As well as producing meat and wool, Andrew and Alice Duncan have opened the gates to their historic Hughes Park property in the Clare Valley, SA.
Story Gabrielle Hall Photo Nathan Story
Amid the everyday bustle of running a Merino grazing operation and juggling a young family in the Clare Valley, SA, Andrew Duncan admits there are still times when the beauty of the family’s Hughes Park property takes his breath away. “Sometimes you’ve just got to pinch yourself,” he says. “Standing outside, watching the sun go down, it’s like ‘Wow, we’ve got something pretty special here’.”
That realisation helped generate the decision to diversify into tourism. Andrew, his wife Alice, and children Daisy, 17, Millie, 14, Sophia, 11, and Tom, 7 (the sixth generation of Duncans on the property), now operate 2 bed and breakfast cottages and a destination wedding venue, while producing wool and meat on the 3,000ha property.
The Duncans opened the first cottage, Hughes Park, to the public in 2009, and added Sir Walter’s Cottage to its offerings in 2020. “Both were old worker’s cottages built in 1845 – basically old ruins when we moved here,” Alice says.
This story excerpt is from issue #162
Outback Magazine: Aug/Sep 2025
