The name of the company “The Holt Estate 1861” commemorates the year in which Thomas Holt MLC first purchased the parcel of land upon which the quarry now sits.

Thomas Holt was born in Yorkshire in 1811, the eldest son of a successful wool merchant and manufacturer. Having left school he joined his father’s business and spent much of his time representing the family business across Europe. In 1842, he and his wife sailed to Sydney, NSW to explore the many opportunities that the young colony presented in its agricultural and pastoral industries.

For almost 40 years, he was a successful businessman and entrepreneur, actively participating in the growth and development of the colony. He was an extremely active settler who found plenty of scope in the Sydney of the 1850s. His achievements and interests were many, too many to list here, however for a fuller account, “An Energetic Colonist” by Judge Henry Holt provides an excellent and detailed description of his life (download a copy here).

Some of his more notable achievements and interests included:
• First Colonial Treasurer of NSW
• Founder of the AMP society
• Founder and Director of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
• Introduction of Oyster farming to Botany Bay
• Sheep and Alpaca farming
• Timber Production
• Land holdings and developments

The Holt Estate Today

All these years later, the land at Kurnell remains 100% owned by the descendants of Thomas Holt. In the early 2000’s 11 hectares of the original land purchased were dedicated to the NSW State Government as regional open space and were incorporated into Towra Nature Reserve.

Today the remaining land is used in a number of ways. The section north of Captain Cook Drive (Lot 2 North) is used for horse riding, equestrian activities and stables. The land south of Captain Cook Drive (Lot 2 South) is used for sand extraction and rehabilitation. Further south, Bate Bay is a recreation park, while Boat Harbour houses waterfront holiday cabins.

Besmaw Pty Ltd is the family company that controls the business on behalf of five different family groups.

In recent years, Besmaw and the Holt family have been in talks with the NSW Department of Planning, Infrastructure and Environment (DPIE) and Sutherland Shire Council about planning for the future to deliver a sustainable future for the site.

This is a long-term planning process. Providing the community and key stakeholders with an opportunity to contribute to the process is a key objective of Besmaw and the Holt family and is something that will take place once the process has reached the appropriate point. In keeping with the longstanding tradition of the Holt Family, it is important that the final outcome contributes positively to the community and delivers benefits to everyone who is impacted.