Australian Country Homes #4

AUSTRALIAN

COUNTRY

Homes

Outdoor inspiration A phoenix h i rises i from the bushfires of Black Saturday Party central in the bush

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A restored sandstone stable At home in a water tank NO. 4 AUS $8.95* NZ $9.99 (both incl. GST)

RETRO IN THE REGIONS Sixties sensations A divine Deco house Good vineyard vibes

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Editor’s letter A Chanel tomboy Jen Ballard’s home is a microcosm of her interests, which range from war history and aviation to off-road motorcycling, couture fashion and French provincial style 17 Marketplace 18 Party central A desire for the country life led the Laws to create a whimsical wonderland 26 Mellow yellow A beach house with a ’60s mood and a Kombi parked out the front spell good vibrations for a Sydney couple 34 Deco devine A lifetime’s collecting and dealing antiques reached its zenith for a Cairns couple with the purchase of a stunning Art Deco home 42 A green break You may not own a home among the gum trees, but you can certainly take a holiday in one 50 As good as a holiday A move to South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula heralded a lifestyle change for Jillian Langford 58 Vintage vignettes Ebony Trueman’s home and career reflect her distinctive design aesthetic and her penchant for quirky settings 68 Tickle your fancy Tickle Tank, the enchanting water tank turned home and garden, is bound to capture your imagination 78 Mountain high When it came to deciding between the city or the bush, the extended Harvey family chose Mount Tamborine and an idyllic hilltop retreat within striking distance of both Brisbane and the Gold Coast 86 Finding Nino For abstract artists Billy Gruner and Sarah Keighery, living the dream means owning a faithfully restored 1960s Beachcomber project house 4 Australian Country HOMES

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COUNTRY

AUSTRALIAN

Homes

Outdoor inspiration

A COLLECTION

i iix rises h A phoen res from the bushfi ay of Black Saturd Party central in the bush

OF AUSTRALIA’S FINEST COUNTRY 4 HOMES ISSUE NO.

Creative conversions

A restored sandstone stable At home in a water tank NO. 4 AUS $8.95* NZ $9.99 (both incl. GST)

sensations REGIONS Sixties RETRO IN THE house Good vineyard vibes A divine Deco PM 21/06/2018 4:11:59

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94 Balance point Discovering the difference between needs and wants led to a move interstate and a much more relaxed life on the NSW South Coast 100 Good vibrations The Windrim family has created a benchmark for sustainability at Krinklewood in the Hunter Valley

108 Hinterland haven A 1950s farmhouse in northern NSW has become a relaxing weekender 114 Mundane to masterful Al Phemister takes ordinary, everyday materials and turns them into extraordinary sculptures 124 High country hideaway A working holiday in the Australian

Alps turned into a 40-year love affair with the region for Pru Parker 132 A phoenix rises Penni Thompson nagged her husband, Tony, to move an irrigation pump to the lake near their home on the outskirts of Marysville. It probably saved their lives during the devastating Black Saturday bushďŹ res HOMES Australian Country 5

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elcome to another issue of Australian Country Homes. I don’t know about you but here at AC HQ, we’ve had enough of the cold

weather. So this issue, we’re looking forward to the arrival of spring and the stories we’ve selected from our parent title, Australian Country, all have a focus on one

d of the great delights of the season, the rebirth of the garden.

To quote the great British garden designer Gertrude Jekyll: “A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and carefulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.” The people featured in these pages have learnt all these lessons and have generously agreed to share their stories. They have also discovered that gardening is good for not just physical wellbeing, but also mental health. If you fancy a big dose of gardening tonic, Alice Griffin has trawled the country to find some wonderful guest houses and BnBs with beautiful gardens that will restore body and soul with a break in their leafy environs. Turn to page 42 for that story.

To return to Gertrude Jekyll: ”The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.” We hope this issue inspires you to look to your own garden, whether it’s a balcony, courtyard or vast park-like expanse, and devote some time to nourishing the soil and reaping the benefits of growing your own food (even it that’s just herbs) and the unbridled pleasure of nurturing your own flowers, either in the vase or on the plant. We look forward to seeing you for next issue, which goes on sale December 6.

KIRSTY MCKENZIE, editor

kmckenzie@universalmagazines.com.au

------------------------------------------------AUSTRALIAN

COUNTRY

Homes

Editor Kirsty McKenzie

Chairman/CEO Prema Perera Publisher Janice Williams Chief Financial Officer Vicky Mahadeva Associate Publisher Emma Perera Creative conversions Finance & Administration Manager James Perera Circ Circulation Business Development Manager Mark McTaggart Creative Director Kate Podger Editorial & Production Manager Anastasia Casey To subscribe visit universalshop.com.au or ring 1300 303 414 Marketing & Acquisitions Manager Chelsea Peters FINEST COUNTRY

HOMES ISSUE NO. 4

Contributors Paula Bridges, Bronte Camilleri, Julie George, Peter Hinton, Sandra Hinton, Lauren McKellar, Siobhan O'Brien, Tahn Scoon

A phoen h ix i rises from the bushf i ires of Black Saturday Party central in the bush

OF AUSTRALIA’S

Features Editor Alice Griffin Photography Ken Brass, John Downs, Don Fuchs, Stephanie Lees, Anastasia Kariofyllidis, Ross Williams

Outdoor inspiration

A COLLECTION

Design Rachel Henderson

NO. 4 AUS $8.95* NZ $9.99 (both incl. GST)

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Australian Country Homes (No 4) is published by Universal Magazines, Unit 5, 6-8 Byfield Street, North Ryde NSW 2113. Phone: (02) 9805 0399, Fax: (02) 9805 0714. Melbourne office, Suite 4, Level 1, 150 Albert Road, South Melbourne Vic 3205. Phone (03) 9694 6444 Fax: (03) 9699 7890. Printed in Singapore by Times Printers, timesprinters.com. Distributed by Gordon and Gotch, Australia.

