The town of Balladonia has a rich and unique history. Originally settled in 1879 the region became a thriving and prosperous wool producing area. Over a century later wool production is still the number one industry, followed closely behind by tourism.
Balladonia Hotel Motel - our story
Just like the local area, the Balladonia Hotel Motel also has an interesting past. Purchased by the Prendiville family in 1965, we've been going from strength to strength for more than 45 years. We started from pretty humble beginnings but we've grown into a well known tourist hub offering everything from four star accommodation through to backpacker's dongas.
Skylab and its fiery re-entry
Back in the late 1970's Balladonia was thrust into the international spotlight. In July, the world was captivated by the plight of a wayward NASA space station called Skylab. For weeks there was a lot of speculation about where it would come crashing to earth. NASA scientists predicted South Africa but in the early morning of July 13, 1979 they were proved wrong. On the centenary of Balladonia's settlement, fiery pieces of Skylab landed around the grounds of our hotel prompting a call by then president Jimmy Carter to apologise for the mess!
Our museum has a lot of information about Skylab and the events that unfolded that night so it's well worth a visit.