Buckley’s Crossing Hotel

Livonne Larkins

Petra: Do you grow your own food?

Jackson: Yes, we do. We’re at about 40% self-sufficiency and we’re hoping to be completely self-sufficient by the end of the year.

Petra: How important are your animals to you and what are your thoughts on compassion and kindness?

Jackson: I love animals and since a child I have always wanted to be a veterinarian. I didn’t get the grades to pursue that as a career, however, I feel what we’ve created is the closest possible thing and comes with a lot more fulfillment and flexibility.

For my entire life I have always had a connection with animals and wanted to create a sanctuary for animals in need.

What still amazes me is the sheer resilience and kindness that our animals have, even despite their hardship and previous trauma. Every single one of our animals has their own unique personality and it brings me endless pleasure to watch them live their best life on our property where they can roam freely in peace.

Petra: In your work you help to create better lives for your clients and their families, how important is holistic balance to you?

Jackson: It is of utmost importance, and it is something that often is overlooked. So many people have become stuck in the pursuit of superficial belongings and sacrificed the quality of their experience to chase vanity metrics and then unfortunately go on to regret their sacrifice.

I believe that the entrepreneurial world is coming full circle and with the advancements in technology, business owners finally have the ability to create a truly profitable lifestyle business.

My mantra is built around helping business owners create what we call the ‘F4’ - a business that produces $400,000 a year in profit; allows you to work 4 days a week, 44 weeks a year; and fast track to $4 million in net wealth.

We’re proud to have helped many of our clients achieve this goal and amass over $1.5 billion in combined wealth.

Petra: How many animals do you have at the moment and what are your future plans?

Jackson: At current count we have 68 which will likely be closer to 80 by the end of the month as we have chickens, guinea fowls and turkeys laying on eggs right now.

We’d love to expand our sanctuary to over 200 animals and our plans are to expand our herd of bulls to 10 which we rescue from local dairies; plus, camels who are often used in tourism or for their milk, pea fowl and bees.

The list goes on as I want ALL of the animals – haha!

Visit: bit.ly/YLBGroup Images: ©Jackson Millan

DAY 7

You will think time stopped in this place the moment you walk in. I’ve been a happy visitor for many years and my family always looks forward to the next visit if we are staying or not, it has the spirit of Snowy Mountains! The meals are always great and generous especially in the warm evening atmosphere, and the cowboy hat and boot wearing locals are priceless. While many historical places have not survived the unfortunate events of the last two years, it’s a treat to come across something so historical and perfectly functional that serves as a true community hub, as well as a meeting place for family and friends travelling from afar. Once I queued for dinner with a Canberra man who was here to meet his brother who was here travelling from Victoria. This place is loved by travellers of all sorts - motor bike riders, cyclists, outdoor enthusiasts, etc. In this yarn, owner Sharon Jones shares what’s special about her place.

Petra: Where are you located?

Sharon: In the small historic town of Dalgety on the Monaro Plains in NSW.