Singapore — Car Kit Pte Ph 65 6 282 1960 magazines1source.com NZ Distributors: Needlecraft: (06) 356 4793, fax: (06) 355 4594, needlecraft.co.nz. Gordon and Gotch New Zealand, (09) 979 3018 This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquiries should be addressed to the publishers. The publisher

ISSN 1323-9708/2208-1100 Copyright © Universal Magazines MMXVIII ACN 003 026 944 umco.com.au

6 Australian Country HOMES

A restored sandstone stable At home in a water tank RETRO IN THE REGIONS Sixtie A divine Deco house s sensations Good vineyard vibes

believes all the information supplied in this book to be correct at the time of printing. They are not, however, in a position to make a guarantee to this effect and accept no liability in the event of any information proving inaccurate. Prices, addresses and phone numbers were, after investigation and to the best of our knowledge and belief, up to date at the time of printing, but the shifting sands of time may change them in some cases. It is not possible for the publishers to ensure that advertisements which appear in this publication comply with the Trade Practices Act, 1974. The responsibility must therefore be on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisements for publication. While every endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy, the publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. * Recommended retail price

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here’s a black and white photograph in a grouping above the bed in Jen Ballard’s cottage that goes some way towards explaining her remarkably diverse portfolio of passions. The picture shows Jen’s mother, Joan Louitt, a World War II nurse with the RAAF’s Medical Air Evacuation Transport Unit, based on the island Morotai in Indonesia. With her oxygen bottle and mask at the ready, the plucky nurse was responsible for the evacuation to New Guinea of “her boys”, sick and wounded soldiers returning on litters strapped into the bellies of the Douglas C-47s that were the front line transport of the time.

“Mum went on to become one of the first batch of flight attendants with TAA,” Jen explains. “Actually I come from good adventurous stock. My grandmother, Mabel Davis, on my New Zealand Dad’s side, was a doctor’s nurse, who routinely accompanied him on home visits by horseback in the Waverley district.”

A self-confessed “tomboy with a Chanel handbag”, Jen says she loves planes and engines, and was encouraged by her father, who took her to air shows and told her stories of World War II. Her maternal grandfather, Noel Medway Louitt, also had a distinguished military career, being twice awarded the DSO at Gallipoli and later

A CHANEL TOMBOY Jen Ballard’s home is a microcosm of her interests, which range from war history and aviation to off-road motorcycling, couture fashion and French provincial style.

-------------------by KIRSTY MCKENZIE, photography KEN BR ASS

8 Australian Country HOMES

This page: A rustic garden vignette.

Opposite: Jen sees the beauty in time-worn pieces and loves the patina from years of use.

HOMES Australian Country 9

Clockwise from opposite: The cottage boasts a Gallic charm; Jen used distressed painted finishes, old gates, doors and random finds to transform the run-down interiors; Jen remembers both her grandfathers’ sacrifices; the cottage was originally a stable; statues add considerable character in the garden.

10 Australian Country HOMES

serving on the Western Front and ending his career as a brigadier general in charge of building the road from Alice Springs to Darwin during World War II. So it is probably not surprising that as a young nurse in New Zealand, Jen discovered the freedom of motorcycling. “I bought my first dirt bike in 1970 and loved riding around the North Island with the wind in my face,” she recalls. “My then husband was into bikes as well and we loved the carefree lifestyle … the denim and check shirts, On Any Sunday kind of existence.”

A decade later, Jen had divorced and moved to Australia with her young daughter, Kim, when she met Geoff, a dashing young enduro rider, who was at the beginning of a professional motorcycle racing career that would see him become Australia’s most decorated off-road racer, with an OAM for his services to the industry.

“Geoff was unbelievably good,” Jen recalls. “He rode so fast, but he also crashed so many times, he could go from first to last three times during the course of a race.

When he decided to go to Europe to pursue his racing career, it was a given that we would go with him.”

What followed was an amazing four years of thrills and spills and professional success. Living out of a motorhome on an absolute shoestring, Geoff, Jen and Kim based themselves in the north of France and travelled all over Europe on the circuit for the “Olympics of motorcycling”, the International Six-Days Enduro (ISDE). To support themselves between events, they teamed up with the French answer to the daredevil Evel Knievel, Jacques Krouto, who ran a stunt show. So with Geoff on a bike, and Jen as his sidekick, they earned sufficient funds for Geoff to represent Australia 26

HOMES Australian Country 11

Clockwise from opposite: A cosy sitting room in the original building boasts rustic beams and shutters as features; Jen found a fabulous marble sink for the bathroom, recycled timber planks for the benches and used baskets for storage; copper pans and hanging utensils add Gallic charm in the kitchen.

12 Australian Country HOMES

times and add 12 gold medals and seven silver medals to his CV. “Of course it was crazy,” she recalls. “We were always broke and we washed our clothes in a stream to avoid paying for a laundromat so we could afford our weekly indulgence of a trip to the patisserie. But we were having a ball and, in many ways, they were the best of times.”

France brought an awakening of a different kind because Jen found an aesthetic she loves and continues to celebrate to the present day. “I just loved the cobblestone streets, the stone houses and walls and the big baskets of geraniums,” she says. “I saw such beauty in marble, cast iron and utilitarian objects with the patina of age.”

Having found her métier, Jen knew exactly what she wanted to achieve when she and Geoff returned to Australia and moved into a little cottage on Geoff’s family property west of Sydney. Originally built as a stable from sandstone quarried on-site at the turn of the 19th century, the building needed considerable work and a straw-bale extension. But with her rustic sensibility, eye for a bargain and experience of living on next to nothing, Jen transformed it into a showcase of provincial French charm.

With distressed painted finishes and old gates, doors and found objects including an old zinc trough she’d bought for no reason other than she loved it, the once-derelict building now oozes Gallic charm.

