Historic Burnima Estate

08/09/2026

Wendy our dear friend kindly gave us a copy of this fascinating letter, describing the condition of Burnima Homestead when it was purchased and the enormous amount of work that was needed to bring it back to life.

It is absolutely incredible to read about the heavy snowfall that had caused significant damage, with ceilings and wallpaper badly affected after the house had been left empty for years.

But perhaps one of my favourite discoveries in the letter is that at one stage the Dining Room and Main Hall were used to store 4,000 bales of hay! 😱🌾

Can you imagine walking into Burnima’s grand dining room today and thinking it was once packed full of hay?! 😂
........
Burnima
Sunday 4 Aug 2007

Dear Keith,

Thanks for your inquiry re Burnima.

PURCHASED — 1956 (36 pounds per acre)

SOLD — 1983

BUILDER FOR OUR RENOVATIONS
Charlie Robinson, Cooma. 1960

CONDITION OF BUILDING ON PURCHASE

Had not been lived in since Miss Edwards resided there around about 1948. Heavy snowfall of that year had broken the main glass sky-light over stairway and subsequent years rainfall had ruined the ceiling & most of the wallpaper. Also possums overrun had added to the damage to ceilings, but generally the walls & floors were in reasonable condition.

Ian Black & I had 4000 bales of hay in the Dining Room & Main Hall — (terrible thing to do, but I had no idea of ever living there at that stage!)

We renovated the upstairs & downstairs of the front portion only, regardless of what Sueallen says, we believe we did a great job & turned it into a fine residence and family home.

When I left Burnima I gave Frank Allen Bibbenluke the letter book from Burnima in which they made copies of all their correspondence. He may pass this on to the Shire. This would be invaluable for your purposes.

Regards to you & Barbara,

Ian [surname unclear]

06/09/2026

06/09/2026

Who's getting excited!!! We are doing the competition draw old school 😂 so give me a few more minutes while I cut out ALL of the entries , maybe a while 🤪 between Instagram and Facebook there's about 90 entries.

Stay tuned.... live draw happening soon

Good luck everyone 👏

06/09/2026

The grand entrance to Burnima Homestead here at Historic Burnima Estate ✨

We’ve had quite a few enquiries about tours of the homestead, and while we truly believe this beautiful old place is something very special, Burnima Homestead is now our family home. For this reason, unfortunately, we won’t be offering tours inside the homestead.

However, we absolutely encourage our guests staying at Burnima Cottage to enjoy the beautiful grounds and admire the historic outbuildings from the outside. Pack a picnic and relax on the lawns, or sit and soak up the atmosphere on the grand homestead verandah — we love sharing the beauty and history of this special place with our guests in this way. 🌿🏡

Thank you so much for your understanding and for your love of Historic Burnima Estate.

We however do plan to have events in the grounds in the way of open gardens in the future so please follow our socials as this will be the first point of advertising such events.

Kind regards,
Laura & Matty 🤍

05/09/2026

🌧️✨ THE HEAVENS HAVE OPENED! ✨🌧️

After waiting and hoping, we finally have rain at Historic Burnima Estate! 💚

The gardens are soaking it all in, the plants are looking happier already, and honestly… so are we! 🌿🌱 There is nothing quite like the sound of rain falling after a dry spell and watching the garden come back to life.

Our thirsty gardens are saying a very big THANK YOU! ☔️😊

Here’s hoping for plenty more beautiful rain to keep everything growing! 💚🌧️🌿

05/09/2026

Can you believe this is the SAME spot in the garden?! 🤯🌿 Whaaaat!!!

If you look closely, you can see the V in the tree in the background.

Amazing what a bit of hard work, determination and a few years of growing can do 😊🌱

This spot had a massive stump that we had to get rid of, along with so much overgrowth and so many dead trees 😩 It was SUCH hard work and definitely didn’t happen overnight!

But honestly… when you look back at where you started, it makes every aching muscle and frustrating day so worth it 🥹💚

Sometimes you don’t realise just how far you’ve come until you look back. 🌳✨

05/09/2026

Have you entered our competition?

Winner is drawn tomorrow on Father's Day so get your entries in NOW so you don't miss out!

Look for our competition post further down our page .
Good luck everyone 🤞

29/08/2026

Going through old photos and videos from when we first took over the homestead as its new custodians, I found this little video I had sent to the family 🤣

I didn’t want to share it here originally… but what the heck! 😂 Renovating and taking on a very old house that was pretty much fully furnished comes with a few surprises along the way! Lol.

This was taken just after I’d removed the wallpaper strip that ran below the cornices. It was very ‘80s and really wasn’t my taste — and neither was the paint colour, which has thankfully now been changed!

But this room, out of all the rooms in the homestead, is still my absolute favourite. ❤️

That gorgeous arched window lets in so much beautiful sunlight and has the loveliest views across the front garden.

It’s funny looking back at where we started and seeing just how much has changed since those early days of becoming custodians of Burnima. 🏡🌿
Eewww reaction ... i couldn't have said it better after discovering this behind a piano we had moved 🤣 🪰

28/08/2026

Wake to the soothing whisper of the pine trees, breathe in the fresh country air and enjoy a slow country morning at your own pace. 🌿☕️

With a cosy kitchenette, you can prepare a leisurely breakfast right in the cottage before settling in on the front veranda with a hot cuppa — perhaps enjoying breakfast as the morning sun filters through the trees. 🥐☕️🌳

Then, when you’re ready, take a gentle stroll through the gardens and soak up the charm and history of beautiful Burnima Estate.

Slow mornings. Fresh country air. Heritage surroundings.
Just the way country mornings should be. 🤎

Historic Burnima Estate
Tourism New South Wales 🇦🇺