The McLachlan Family's first association with the local area commenced with the arrival by boat from Scotland in the 1880's of brothers Dugald and Angus McLachlan.
Their earliest involvement with The Entrance area was when Dugald McLachlan established a market garden, growing mainly tomatoes on approximately 60 acres along the Wyong Road at Killarney Vale in the 1890's.
During World War 1, Duglad's son's, brothers Clyde and Douglas enlisted and served in France and on their safe arrival home, built and developed the family run Inveresk Guest House in Gordon Road, Long Jetty (which stood until approximately 1990). At the same time the brothers became foundation members of the newly formed Long Jetty R.S.L. with the first Anzac Day Reunion being held on 26 April, 1926.
Together with their elder brother Norman, they were the successful tenderers to the then Erina Shire Council for the re-construction of the original "Long Jetty" which had been destroyed by storm and floods 2 years earlier.
In 1924 Clyde and Douglas established McLachlan Brothers Real Estate Agents, which proudly boasted "inspections for buyers by motorised vehicle". The two brothers also conducted a house building business and later developed the McLachlan Avenue and Liddell Street, Long Jetty land sub-divisions.
Whilst Douglas McLachlan continued in the building industry, Clyde McLachlan became involved in selling land for private developers during the "pegged" prices days where he gained an honest reputation for selling the land at the pegged (or VG) price at the time. In those days the Government regulated the sale price of land and it was common practice for owners to ask for cash payments over and beyond the prices set by the Government.
With the onset of the Great Depression, Clyde McLachlan had returned to Sydney to seek employment and married Bessie Miller. Their children Peter, Margaret, and Ian were raised in the home at Holden Street, Canterbury and during that time the well-known holiday letting business was established in the family home.
Sydney families would visit the McLachlan home to select their holiday house from photo albums and would then mainly arrive for their holiday at The Entrance or Long Jetty by train, bus or ferry.
In the 1950's McLachlan Real Estate was opened in its present site on the main road at Long Jetty by Clyde'' eldest son Peter and his wife Madeline, whilst the youngest son Ian maintained the holiday letting office in Sydney until 1968 when that section of the business was transferred to the Long Jetty office.
The Long Jetty family business is today continued by Peter's eldest son Bruce and together with a staff of 15 conduct property sales and management throughout the lower Wyong Shire area. From its humble beginnings, the agency has continued it's family based values and maintained its well regarded reputation in the community based on the original principals set down by its founders in those early years, setting many record sale prices in the district over recent years. In 2004, McLachlan Partners proudly celebrate the 80-year anniversary of the establishment of the original agency with over 250 local residents joining in the celebration.