Chessenden Farm, Allyn River Valley
Southerly
1500 acres. Working cattle property.
3 hours from Sydney.
Capital conversation open. Experience waitlist forming.
Chessenden Farm, Allyn River Valley
1500 acres. Working cattle property.
3 hours from Sydney.
Capital conversation open. Experience waitlist forming.
Each rung generates the proof of demand and the cash that funds the next. Nothing launches until the infrastructure beneath it is operational. Guests upgrade through the ladder. Revenue funds the next build.
Heritage homestead on the river flat. The operational base. Check in. Phones stay here. Renovation comes first before anything else launches.
Proves the place. Funds through overnight stays.
The sauna is the first build. Day guests arrive before the Dairy House renovation is complete. Private sauna, cold river plunge, picnic on the river flat. Drive in. Drive home. First paying guests, first proof.
A$350 per person (decided)
Proves the audience. Covers operating costs from M5-M7. Funds the Dairy House stay launch.
Dairy House overnight stays from M9. Then Friday Night stays in eco structures by the river from M11. Consistent base-load occupancy between Summit weekends. Day Experience guests upgrade naturally.
Covers operating costs. Funds the eco structure build.
Wool blanket, enamel cup, calico hamper. Attached to every experience at every level. Keepsakes that travel back to Sydney and start conversations. The marketing that costs nothing.
Word of mouth. Referral into Summit.
Two nights. Ten people at most. Five couples, or five of you. Night one up top, under the stars. Day two: the Pinnacle, brunch mid-mountain, the long walk down. Night two by the river. Some meals are cooked for you. The rest you cook over fire. The primary commercial engine. Every other rung feeds it.
The keystone. The referral engine. The return visit.
The Base
The base, on the river flat.
Check in. Phones stay here.
A working farmhouse the guest happens to stay in.
Self-directed. Come and go as you like.
Late 1800s weatherboard. Corrugated tin. Honest.
An afternoon by the river.
Cheese, sourdough, nothing to do.
Day Experience
The sauna. The Allyn River. Cold and clear.
Multiple rounds: heat, plunge, rest, repeat.
An epic picnic on the river flat to finish.
Drive in from Sydney or the Hunter. Drive home.
No overnight required. The lowest commitment to the place.
The Summit
Two nights. Ten people at most. Five couples, or five of you.
Night one up top, under the stars.
Day two: the Pinnacle, brunch mid-mountain, the long walk down.
The one climb, and the only time you will sweat.
Night two by the river.
Some meals are cooked for you. The rest you cook over fire.
Night one up top, under the stars.
520 m at the top. No schedule.
The Set Piece
After the Pinnacle. Halfway down.
A table set before you arrive on foot.
Views that earned the climb.
The one moment that carries the whole weekend.
Numbers marked modelled, quotes pending are derived from market comparables or internal modelling. No external quotes received for these figures as of July 2026. This transparency is intentional.
The System: One Page| Product | Capacity | Price | Est. Gross Margin | Stage Gate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day Experience | 2-8 guests per session | A$350 pp | 55-65%modelled, quotes pending | Sauna built and operational |
| Dairy House Stay | 2-6 guests | A$400-650 /nightmodelled, quotes pending | 60-70%modelled, quotes pending | Renovation complete; kitchen licensed by NSW Food Authority |
| Friday Night Stay | 2-10 guests across structures | A$300-500 /structure/nightmodelled, quotes pending | 60-70%modelled, quotes pending | First eco structures installed |
| Summit | 10 guests max | A$1,200-2,000 ppmodelled, quotes pending Price not set. Planning range only. David must decide before M11. |
35-55%modelled, quotes pending F&B A$240/head (decided) |
Dairy House + eco structures + sauna + amenities + 2 trained hosts |
| Sunday Hamper | Per couple; ~60% take-up modelled | A$120-180 /couplemodelled, quotes pending | 40-50%modelled, quotes pending | Summit operational |
Day Experience price of A$350 per person is a decided figure (David, 2 Jul 2026). All other prices are modelled from comparable operators and have not been tested in market.
M0 is the settlement of 62 Church Street, Maitland. Timing unknown as of July 2026. Anglican Diocese of Newcastle concurrence is the active blocker. All months are relative to M0. No calendar dates appear on this page.
All revenue figures modelled. Summit pricing not set; figures assume A$1,600 per person base. No external validation. Figures exclude owner drawings, tax, and future maintenance capex.
All capex figures are David's own estimates. Builder and supplier quotes pending for all items.modelled, quotes pending
| Item | Budget | Draw Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Dairy House renovation including commercial kitchen fit-out | A$280,000 | M1-M9 progress payments |
| Septic and amenities block | A$60,000 | M2-M5 |
| Sauna (8-person cedar, wood-fired, off-grid) | A$40,000-60,000modelled, quotes pending | M1-M2 |
| Furnishings, kitchen kit, linens | A$30,000 | M8-M9 |
| Pre-DA meeting, regulatory, Food Authority application | A$10,000-15,000 | M0-M2 |
| Contingency | A$5,000-20,000 | As required |
| Total first tranche draw | ~A$425,000-445,000 | M0-M9 |
Second tranche required from approximately M9-M10: 5 eco structures A$400,000, road upgrades A$30,000, workshop A$25,000, Pinnacle infrastructure A$10,000. Total second tranche approximately A$465,000. Source TBD as of July 2026.