Jen and Geoff also opened Ballards Offroad, a major supplier of parts and equipment to the motorcycling community, and continue to compete in off-road events and mentor young motorcyclists. Jen also served as chair of the Australian Women’s Sports Commission on Motorcycling and remains committed to supporting

HOMES Australian Country 13

Clockwise from top: Four years in the north of France was enough to spark a lifelong love affair with French country style; the home, which began life as a stable, stays true to its historic roots; rustic features are made elegant with painted finishes and pale, distressed provincial-style furniture.

14 Australian Country HOMES

many young motorcyclists, particularly female enthusiasts.

In recent years, she has added underage soldiers to her list of consuming passions.

She was unaware that vast numbers of young men inflated their ages in order to enlist in both World Wars until son Josh joined the cadet corps at The Kings School.

“In 2007, Josh was selected by the school to be a flag bearer for a group of World War II veterans who had enlisted before their 16th birthdays,” she says. “I realised that these men deserved greater recognition and I became involved in a group called the Under 16s. We managed to track down 42 veterans.

We’ve established a website to honour them and record their stories and the members’ profiles are being prepared for the Australian War Memorial.”

This will allow the 110,000 school students who visit the memorial each year to compare the soldiers’ ages with their own, and hopefully that rapport will give them greater respect for what these men did at a similar age.

Jen may love all things mechanical, the mud and exhilaration of off-road racing, and Top Gear may be her favourite TV show, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t like dressing up for special occasions. Come Anzac Day, she will be there, dressed to the nines in a Ralph Lauren jacket, with her grandfather’s medals pinned proudly to her chest. She is also justly proud that Josh has forsaken his promising motorcycling future to pursue a career in the military and believes his forebears would be grateful for his choice.

“The Under 16s showed vast courage in the face of impossible odds,” she says. “My goal is to encourage everyone to show them, and all servicemen and women, the respect they deserve for the sacrifices they made.”

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Inspired by ...

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HOMES Australian Country 17

Party central A desire for the country life led this family to create a whimsical wonderland.

--------------story & photography by DON FUCHS

18 Australian Country HOMES

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ucked away in Pete and Robyn Law’s master bedroom at their rural home, Willabah, is an extraordinary book.

Big, covered in leather, it looks like the kind of book you’d find in a European monastery library. The pages are full of skilful drawings, handwritten texts and riddles. Bird feathers are glued in, candle wax dropped onto the pages. The attention to detail is extraordinary. “We wrote the book and made it look like it was a very old book, covered in leather,” Pete explains. “We poured tea on it and soaked the pages.”

In the absence of a TV in the house, the Laws came up with the idea for the book that contains more than a hint of the fantasy world of J.K. Rowling or perhaps John Flanagan. Their creation opens up a world of vivid imagination. “It is about these creatures that live in the forest. There are all these talismans and if all the talismans are back in one place, the creatures won’t show their face,” Pete explains with an enthusiasm that clearly expresses the big kid in himself.

“But there is one talisman that’s missing in the book, that’s hanging in the graveyard. So you’ve got to go there, get it and bring it back to the book. It’s just been so much fun.”

The mock graveyard that the kids have to visit in the dark of night to retrieve the talisman is hidden in the bush not far from the house. Scary gargoyles watch over it. All this was designed to entertain the kids, their friends and ultimately the couple themselves. “This book has been a big part of this place,” Pete says. It illustrates exactly what Willabah means for the couple: the house in the rural backwaters of Bulahdelah, NSW, is designed to be a place where family and friends can come together. It is the perfect meeting place.

Pete and Robyn bought the 63-hectare property in 2004. At the time, they were living with their three now adult children, Matt, Ellie and Katie, in a house in the Sydney suburb of Newport. They also owned a weekender in the vicinity of the Barrington Tops National Park. They had been thinking of living in the country for a while but had realised that their weekender was not suited for permanent habitation.

Their property in Newport, perched on the cliffs of Bungan Head, “was a long, narrow block”, Robyn recalls. “We were living in a little house there.” They had clearly outlived Newport and already had started to design the new house of their dreams.

“We had this idea of a house with different pavilions,” Robyn says. “We were trying to make that work on our block of land on Bungan Head and we just could not get it to work properly. That’s why, when we saw the massive open space, we knew we could do whatever we wanted.” What she calls “massive open space” was a property, an unprofitable yabby farm with the basic infrastructure already in place, for sale near Bulahdelah. A friend, who already had bought a property there, saw the For Sale sign for the block going up and, knowing

Clockwise from opposite: The Laws have helped to regenerate the local environment; sitting around the campfire is one of the family’s favourite pastimes; Pete and Robyn created this book to entertain the kids.

HOMES Australian Country 19

Clockwise from top: The home is all clean lines and minimalism; the Laws bought the block after a friend spotted the For Sale sign in 2004 and have since made it their own; the duo love the outdoor life at Willabah.

20 Australian Country HOMES

that the Laws were on the lookout for a rural property, urged them to come and have a look. They did and connected instantly.

“We wanted a place that had a little bit of infrastructure,’’ Pete explains. ‘‘It already had power, 10 acres (four hectares) of yabby ponds, yards and this area was relatively cleared of bush. So it was perfect for us because we wanted to build a house.”

And there was the beautiful rainforestlined creek below and the proximity to the freeway. As Pete owns a company that specialises in the designs and construction of office fit-outs for large corporate developments in Sydney, easy and quick access to NSW’s capital was also a very important consideration.

The couple also loves to entertain. “We had this specific building in mind so that we could have that large open living

area for entertaining with the bedrooms in the back, which provided privacy. So when friends come up, they didn’t feel like they are in our face all the time. You can go back there and get your own space,” Pete says.

