Golden Vale
Golden Valley
Golden Vale was originally named Golden Valley by the ex-convict
Thomas Wilmott when he was granted the land in
1842. After receiving his ticket of leave in 1822, Wilmott
amassed some wealth and was a successful innkeeper in the
Berrima District. He also became the owner of several other
properties besides Golden Valley. Linda Emery’s book ‘Tales
from a Churchyard’ provides a fascinating history of the Wilmott
family.
Edward Carter was the son of free settlers Benjamin and Ann
Carter who had settled in the district in 1836. Upon Benjamin
Carter’s death in 1857, Edward inherited his father’s substantial
land holdings, approximately 18,000 acres. Edward Carter
purchased Golden Valley from Wilmott in July of the same
year.
Golden Vale
Through astute management, Edward increased his land
holdings to around 40,000 acres. The majority of his land
was between the Old Hume Highway and the Wollondilly River,
west of Berrima, as well as in the Joadja Valley, where he
discovered and set up the first shale oil mine in 1873. In 1878
Edward sold the mine to the Australian Kerosene Oil and
Minerals Company in order to concentrate on his grazing
activities.
Edward Carter and his family initially lived in a modest brick
home on the Golden Vale property. This original house was
built by a previous owner and no longer exists. The fine
Georgian-style sandstone homestead we see today, Golden Vale, was built by Edward to accommodate his wife
and family and his youngest son was born there in 1870.
The Carter family had become important leaders in the district
by the time Golden Vale homestead was built. In 1879 Alfred,
Edward’s eldest son, left Golden Vale and moved to the
property, Lake Edward at Crookwell. Edward and his sons
ran sheep and cattle and bred some very fine horses at the
Crookwell and 
Sutton Forest properties over the following
years.
By 1898 Alfred had married and managed all the family properties. Edward Carter died in 1903 and was buried at All Saints Church in Sutton Forest. He had seen his family fortune increase over the years and was able to leave each son a sizeable holding.
A year after his father’s death, Alfred Carter returned to live
at Golden Vale with his wife and small son, Walter. Alfred
died in 1922 and Walter left Golden Vale five years later to
return to his original home at Crookwell. In 1939 Golden Vale
was sold to Sir Phillip Goldfinch who retained the property
until his death in 1943.
Keighley Family
In 1943 Mr Frank Keighley, of “Myddelton” (Mt. Eymard) in
Bowral, purchased Golden Vale from the executors of the
Goldfinch Estate. This property remained in the Keighley
family until it was gifted to The National Trust of Australia
(NSW) by Geoffrey and Karin Keighley. Golden Vale has been
home to members of the Keighley family for over sixty years
and still remains Mrs Keighley’s place of residence.
The Homestead
The Golden Vale homestead is a very fine building of sandstone
construction facing south-east, near to the Medway Rivulet. It
has a steep iron roof with two chimneys. Original board floors
still exist in the dining room and rare cedar woodwork and
doors are located throughout the house. There is a substantial
verandah on three sides of the building. The homestead boasts
an entry hall, music room, library, drawing room and dining
room each of which have beautiful French windows and solid
fuel fireplaces. There are three large bedrooms on the first
floor, the main bedroom having the addition of a dressing room
and bathroom. The kitchen is a separate building accessed via
the conservatory. The former servants room is now the laundry
and there is an adjoining meat room.
Recent Changes
In 1984 some changes took place including the construction
of an Italianate loggia and pool. A garage was also built onto
the home courtyard. It was constructed of sandstone to match
the existing buildings. On the north-eastern side of the
homestead a conservatory was added, which allows more
sunlight into the interior of the home.
Outbuildings on the Golden Vale property include the original
sandstone barn and stables, a weatherboard woolshed and
several machinery sheds.
The attractive gardens surrounding the homestead have been
created in the English style by Karin Keighley. The plants are
primarily deciduous trees and shrubs and, come springtime,
the garden is alive with drifts of bulbs. Another point of interest
in the garden is the beautiful collection of parrots displayed
in aviaries. High stone-capped walls protect part of the
garden from the weather. Outside these walls a long, treelined
driveway leads up to the front gates on the Golden Vale
Road.
Golden Vale and the National Trust
In 2004, the Hon W.G. Keighley OAM and Mrs Keighley gifted
the immaculate Golden Vale property of 300 acres to the
National Trust of Australia (NSW). Mrs Keighley and a
manager look after the day-to-day care of the property so
future generations can enjoy this magnificent gift to the nation.
The National Trust is a charity. The income required to look after and maintain this property and the many others you can look up here on our website comes largely from membership and donation. Please help us care for these properties on behalf of future generations. JOIN NOW and experience the benefits of membership.
