The History
This 26 acre property was purchased by my late father, Raymond John Conrad in 1978. The purchase came about as the property ‘Danbury’, on Benara Road, Morley was earmarked for development. Dad was passionate about his horses and began the hunt for a suitable piece of land. The property at Lefroy Avenue was bought and Aintree Quarter Horse Stud, alongside Aintree Riding Academy was quickly established. The name ‘Aintree’ came from the famous ‘Aintree Racecourse’ in England.
During the early 80’s Aintree hosted Quarter Horse racing. A ¼ mile track ran along the fence line from the back of the property. During the races, cars were parked in the paddock lining the track. I’m not entirely sure how legal the event was, regardless, a good time was had by all!
Not long after Aintree was established, Dad leased the adjoining 40 acre property next door. The two properties combined gave us 66 acres to breed horses, run the riding school and farm the land. Over the years Dad raised cattle and grew hay/lucerne crops. In recent times the 40 acre property to our left was sub-divided into four 10 acre lots.
The riding school continued to run for many years and eventually ceased operation in 2004. The insurance laws for riding schools changed dramatically at that time which meant it was no longer a financially viable business. Aintree had been leased from 2004 until 2016 at which time the mammoth task of reviving the property began.
After much planning, works began in November 2016 to resurrect Aintree. The original cottage (circa 1910) was rebuilt from the ground up with a complete head-to-toe renovation. The results – gorgeous! The cottage offers a comfortable and homely stay with all the modern conveniences and touches from the past.
I was lucky enough to grow up at Aintree enjoying the wide open space, fresh air and sounds of the kookaburras. Now I would like to extend that experience to you, your family and guests.
If you are looking for that special place – Aintree Cottage is for you!