With a firm idea of what kind of house they wanted, based on the combined experiences with their house in Newport and the weekender at Barrington Tops, it was time to call in the professionals. Mark Hurcum, a Sydney architect they had used before, got involved. “We gave him the floor plan, a rough idea of what we wanted and he designed the house,” Pete explains.

“He pulled it together in an aesthetically pleasing way with differing roof lines and a big wall.” Approaching the house via the driveway on top of the hill, this red wall, spanning over 60 metres, is all you can see at first. “I call it the Bolivian wall because

it reminds me of when Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were killed at the end of the movie,” Pete says. Hidden behind the wall is the house. It consists of two squares containing the bedrooms and a large open living area. These two basic elements are connected by a breezeway through a tropical garden. Under shade cloths, bromeliads, ferns, impatiens, monsteras, epiphytes, including staghorns and elkhorns, combined with tree ferns, yukkas, cabbage tree palms and other leafy exotic plants form a dense jungle around a goldfish pond.

The breezeway was Robyn’s idea. It allows them to open up the house when the weather is warm and create a draught that goes right through to the lounge. There is no need for air conditioning. “In fact, it works so well that we had to put the wooden entrance doors there,” Pete admits. “These doors weren’t part of the original design as it was all open. With the louvres, you get crossventilation and that creates movement and breeze. We don’t even need ceiling fans.”

The house in its appearance is modern, almost minimalistic. “We don’t like clutter, we like clean lines,” Robyn explains. The living part of the house is a large open-plan space incorporating the lounge as well as the kitchen and the dining area with a wooden table that can accommodate up to 10 people, perfect for dinner parties and family dinners. The living area is dominated by a massive glass front facing north, allowing a panoramic view over the gently sloping lawns down to the dam with a little jetty and a flying fox across. Behind it, large eucalypts form a dark green forest background.

“The idea was to bring the outside in,” Pete adds. “We are very outdoorsy people and we love light, so you see there are no blinds in here. We like to wake up when the sun comes in and we start yawning when the sun goes down.” Pete is an early riser, his inner clock shaped by his early years as a tradesman and his passion for surfing.

Two decks left and right of the lounge create indoor-outdoor flow throughout the home and cater to the pair's love of outdoor living.

“The decks were important features,” Robyn says. “Having a deck on the east and the west means summer mornings you sit on one side and winter mornings you move HOMES Australian Country 21

Clockwise from left: The bright Aboriginal painting was spotted by Robyn on a trip; more than 60 metres long, the red wall makes a striking first impression; the garden has a delightfully tropical ambience.

across to the other side. It works brilliantly.”

The floor of the living area is polished concrete, broken up by borders made of black polished river pebbles. This was Robyn’s idea. “The girls went down to the river at our Barrington Tops weekender and collected pebbles,” Pete says. “When we poured the concrete, we put some boards in there to leave a groove. When the concrete dried, we pulled the boards out and cemented in the pebbles just so it didn’t look like a factory floor.”

A feature in the lounge area that catches the eye immediately is a very large Aboriginal painting. “We had grown used to the big wall in the living room being empty as we couldn’t find a suitable 22 Australian Country HOMES

artwork,” Robyn says. “Then in 2009 when I was camping out north-west of Uluru with some Aboriginal traditional owners, Nellie Patterson laid out this huge canvas on the red dirt and I knew instantly that it was the piece we had been waiting for. ’’ Another fixture of the property is the large fireplace just below the house. Framed in a half circle by a sandstone wall, there is room for several chairs as the fire often becomes the centre of attention at many parties and an ever-attractive source of entertainment for the kids. “The firepit is a big part of this place and what we do here,” Pete says. “We sit around the fire particularly when people come up. We put the kids to work collecting firewood

and that is something they all want to do because they are dying to get a big bonfire going.” Even on days without friends and guests, the old bush TV gets switched on whenever they feel like it.

Over the years, Willabah has seen its fair share of parties, celebrations and functions.

The house can sleep 23 people. An additional eight guests can rest their heads in the bunk house near the work shed. And there is lots of room for tents and swags.

The property was cleared 25 years ago, with some big old trees, especially sprawling angophoras, left. In between, large tracts of the bush are regrowth. Over the years, the Laws created a little nature reserve by letting the bush take over. “We noticed when we bought the place that there were very few elkhorns and there were no grass trees on the property,” Pete says. “Now they are everywhere. There are lots of old gnarly trees with parrots in them.

There is a lot of wildlife here, diamond pythons, black cockatoos and an awful amount of goannas.” Early in the morning, mobs of kangaroo peacefully graze around the yabby ponds that are now stocked with bass. The rainforest along the creek, however, has a special place in their hearts.

“The creek that runs down there is called Wild Cattle Creek. The council came to us some years ago and said they would go halves with us to fence the creek off. They wanted the fence closer to the creek but we brought the fence back into our property a long way because we wanted the rainforest to grow,” Pete explains. “It really is coming on, which brings more birds. The birds eat the seeds elsewhere, bring them in and drop the seeds.” Excluded from the creek and its fringing rainforest but otherwise roaming free are seven steers. “All of them have names so their role is that of a lawnmower, nothing else,” Pete says.

The cattle are clearly part of the family, which goes with the spirit of the property. “I can’t think of a better thing to do than bring up kids in the country,” Pete says. “It’s been ideal.” The kids, now grown up, still return frequently — with their partners. “Willabah is part of their history,” Pete adds. “That is something that can’t be taken away.”

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HOMES Australian Country 23

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Inspired by ...

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Good vibes rule in this country untry home. Sculptural furniture, plenty onal of plants and the occasional one. nod to the East set the tone.

----------compiled by ALICE GRIFFIN

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24 Australian Country HOMES

THE SHOP THAT TIME FORGOT Imagine...

You’ve just walked through the doors of a department store... the year is 1925, what would you expect to see?

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26 Australian Country HOMES

MELLOW YELLOW A beach house with a ’60s mood and a Kombi parked out the front spell good vibrations for this Sydney couple.