Full property build across both tranches. All line items are David's own estimates; no builder or supplier quotes received as of July 2026.modelled, quotes pending
| Item | Budget |
|---|---|
| Dairy House renovation including commercial kitchen | A$280,000 |
| Septic and amenities block | A$60,000 |
| 5 eco structures at A$80,000 each | A$400,000 |
| Workshop (freight container) | A$25,000 |
| Road upgrades (lower property only) | A$30,000 |
| Pinnacle infrastructure (water tank, composting toilet, outdoor shower) | A$10,000 |
| Furnishings, kitchen kit, linens | A$30,000 |
| Total banked capex | A$755,000 |
Note: the A$755,000 total does not include a separate sauna line. Sauna is modelled at A$40,000-60,000. If confirmed as a separate item, true total capex is approximately A$805,000 unless absorbed within the eco structures or amenities budget. Resolution pending supplier quotes.
Chessenden Farm: 1500 acres, Allyn River Valley. River frontage. Pinnacle access at 520 m. Working cattle property. 3 hours from Sydney. No comparable competitor has been identified in the Dungog and Barrington Tops region as of July 2026. This asset cannot be replicated by a new entrant at any price in the short term. The barrier is the land itself.
Each stage proves demand and generates cash before the next is funded. Day Experience proves at A$350 per person that people will pay to come to Chessenden before A$400,000 is committed to eco structures that Summit depends on. Capital is never at risk on an untested proposition. An investor entering at any stage buys into a product that has already been proven by the stage below it.
Summit is capped at 10 guests by design: regulatory positioning (structure count and class are chosen to sit within NSW exempt-development thresholds for temporary structures; a pre-DA meeting with Dungog Council is budgeted in tranche one to confirm), product quality (the small group is the product), and word-of-mouth concentration (10 people who share the same experience generate more reliable referrals than 50 who have different ones). The price is defensible precisely because it is not available to 50 people at once.
Kill Risk 1
Day Experience demand at A$350 does not exist at this location
Day Experience is designed to prove audience and generate cash before the A$400,000 eco structure commitment. If it does not fill at A$350 per person, Summit is built on an unproven audience. The entire capital allocation rationale depends on this first proof point. This is the highest-priority assumption in the model.
Early warning signalFewer than 10 paid bookings in the first 6 weeks of operation. Enquiry-to-booking conversion below 50%. Average group size under 2.5 people.
Plan BReduce price to A$275-300 per person for a 3-month calibrated test. If that fills sessions, pricing was the issue and the product concept is valid. If A$275 also does not fill, pause and reformat the product before Summit depends on it. Do not commit eco structure capex until at least 3 months of consistent demand data exists.
Kill Risk 2
Eco structure cost is 2x the A$80,000 per unit estimate
Each eco structure is estimated at A$80,000. No external quotes have been received as of July 2026. A premium off-grid cedar structure meeting the Southerly aesthetic register may realistically cost A$120,000-160,000 delivered to the Allyn River Valley. If so, five structures costs A$700,000 instead of A$400,000 and the second tranche requirement grows by A$300,000.
Early warning signalFirst supplier quotes return above A$100,000 per unit.
Plan BBuild 2 structures only in the first eco stage. Summit runs at 4-6 guests minimum. Revenue per Summit weekend at 4 guests and A$2,000 per person remains economically viable. Extend to 4-5 structures only when Summit revenue funds it from operations, not from the capital tranche.
Kill Risk 3
Settlement delay compresses or eliminates the build window
62 Church Street settlement funds the first A$450,000 tranche. As of July 2026, Anglican Diocese of Newcastle concurrence is the active blocker. Every month of delay pushes every milestone. Day Experience cannot launch until the sauna is built, and the sauna cannot be ordered without the deposit capital.
Early warning signalDiocese has not responded by August 2026. No expected settlement date available from the solicitor.
Plan BComplete every pre-build action that does not require capital before M0: pre-DA meeting with Dungog Council, Food Authority application in draft, builder shortlisted and ready to contract, sauna supplier selected and quote accepted pending deposit, ATDW registration form completed, editorial pitches drafted and held, Instagram account active with build content. When capital lands, week-one momentum replaces months of setup. The project does not lose the work done. It loses calendar time only.
Southerly is open to two conversations: capital, and experience. Neither requires a commitment today.
For Investors
Capital Conversation
Intergenerational capital deployment into a property-based hospitality business at Chessenden Farm. First working tranche: A$450,000. Hard asset that appreciates independently of operating income. Write with your question. We reply ourselves.
For Guests and Partners
Experience Waitlist
Day Experience and Summit are not yet open. The waitlist is forming now. Write with who you are and what draws you here. We select carefully and reply ourselves.
1500 acres. 520 m at the top. 3 hours from Sydney.
If you want to know more, write to us. We reply ourselves.
davidsivyerau@gmail.comDavid Sivyer
We reply ourselves.