. “I can see the tourism potential. I actually think it would be more accessible than the Hunter and much more family friendly.”
Wollondilly councillor Simon Landow said he supported the site as a regional attraction.
“I would love to see Menangle as a tourist destination,” he said. “It has beautiful views of the river and railway and I don’t believe it will be surrounded by houses.”
“It is impressive to think of something of this calibre located in Menangle.”
The Macarthur-owned rotolactor was a popular attraction from the 1950s to the 1980s, creating lifelong memories for its 2000 weekly visitors.
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