--------by PETER HINTON photography KEN BR ASS styling SANDR A HINTON

HOMES Australian Country 27

28 Australian Country HOMES

F

or Roberta and Pat Eastman, looking for a holiday house was akin to a search for the Holy Grail.

They knew just what they wanted and were prepared to wait for the right one to come along. They were looking for a property that satisfied their needs for a family holiday home that could also provide an income and rekindle parts of their youth.

The quest for a bolthole away from their busy lives in Sydney took some time and saw them investigate many areas including the NSW South Coast. One thing they knew was that it had to be close to the ocean. For self-confessed beach lovers, this was non-negotiable.

The Central Coast, with its relaxed atmosphere and proximity to their Sydney home, kept luring them back and for Roberta, who previously had property at Macmasters Beach, it was familiar territory that she knew well. The Eastmans spent many weekends getting to know their way around again and when a lady from a cafe at Pearl Beach phoned to say there was a beach house for sale, they jumped in the car quick smart. “It was a horrible day and the place was a mess,” Roberta recalls. “But I knew right away that this was it!”

Snugly sandwiched between thriving Ettalong and isolated Patonga, Pearl Beach has become a home away from home for many celebrities. Its cafes, relaxed feel and “away from it all” atmosphere have created a sense of community that many beachside hamlets rarely achieve. This was brought home to Roberta and Pat when it came time to start the renovations. The shell was sound but the place really needed a facelift.

“We went through a process of elimination of colours for the outside” Pat says. “We painted large areas at the front to see how it looked in different lights”. This practice produced a variety of reactions from the locals, from disbelief and acceptance to open hostility.

The couple eventually settled on a bright yellow, a favourite colour of both, and chose Dulux Manz lightened with white to produce their own shade. They were understandably wary about the reaction their neighbours might have but were delighted when one of the older locals told them he thought it was perfect and looked just the way all the old properties used to back in the day.

Clockwise from opposite: Furniture and vintage pieces from around the world decorate the home; Roberta was drawn to Pearl Beach for its relaxed atmosphere and beautiful bush-meets-beach surrounds; a quiet reading corner; the home has a retro-tropical feel.

HOMES Australian Country 29

Clockwise from top left: The Eastmans’ coastal retreat is bright and cheerful; Roberta and Pat went back and forth on colours for the house before finally settling on a radiant yet soft yellow; though available for holiday lettings, the property still feels homely and personal.

30 Australian Country HOMES

Renovations began in earnest and the inside gained a much-needed paint job.

The house had a ’60s retro feel and Roberta was able to call on the past choosing bright, happy-coloured tiles in the kitchen that reminded her of her childhood home growing up on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

To the front, the couple added a screen, which provides a handy extra living space and the perfect spot for a quiet read or a cup of tea in the afternoon. At the back, patio doors open to a secluded deck for surveying the garden and the neighbouring bushland where the local scrub turkeys often visit.

“The garden was a tip when we bought the home,” Pat says, proudly admiring the lawn.

It is often noted that Pearl Beach has the appearance of bushland with houses set among it rather than the expected opposite.

Despite the house being available for holiday rentals, Roberta was keen to maintain its family-friendly air and has chosen many personal pieces to decorate the interior. The decor in the living space is fresh and white and provides a perfect backdrop for stylish furniture and vintage pieces that the couple has gathered on their many trips within Australia and abroad. Finishing touches include pictures that reference Pat’s Kiwi roots, retro photos Roberta bought at the Brooklyn flea market in New York and one enormous original French poster that greets visitors in the foyer.

With renovations now complete, this simple but stylish beach house stands as a testament to Roberta’s flair for decoration and eye for detail. If the house is acknowledged as Roberta’s domain, it is only fitting that Pat should be allowed to provide the ideal mode of transport for getting there. To this end, he splashed out on a 1970s VW Kombi van, a vehicle that doesn’t really allow the couple to go anywhere at top speed. “It’s perfect” Pat says. “Cruising up the M1, it won’t let you rush too hard and that alone sets you in the right mood for relaxing when you arrive.”

Taking the Woy Woy Road with its hairpin bends and glimpses of Brisbane Water would put anyone in the mood to relax, but our paddle-boarding, kite-surfing, beachcombing couple know that once they crest the hill that separates Ettalong from Pearl Beach, it is downhill all the way. Pulling into the gravel driveway signals “wine time” Roberta grins, and a chance to mellow.

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Clockwise from opposite: The home overlooks the beautiful Cairns Botanic Gardens; built in the 1930s, the grand Art Deco property has

been restored to its former glory; Debra and husband Paul have completed 11 renovations since they first met; covered outdoor spaces are essential in Cairns.

Deco devine A lifetime’s collecting and dealing antiques reached its zenith for a Cairns couple with the purchase of a stunning Art Deco home.

----------------by KIRSTY MCKENZIE photography KEN BR ASS

D

ebra Kinsella admits she is a hopeless case when it comes to antiques. She was born into a family of styleconscious decorators, has been rearranging her bedroom since the age of five and has decades of experience as an antiques dealer.

With that pedigree, it’s hardly surprising that she knows a good buy when she sees one and has great difficulty passing up a bargain or a rare treasure.

Debra had stints as a nurse, interior decorator, restaurateur and sales manager

on her CV when she met her husband, Paul, an Irish-born pilot turned air traffic controller and data systems manager in Cairns. They started doing up houses as stress relief from their high-pressure jobs and now have completed 11 renovations together. At the same time, they ran an antiques business and then that morphed into an events coordination, party hire and wedding styling company. With this collective background, they needed no urging when Edgecliff, an Art Deco mansion, came on the market in 2001.

“We paid a premium,” Debra recalls. “The location alone made it extraordinary, as it’s up on a hill overlooking the Botanic Gardens with Walsh’s Pyramid at Gordonvale in the distance. The Whitfield Conservation Park is our backyard and the building has such a grand stature that we couldn’t resist it.”

