Widden is in the South Western corner of the Hunter Valley, located on 8,000 acres of spectacular horse country in the Widden Valley and bordered by the renowned Wollemi World Heritage National Park, Widden Stud truly is ‘horse heaven’.

The crystal waters of the Widden Creek flow through idyllic expanses of emerald pasture sheltered by towering majestic sandstone cliffs that capture every nuance of sunlight from dawn to dusk.

Pristine and tranquil, this unique environment has been nurtured as a sanctuary for thoroughbreds since the 1870’s when the Thompson family made the fortuitous decision to switch their focus from sheep to horses.

‘This is the story of a valley. A valley of lush, green springs and golden summers, its sweet waters, its abundant pastures and sheltered timber are ringed about by steep ramparts. Winter cannot disturb its calm. One could search the world for such a place.

Long before the white man came, the tribesman had given it a name that none would change – ‘Widden’ – “stay here”! Here the Thompson family came a century ago and here they stayed.’

Douglas M. Barrie,Valley of Champions, 1967.

Our World Heritage

The Widden Valley lies amidst the Wollemi Wilderness, the largest forested wilderness area in New South Wales. The Wollemi National Park is over 492,000 hectares stretching from Denman all the way down to Lithgow and forms part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

The landscape of the park is dominated by a spectacular maze of deep valleys, narrow gorges, cliffs, escarpments and waterfalls, formed by the weathering of the sandstone.

Much of the Wollemi National Park is undisturbed forest. A rich variety of flora and fauna include the only known wild specimens of the Wollemi Pine, a species thought to have become extinct approximately thirty million years ago,but discovered alive in three small stands in 1994.Although the location of this colony of pines is a well guarded secret, it is believed to be in close proximity to the Widden Valley.

The breathtaking views around the Widden Valley as the sunset brings out the orange and pink tones of the sandstone cliffs, contrasting against the lush lucerne flats, leaves you in no doubt “There is nowhere in the world like Widden”.