Tucked Away From Civilisation

‘Woodstock’ Supports Youth Programs

‘Woodstock’ is a property along Plunkett Road covering over 300 acres of magnificent green space. The beautiful property is full of rolling green hills, vibrant trees, and incredible vistas – Tamborine Mountain looms over the horizon, and one feels as though they could become lost in the pocket of bush tucked away from civilisation.

Youth Enterprises Trust Office
Youth Enterprises Trust Office

Woodstock borders onto two National Parks: the Wickham National Park, and the Tamborine National Park. Conservation is a major goal on the property – with many newly planted saplings reaching for the warmth of the sun, as well as Bunya Pine trees old enough to bear fruits (100 years), and native wildlife utilising wildlife corridors established upon the property.

Woodstock Property
Woodstock Property looking towards Tamborine Mountain

The property was originally purchased from Paul Plunkett who took over his father’s dairy when he died in 1936. In 1965, he  sold most of the land north of Plunkett Road (which became Yarrabilba) and a section of the land south of the road to the Hancock family (which became ‘Woodstock’). The Hancock Brothers, John and Viv, established a nursery to raise seedlings and began planting Pinus Elliotti (Slash Pine) in 1966 in order to encourage a sustainable approach to forestry while supplying their long established sawmill in Ipswich. Descendant Lloyd Hancock, Queenslander of the Year in 2001, became a founder of the Youth Enterprise Trust in the 1990s. He hoped to join youth, land, and community in a way that benefited young people. The original YET program aimed to develop the self-esteem, self-reliance, and work motivations of the young adults in a way that also instilled an appreciation of the environment in which they grew up.

100 Year Old Bunya Pine
100 Year Old Bunya Pine

Today, Woodstock continues to collaborate with outside organisations to run workshops and activities that are designed for the community. Much as Lloyd’s family home continues to stand on the property and utilised as a retreat, Woodstock continues it’s mission of helping the youth to connect to the environment. For more info, go to woodstock.org.au