Mogo's gold rush theme park, community space, tourist attraction and accommodation site was destroyed in last summer's bushfires, but a new beginning is on the horizon after the property was sold last month.

Owner Maureen Nathan said the sale was no shock, as it had been on the market for some years. She had big dreams, however time, illness, bushfires and pandemic crumpled her hopes.

Born in South Africa, Ms Nathan migrated to Australia as a teenager in 1960.

Her mother, June Lotzof, became her business partner when they purchased Old Mogo Town from Ron Prior in 1999.

"Ron Prior developed the idea of Old Mogo Town in 1991, however he didn't operate for very long and it was closed when we bought it," Ms Nathan said.

At the time, Ms Nathan also owned Batehaven Pharmacy and was a committee member of Bay Theatre Players, and later changed the name to The Original Gold Rush Colony.

She said customers and friends "needed a reason to get up each morning", as they had no job or income.

Ms Nathan wanted to keep Australian history alive. With her libertarian views, she believed, "everyone is capable of doing something gainfully".

"We worked heavily with the community and people worked to their capacity," she said.

"People who had nervous breakdowns or weren't able, grew in the work environment we provided."

The Original Gold Rush Colony kept 20 locals in jobs and catered for students who would travel from all corners of the nation to learn about culture and history.

Ms Nathan had big dreams to expand the facility, however, in 2018 she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, forcing her to rethink the future.

"It's the hidden cancer, the silent killer ..." she said.

Ms Nathan has undergone surgery and multiple courses of chemotherapy.

"I have been at the bottom of the trough, but hitting up," she said.

At the age of 74, it was too big of a task to fulfill her dreams for the colony.

"When I was diagnosed with cancer I was looking for someone to buy it," she said.

"If I was 20 years younger and in full health, I would have continued expansion with accommodation and tied in the mountain bike story with what we were originally doing - a complete rebuild," she said.

Then the bushfires hit. The 12-acre property had tourist accommodation to cater for 140 people - it was completely destroyed.

"We lost 41 buildings out of 48; all the accommodation and most of the displays," she said.

"Laing O'Rourke told us it was the biggest single clean up in NSW, if not Australia, for the bushfires."

The colony was home to five community groups and some staff who lived on site.

"People not only lost their livelihoods, but their family," she said.

Ms Nathan said the business contributed $750,000 to the local economy each year: "We sourced everything we possibly could locally, now that cash flow is non-existent in the community."

After the cleanup, Ms Nathan said there were "too many obstacles" to rebuild - COVID-19 was one.

"There was always hope it would be resurrected, but it didn't happen," she said.

Last month, Ms Nathan came to settlement with new owner, Michael Cromer. She was pleased to hear his plans to use surviving artifacts.

"We understand the Gold Rush Colony played a significant role in the community over past 30 years," Mr Cromer said.

"We plan to celebrate the history of the property and incorporate some of the remaining artifacts, such as the water wheel, the printer and rock crusher in the design."

Mr Cromer is an avid mountain biker and said Mogo will soon be home to the best trails in the state. He also has plans for the property to provide family accommodation.

"Mountain biking is growing so rapidly for kids and families," he said.

"We have plans to build cabins in the forest, set in harmony with nature and surrounds with spaces for kids to play and share dinner together - the bonus is the trails are just at the back door."

What's next for Ms Nathan? She is focused on restoring her health with the company of her brother visiting from the Philippines who is also battling cancer.

She thanked the community for the support over the years and was now enjoying time with her partner Robert Legeay and family.

"I would never have managed to do what we did without the magnificent team we had, in particular Georgina Jackson who ended up as manager," Ms Nathan said.

"She started off as gardener and night care taker and ended up being my right hand."

Sold: Mogo's Original Gold Rush Colony left in history but not forgotten first appeared on The Bay Post