Third resort feather in Brown's cap

Boutique tourism operator Des Brown has made an addition to his luxury accommodation retreat.

The former dairy farmer-come-tourism operator opened Eagle's Nest III yesterday in the hills of West Kentish.

Like Nest I and Nest II, the high-end retreat at the bottom of Mount Roland was another family affair.

This time, granddaughter Grace and her father Stuart Kent were pivotal in the design of the $300,000 farmhouse getaway.

Minus the seven waterslides, the inspiration for Nest III came from one of Grace's drawings.

It was then up to Mr Brown and builder Tony Braid to get it done.

Dragging his farmer's ethic of ``do it all yourself'' to his tourism ventures has been Mr Brown's trademark.

He first built Eagle Nest Retreat in 2001 with his daughter responsible for the $1 million Nest II in 2008.

"It began when I had a dream and shared it with my wife and it was to put Mount Roland on the map. Our dream means you do everything,'' he said. "That's what Nest I was - it had no budget no business plan but I had a wife who backed me to the hilt.''

The other family connection was the opening of Nest I yesterday by Tourism Minister Scott Bacon. It was his father, late premier Jim Bacon who opened the first Nest back in in 2001.

Prices for the three Nests range between $420 and $620 a night.

Source: The Examiner, 21 July 2012