#34: Blood, Sweat & Green Carpet – The Story Behind Black Gold

In this episode of Made in Lithgow, Ian and Brad sit down with Brad’s parents, Robert and Linda Cluff—the visionary couple behind a hospitality powerhouse that started as Black Gold Cabins, evolved into Black Gold Motel, and is now simply known as Black Gold.

What they’ve built isn’t just a business. It’s a beacon of possibility—rising from the bones of the decommissioned Wallerawang Public School, where Robert once cried walking through the gates as a child, and where four generations of Cluffs studied, including Brad, Katrina, Derryn, and Robert’s grandmother.

Today, that same site is home to:

• 🏨 71 rooms across villas, cabins, suites, and motel-style accommodation

• 🍽️ Tripadvisor’s #1-rated restaurant and accommodation in the Central West & Blue Mountains

• 🏛️ The Barton Centre – a modern training and conference venue used by agencies across NSW

• 🏆 Business NSW’s Best Large Business in the State

• 🌍 Tripadvisor’s Top 1% of Hotels Worldwide – #21 in Australia (2025)

• 👥 A team of 45 staff, welcoming 60,000+ guests each year

Robert, a fitter and former coal mine deputy, brought the shovel and the daring.
Linda, a former Police Assistance Line worker and office administrator, brought the structure and systems to grow it.
Together, they proved what’s possible with vision, sacrifice, and relentless teamwork.

Now joined by Brad and his wife Emily, Black Gold continues to thrive as a cornerstone of regional tourism and transformation—right across from a concrete dispatch plant, a rock-crushing yard, and an old power station. Proof that beauty and brilliance can come from anywhere.

At the heart of it all is Robert’s favourite saying:
👉 Never say can’t.

This is a story of family. Of grit. Of building something bigger than yourself.
And of what it takes to turn the unused old… into gold.