The building has classic Art Deco lines with Spanish Mission influences in the arches and a stucco finish and P&O touches in the curved balconies.

A previous owner had subjected it to a fairly unsympathetic makeover and Paul HOMES Australian Country 35

36 Australian Country HOMES

Clockwise from opposite: Contemporary additions ensure the home doesn't feel dated; you may remember Edgecliff from the ABC TV crime

says the five-bedroom house was a rabbit warren when they moved in. “We were initially told that the house was built

by Gus and Heather Harvey in the early 1950s,” he says. “But we knew that was unlikely because this house is largely made of cement and post-war, cement was in short supply. Sometime later, we actually met one of the Harveys’ daughters and she explained that the house had been built for the Wyatt family in 1936.

The huge Hollywood-style swimming pool was one of the Harveys’ improvements

to the property, though its installation had a tragic outcome, when Heather, a freelance writer and veteran arts correspondent, drowned in it in 1993. The family sold up shortly after and Edgecliff was left vacant years before it was resold.

Paul and Debra were well-positioned to restore the house to its former glory and sourced original Art Deco doors and other fittings from auction houses in Melbourne.

They extended the deck and even tracked down the sole surviving tradesperson in Cairns with the necessary equipment to

drama The Straits; the couple’s extensive collection of Deco furniture and collectables suits the house perfectly; a glamorous and striking tiled powder room.

repair and replace the external surface with a particular type of stucco made lumpy with bits of anthracite. Paul has been handson with much of the work, and outside tradesmen were only involved for critical works such as plumbing and electrical. The Kinsellas turned a former laundry into a downstairs bathroom, complete with a tiled Empire State Building in the shower recess.

They sanded back floors, painted most interiors in British Paints Magnolia with a tinge of pink and rearranged rooms before they were able to move their extensive HOMES Australian Country 37

Clockwise from left: A Russian birch sleigh bed and an original Hollywood dressing table with a matching lowboy have pride of place in the bedroom; an avid

collection of Art Deco furniture and collectables into the house.

A Russian birch sleigh bed and an original Hollywood dressing table with matching lowboy were moved into the bedrooms. The winter dining room houses a dining table made in Innisfail (incidentally Queensland’s capital for Art Deco architecture) and a suite of Mies van der Rohe chairs. Treasured pieces dotted around the home incude 13 Diana lamps bought from the estate of a prominent Cairns identity, a collection of Clarice Cliff and Royal Doulton Tango china, 38 Australian Country HOMES

a Brancusi bust, Moorcroft vases, a decanter set by Czech designer Karl Palda, a Picasso ceramic from his sojourns at Madoura Pottery in Southern France and a prized onyx and bronze Diana the Huntress statue traded for “a very large ruby”.

Thirteen years down the track and the Kinsellas still have projects on the go, though Debra says they are pretty much happy with the way things are now. Edgecliff has been the venue for many cheerful and glamorous celebrations and appeared in the ABC TV crime drama, The Straits.

collector and antiques dealer, Debra says she has been rearranging her bedroom since she was five years old; collectables from around the world are housed here.

“I’ve actually reached a stage where I’m removing things,” Debra says. “A house like this runs the risk of becoming a museum so while we will never part with the most significant Art Deco features and pieces, I’m trying to mix it up a bit and introduce some more contemporary elements. Because of the clean lines of the Deco movement, modern pieces also work well in this environment. But don’t worry: Andrew the peacock is a fixture, as are many other treasured pieces we will never part with.”

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40 Australian Country HOMES

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A GREEN BREAK You may not own a home among the gum trees, but you can certainly stay in one.

---------------by ALICE GRIFFIN

W

hat makes life in the country so appealing?

Is it the slower pace, the sense of community, or the farm animals? We could write a book (and of course, a magazine) about country living’s greatest attributes, though one point in particular seems obvious: open space.

While city dwellers jostle for a picnic spot, those in the country are busy cultivating their own outdoor oases. Some are kind enough to share them — if just for a few days. From rambling homesteads to more relaxed, contemporary dwellings, these are the garden stays worth travelling for. Peace and serenity are right this way.

Eurambeen Historic Homestead and Gardens, Beaufort, Victoria Edna Walling was to gardening what Meryl Streep is to films. Everything she touched turned to gold. But even Edna’s Midas touch couldn’t stop Eurambeen homestead — and the garden she designed on the grounds in 1927 — from falling into disrepair as decades past. The arrival of current owners, Sarah Beaumont and Ian Glover, changed all that. After six years’ hard slog, Eurambeen Historic Homestead and Gardens has been restored to its former glory. Edna’s signature drystone walls, perennial plants and meandering pathways are in good stead once again. Self-catering accommodation is part of Eurambeen’s second life, with heritage suites available in the homestead, old school house and two farm cottages.

All are just a stone’s throw from Edna’s delightful gardens. eurambeen.com.au

These images: Eurambeen Historic Homestead and Gardens’ accommodation options are set in a rambling historic garden designed by the legendary landscaper, Edna Walling in the 1920s.

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Stonewell Cottages & Vineyards, Barossa Valley, SA If Beatrix Potter were Australian, Stonewell Cottages & Vineyards is just the sort of places where she’d have lived. The Barossa Valley property has all the makings of an idyllic country escape: picture-postcard stone cottages, vineyard sunsets and a beautiful lake, complete with affable ducks and cute rowboats. Private courtyard gardens are awash with flowering plants and each space has its own distinct mood. Venture beyond your garden gate and you’ll stumble upon picnic spots, walking trails and a kangaroo or two in the scrub. stonewellcottages.com.au Mitchelton Hotel and Spa, Nagambie, Victoria We put faith in those who produce good wine. So when Mitchelton Winery Estate made it known it was building a hotel on the grounds — a dream since the property’s initial founding in 1969 — expectations were high. Set on the banks of the Goulburn River, Mitchelton Hotel and Spa opened its doors in late 2017 to rave reviews.

