WHAT began as a dream to reclaim neglected land and create a retreat for the Eaton family has turned into a thriving business.

Owned by Paul and Rebecca Eaton, Linga Longa Estate is set on 283 hectares in the picturesque Blackwood River Valley. It includes a mix of native bush, 65ha of blue gums and 32ha of pine.

The Eaton family, with the help of friends and extended family, transformed their block of land, in their own unique way.

“The property was a pine plantation years ago and was regrown to blue gums, we harvested the blue gums and planted pines where there had been nothing,” Paul said.

The Eatons now describe their property as a place that inspires dreams and adventure, that you will never want to leave.

They restored the old homestead, turned a dam into a lake and began to beautify areas of the property, while turning their attention their other vision – building a few humble bike trails in what would later become a premiere mountain bike park, Linga Longa Mountain Bike Park.

They also run an events business, hosting events at Linga Longa such as True Grit, the WA Gravity Enduro (WAGE) series, The Wild Campout and weddings.

The latter came about after Paul and Rebecca’s son chose to get married on the property in 2017 and they now have a large permanent marquee with clear walls overlooking the lake and rolling hills.

Forestry has played a critical role at Linga Longa, as well as providing functional and aesthetic elements, Paul said the income provided had helped them grow their other businesses.

They are in partnership with Wespine and Paul said they had first bid on all forestry related activities, from thinnings through to harvest.

“The harvesting of the blue gums has been a major financial injection to our business, allowing for significant capital expenditure,” he said.

“One of the biggest challenges for us was finding someone to harvest our blue gums and getting advice, so when Wespine asked about our interest in planting trees, I said you help get me our trees harvested and I’ll deal with you!”

“I would absolutely recommend forestry as an income diversification, especially with ground that might be steep and not used for other purposes.”

Looking forward, Paul and Rebecca plan to let their blue gums grow for another six years before harvesting them and replacing with pines.

Photograph of Eaton family by Victoria Baker