Gregory Blaxland was commissioned to find ‘The Great North Road’ for the fledgling colony of Sydney and passed through Broke in 1816. His elder brother John was later granted land where the Blaxland family built the cottage around 1890. John Blaxland pioneered the beef cattle industry. He later diversified and was the first to export wine from Australia and win an overseas award for it. With a rich family history in Broke, Bernadette and Max Tolson returned to the valley and purchased Broke Estate in 2012. In 2016 the first grapes were harvested under the new label and the guidance of Max with his 40+ years of experience in viticulture and agriculture. With the help of Bernadette and Max’s children, Laura and Alex, the Broke Estate wine and brand has been relaunched in 2017.