Laid-back luxury interiors are the work of design practice Hecker Guthrie, while landscape architect Jamie Clapham took to the outdoors, devising a striking poolside terrace to sit alongside expansive lawns and the river’s bushy surrounds. Strolls through the vines or a ride on The Goulburn Explorer River Cruiser make for a day well spent. mitchelton.com.au

Clockwise from right: The Hideaway at Stonewell Cottages in the Barossa Valley can sleep up to four; Mitchelton’s design was inspired by the landscape; Mitchelton’s entry; Stonewell’s beautiful lake.

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HOMES Australian Country 45

Piermont Retreat, Swansea, Tasmania Piermont’s garden grows how it likes. Set in the brutally beautiful Freycinet Peninsula, retreat owners, Juan Maiz Casas and Marie von Haniel, realised long ago that this rugged landscape should, and ultimately would, speak for itself. Aside from a few extra touches here and there (including the odd manicured lawn, stone pathway and line of natives), that’s exactly what it does.

Piermont Retreat boasts more than 20 selfcontained units and suites, a homestead turned modern Australian restaurant and endless natural splendour. Guests here swap beds of roses for two private whitesand beaches, a saltwater pool and resident horses. So far, there are no complaints. piermont.com.au These images: In a rugged bay on the east coast of Tasmania, Piermont Retreat is a magnificent sanctuary for those drawn to vast wilderness and environmentally sympathetic architecture.

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Parklands Country Gardens & Lodges, Blue Mountains, NSW If you like a good ramble, you’ve met your match in Parklands. Though part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, the historic 28-acre (11-hectare) property is more reminiscent of a grand European estate than an Australian bush residence. Lush green lawns are lined with old pines, cypresses and Japanese maples, while gravel pathways lead to the luxury homestead and country cottages. Couples strolling arm in arm are a regular fixture.

For your bush fix, head to the Grose Valley and Govetts Leap lookouts nearby or take one of the local trails. parklands.com.au Seppeltsfield Vineyard Cottage, Barossa Valley, SA Add a little intrigue to your garden getaway with a stay at Seppeltsfield Vineyard Cottage. This characterful 1860s German settler’s cottage is part of Barossa Valley’s vast living history yet it enjoys contemporary comforts, too. A stay here comes with a complimentary heritage tour of the old-school Seppeltsfield Winery nearby and a bottle of the estate’s finest, a Shiraz aptly named Seize the Day. seppeltsfieldvineyardcottage.com.au

Top: There are 28 guest rooms in the cottages at Parklands. Photos by David Hill of Deep Hill Media.

Above and right: Seize the day with a stay at Seppeltsfield Vineyard Cottage in the Barossa.

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50 Australian Country HOMES

As good as a holiday A move to South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula heralded a lifestyle change for Jillian Langford.

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by PAULA BRIDGES photography ROSS WILLIAMS styling BRONTE CAMILLERI

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hey say a change is as good as a holiday and, in Jillian Langford’s case, a move to Yankalilla was a lot like a holiday, one that never ended. As soon as she arrived in the charming seaside town on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula, Jillian knew it was there that she would find the lifestyle she was after.

A huge gamble that paid off, her decision to move was made in spite of a long daily commute to work in Adelaide. She doesn't regret it in the slightest. “I just love it here,” Jillian says. “The commute doesn’t matter so much when I get to come home to such a wonderful place.”

A magnificent cottage in the country sounds clichéd, but the reality for Jillian is a beautiful mix of storybook aesthetics and a great community network. Set on a lane with just one neighbour, her home was a labour of love for the previous owner, and is now a love of all sorts for Jillian. “The house was even more amazing in real life than it was online,” Jillian says. “I fell in love with it as soon as I walked through the entrance.”

Built in the 1990s, the home is a great mix of old and new, as it’s primarily made from materials sourced from demolition sites around Adelaide. When combined with Jillian’s decorating sense and love of all things French provincial, the recycled

elements from various eras make this house both functional and elegant.

The entrance boasts intricate lead lighting from the 1800s on the front windows, a high-vaulted ceiling that is carried on throughout the home and beautiful jarrah floors that are also throughout the house.

“I really love the vaulted ceilings and good feng shui,” Jillian says. “It is wonderful

Opposite: Looking like something out of a storybook, it’s hard to believe Jillian’s home is primarily made from materials found on demolition sites.

Above: After a hard day’s work in Adelaide, Jillian makes the hourlong commute back to Yankalilla on the Fleurieu Peninsula and her own paradise.

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52 Australian Country HOMES

that someone had the creativity to find materials from hospitals, old mansions and other old buildings to give them a new life.”

Throughout the home, original handpoured French windows look out onto beautiful scenery created by Jillian’s lush gardens. The sitting room has a fireplace, which is complemented nicely by Jillian’s choice of furnishings.

“I really like the French provincial style and have tried to incorporate it into my home,” Jillian says. “I love to read country magazines and draw inspiration from their style pages.” The white lounges, with blue

floral-patterned cushions and well-chosen decor, adhere to this style and really bring together the country feel of the home.

Art throughout the house is the result of many years collecting from foreign counties and is a mix of artists and styles, including the works of Pro Hart and George Ogilvy. “I used to be a flight attendant,” Jillian says. “I started collecting when I was 20 years old and have continued to buy art from my travels.”

The kitchen is home to beautiful wrought-iron ceilings and pressed-tin panel splashbacks, which were carefully rescued from previous buildings. A

handmade, custom work trolley was crafted by local cabinet maker Roger King to match the rest of the home’s fittings.

“The kitchen is very functional,” Jillian says. “I have a great walk-in cupboard for all of my crockery and a wonderful twodrawer dishwasher that I just couldn’t live without now.”

