THERE is something for everyone at Chilli Waters and that’s exactly the way owners Haydn and Donna Emmett intended their business to be.
Chilli Waters offers visitors the opportunity to play Big Ball Golf and Supa Putt, explore the beautiful native and tropical gardens, purchase bamboo from the nursery, enjoy a coffee or snack in the café, or even hire the venue for a special event.
They also produce a skincare range, Body and Rural from the Farm, produced from avocadoes grown on the property, but supply is limited because the avocado oil has been in such high demand.
It has been a labour of love for the Emmetts, who purchased the 21-hectare property in 2003 and officially opened the business in 2006.
For Haydn and Donna and their six children, all being keen surfers, moving from Perth to the South West seemed like the perfect idea.
When they came across a property in Wilyabrup they saw plenty of potential in the paddocks previously used for grazing dairy cattle.
They loved the location and from day one have been committed to improving their patch, all the while continuing their plan to create a multi-faceted business.
Having been one of the original founders of Supa Golf (and a shareholder) – golf with large-headed clubs and larger, plastic balls, Haydn said Big Ball Golf was the first aspect of the business they established.
“We originally opened with the golf and offering as a venue for weddings,” Haydn said.
“It’s taken a while to get into the market for weddings, but we offer venue hire and self-catering options which make it more accessible.
“We added the Supa Putt in 2010 and began planting bamboo around the same time, now we have 70 different varieties of clumping bamboo.
“I’m an amateur bamboo enthusiast, so it was always part of the plan to have bamboo included in the business.
“We get a lot of interest and it goes everywhere in WA, from Merredin to Albany, Geraldton and Perth.”
The business has evolved over time, as the property has been developed and various aspects have grown.
The Emmetts don’t sit idle and it’s clear that a lot of arduous work and commitment has gone into making the property what it is today – which is somewhere that people want to spend time, a far cry from the baron paddock it once was.
“Waiting for the property to become beautiful was the most challenging aspect,” Hadyn said.
“It was a dairy paddock to start with, so everything apart from three acres of marri trees, we planted ourselves.
“It’s taken a while to grow and reach its potential, but in the past five years we have started getting comments about how beautiful the property is.”
Throughout the beautification process, Chilli Waters has become increasingly popular as a destination for special events such as weddings, with some of Hadyn and Donna’s children having their own weddings on the property.
The native and tropical gardens make an ideal setting for a ceremony and with the option of having everything at the one venue – guests can settle in, without having to leave to attend the reception and even enjoy a round of Big Ball Golf or Supa Putt.
Many visitors are drawn to the property mainly for the golf, which appeals to those from three years old right up to those in their 90s.
With nine holes in just under one kilometre, it is a viable option for most people, of all skill levels.
“We get a lot of people purely for the golf or Supa Putt, we get a lot of people purely for the bamboo and we get a lot of people purely for weddings – but the thing is, once they are here, they inevitably end up enjoying everything,” Haydn said.
True to form, the formidable team still has a few business ideas up its sleeves.
Haydn said there was a parcel of land on the property that would be developed into something special.
There’s no doubt about it, the Emmetts intend on making the most of their patch.
“We love living here and feel incredibly lucky,” Haydn said.
“If this isn’t God’s country, I don’t know what is.
“It’s been an absolute privilege to have lived here for as long as we have, and when you love it so much – there is really nothing to complain about.”
