Type

Historic buildings/places

Where

Weddin Mountains National Park in Country NSW

Accessibility

Medium

What to
bring

Hat, sunscreen, drinking water

Please note

• The weather in this area can be extreme and unpredictable, so please ensure you’re well-prepared for your visit.
• There is limited mobile reception in this park

Seaton's Farm is quietly nestled at the base of Berthas Gully, on a scenic pastoral block within Weddin Mountains National Park.

Historic farm buildings, machinery and equipment still litter this pretty landscape. The relics demonstrate how one exceptionally resourceful farming family lived through the Great Depression during the 1930s.

The architecture is fascinating and the use of local, second-hand materials to create farming buildings is a testament to the ingenuity of this clan.

Signs are available for the enthusiastic amateur historian, and you can even lay out a picnic blanket and sit under the shade relaxing and reflecting.

Don’t be surprised if eastern grey kangaroos and swamp wallabies visit alongside you; they’re often seen hopping through the remnants of Bertha Seaton’s garden. Autumn and spring are the best times to visit, when temperatures are comfortable and the area bristles with wildlife.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

Learn more

Any way you like it

The park offers both relaxing and adventurous recreational opportunities. Picnickers can enjoy a campfire and barbecue at Ben Hall's campground, while more adventurous visitors can walk the mountain range on a variety of walking tracks.

Protected population

The Weddin Mountains harbour 12 threatened plant species and 39 threatened bird species. In spring, many lilies and orchids come into bloom, as do winged peppercress and slender darling pea. The diversity in vegetation from the base of the mountain to the top also accommodates a variety of bird species, from larger emus to smaller robins and thornbills. Raptors such as wedge-tailed eagles and peregrine falcons are often seen swooping and diving from the lookouts.

Rock stars

The Weddin Mountains are a large, crescent-shaped range that rises sharply from the surrounding plains. This prominent feature can be seen from up to 50km away. There are a number of interesting rock formations, cliff lines and small caves, particularly on the northern and eastern side of the mountain. Deep gullies between gentler slopes produce some lovely small waterfalls after a good rain.

Where there's a will

In 1936, the Seaton family began developing property on the western side of the Weddin Mountains as a pastoral enterprise. Money and resources were scarce during the Great Depression, so the farm was built using second-hand materials fashioned into solid structures. Seaton's Farm is a testimony to the ingenuity used by the Seatons when times were tough. It provides brilliant insight into how this farming family lived during the mid-1900s. The Weddin Mountains are also well-known as the hideout of bushrangers Ben Hall and John Bow, infamously involved in the Escort Robbery at Eugowra.