Deltroit and the Valley of Hillas Creek: A Social and Environmental History

It takes vision and fortitude to transform 'wilderness' in the Murrumbidgee basin into something of the eminence of Deltroit, one of the finest grazing properties south of Sydney. Who was it that achieved this, how was it done, and why did this iconic Riverina property, about which nothing has ever been published before, end up in the hands of King Ranch, Texas, a giant in global beef production? What is it about Deltroit that continues to seduce and set the benchmark in modern pastoralism? When Nicola Wynn, a former solicitor born and bred in London, married Anthony Crichton-Brown, Chief Executive of Lumley Insurance, she knew he owned a large farm in New South Wales but never dreamt that it would become their marital home. Within a short time, however, she was to exchange a hectic life in the metropolis for the isolation of rural Australia. Having negligible experience of country life anywhere, she faced the challenge of making a new life in a completely different environment from the one she knew. More importantly, this move coincided with the worst drought in New South Wales for a hundred years and, possibly, since the beginning of white settlement. Finding some parallels between her own situation and those which she imagined must have faced the original pioneering family at Deltroit, she began to discover the history behind the gilded cage that had become her home. In doing so, she found a way into the heart of the community and a connection with the land that she never thought possible. This book is the result of her efforts.