The Ultimate Horse Girls Weekend Away | Equestrienne

First Edition Summer 2022

Welcome to destination Sugar Beach Ranch. Read about the story behind the Surfing Cowboys lifestyle, from its inception with the Murphy family to today where it caters to all horse and animal lovers. 

Sugar Beach Ranch sits on 60 acres of unspoilt east coast beauty. Endless deserted white sandy beaches, eagles soaring overhead, whales breaching on the doorstep and beautiful native coastal vegetation. 

Sugar Beach Ranch was the beloved home of CM Murphy, a music maverick, entrepreneur and visionary. Chris’ life was a colourful journey, being thrust into the music industry at a young age, through to his success in managing INXS to international stardom and beyond, his tenacity and vision unparalleled. Sadly, in January 2021, Chris succumbed to a rare form of cancer and passed away at his beloved Sugar Beach Ranch in South Ballina. 

Chris is greatly missed, however, having worked with her father for many years, Chris’s eldest daughter Stevey Arena, has taken the reins as Managing Director for Murphy Petrol Group, and is continuing the legacy of her fathers dreams of the ‘Surfing Cowboy lifestyle’ at Sugar Beach Ranch. Stevey is passionate about breeding quality sports horses and Sugar Beach Ranch is the home to a successful polo pony breeding stud. “Pony club horses with Ferrari engines!”

There are unique sandy bush trails, endless white sandy beaches where you can get a glimpse of dolphins as you gallop past and excellent facilities to look after horses. The Murphy family are opening up the big white gates of Sugar Beach Ranch for people to bring their horse and share the beauty which Chris often referred to as ‘natures playground’.  

Chris and the family spent hours riding horses on the beach, raced pigeons, wrote books and built a thriving egg farm as they lived their surfing cowboys lifestyle. 

Book the quaint self-contained beach bungalows that sleep 4 with access to stables or paddocks. Soak up the peace, privacy and idyllic beach vibes of this secluded island get-away (nearest neighbours 3kms away).

Get back to nature, on horseback. There are bush trails all around the property and only 50 metre ride to the sugar-white beach through pockets of coastal rainforest and unspoilt sandiness. You can gallop along the pacific coastline or meander along at sunset. Both make for dreamy insta stories. When you get back, refresh with a swim in the 15m heated pool or lounge under the cabana with that book you’ve been wanting to read.

A quick journey across the car ferry will have you in Ballina., Byron Bay or Bangalow within a 30 minute car trip/ There are waterfalls and bush walks close by if you feel like venturing further. Then are up to the songs of native birds & enjoy fresh eggs for breakfast. Bring your guitar, sketch pad or note book and loll away the hours nurturing your soul in paradise. A holiday for you and your horses.

Photography by Kat Rollings