Clockwise from opposite: The garden is one of Jillian’s greatest pleasures; the homeowner draws style inspiration from design and lifestyle magazines

and is a fan of the French provincial look; Jillian loves the sense of community that comes with life in the country; there’s always plenty of work to be done outside.

HOMES Australian Country 53

As with most of the windows in Jillian’s home, the kitchen windows look out onto greenery. This particular greenery is a paddock that houses Jenny, a 30-year-old donkey, who has taken a liking to Jillian. “I feed Jenny a carrot a day,” Jillian says. “She comes up to the fence to see me.”

A variety of birdlife frolics in Jillian’s bloom-filled garden, too. “Waking up to the sound of birds is just lovely,” she says.

“And it’s great to be able to look out into the garden each day.”

A keen gardener, Jillian has a beautiful collection of autumn and spring blooms, 54 Australian Country HOMES

as well as some winter bulbs. Spending so much time in the garden means Jillian is conscious of the benefits of each season.

“Yankalilla has beautiful seasons,’’ she says. ‘‘We can sit by the fire to keep warm in winter and enjoy the beach in summer.”

Jillian is very much involved in Yankalilla’s small community. “My favourite room in the house is the conservatory,” she says. “I often hold musical soirées, writer events and art workshops in there.

I’m always using it for something creative.

At the moment, I have it set up as a music room so that I can do my piano practice in

there.” A member of the Books and Words literary group, Jillian also often organises writing workshops and poetry readings.

“Yankalilla is a great community to be a part of,” she says. “We have a close network of friends and at the bottom of my lane is a great little rustic cafe, where we go for breakfast when visitors come. The lifestyle here is very laid-back.”

Clockwise from top: Doors and windows frame views of the garden perfectly; the

home has a neutral interior palette; Jillian regularly hosts soirées in her elegant home.

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VINTAGE VIGNETTES Ebony Trueman’s home and career reflect her distinctive design aesthetic and her penchant for creating quirky settings.

-----------------by KIRSTY MCKENZIE photography KEN BR ASS

B

y Ebony Trueman’s reckoning, it helps that she comes from a long line of hoarders. Growing up on a farm at the back of Rye on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Ebony says her parents’ idea of a great weekend would be to pack the whole family in the car and head to Ballarat or Bendigo for a swap meet or car boot sale. Not just any old car, mind you. Ebony’s father has a penchant for retro cars, so they would head out in style in his Pontiac or Ford Thunderbird or whatever latest acquisition he had salvaged from someone’s paddock and lovingly restored.

“At the time, I found it embarrassing,” she recalls. “But now of course I realise that it was pretty cool. My grandmother was a dressmaker and beader for fashion houses in the city and my grandfather also makes his own clothes, so there was a strong creative instinct there. Our family was like American Pickers, but 30 years before Mike and Frank hit the road searching out antique gold.”

Ebony, her partner, Peter Millar, and their children, Tex and Cash, now live in a charming Federation cottage just a stone’s throw from Rye Beach. Despite the real estate agent’s dire warning that the cottage was destined for demolition, Ebony and Peter have turned it into a wonderfully quirky showpiece of their combined talents

Opposite: Cool retro pieces were sourced from op shops, roadside collections and vintage markets.

Left: The property is home to Ebony, Peter and their two boys, as well as chickens, Pugs and cats.

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HOMES Australian Country 59

combined talents — her’s for collecting and his for fixing just about anything.

“I was the kid who’d always go to the bottom of the dress-up box looking for the hidden treasure,” Ebony says. “In adult life that means I love scouring op shops and markets for antiques and retro pieces, so we have been able to decorate the house on a very limited budget. Peter grew up on a farm so he can turn his hand to anything.

He’s done all the renovations himself and I’m very proud of what he has achieved.”

Always on the lookout for a creative outlet, Ebony has recently launched a photography and styling business called Wowee Productions, which specialises in bespoke portraits. Aimed at people who are looking for non-traditional family shots, Ebony uses all her collecting and creative skills to create unique settings for each shoot. When Australian Country caught up with her at work, she had an early morning call to shoot a young family at the beach.

She’d outfitted them in chic hillbilly style, borrowed an old Jacobean sofa from an aunt and sited it on a sandbank so the session could be realised with water lapping at their feet. She admits her task of coming

Clockwise from opposite: Old furniture is born again in Ebony’s home; interiors reflect the cottage’s coastal setting; Ebony and the boys love living on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula; a quirky kitchen.

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HOMES Australian Country 61

up with intriguing locations and props is made easier by the access she has to a broad range of collector interests.

“It’s a bit of fun that keeps my brain ticking,” Ebony says. “I’ve learned that once you meet one collector, that opens the doors to a whole network of like-minded others. I’m lucky to have a wide circle of family and friends who get what I am trying to do and are pretty much willing to lend me anything from furniture to vintage cars to make the shoot as original as possible. A lot of creative folk from the city have moved down here and I’m constantly meeting people with tons of talent.”

Ebony adds that the proximity to the beach and a rural setting affords her family a wonderfully relaxed lifestyle. The boys have access to ponies on her parents’ farm and their backyard is home to a menagerie of animals including chickens Pepper and Blackie, cats Felix and Flash Gordon and three Pugs. “It’s great to live in a part of the world where my children can enjoy the freedoms I had in my childhood,” Ebony says. “They are now going to Sorrento Primary, where I went, and it’s great to continue that tradition.”

These images: All the home renovations have been completed by Peter, while Ebony has put her collector’s eye to good use, creating cool, unexpected vignettes at every turn.

62 Australian Country HOMES

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SSkip kip the neutral neu utra al couch in favour g a little l of something more creative. rettro, your ďŹ rst foray Playful and retro, into charac cterfful interiors starts characterful with these th hesse key pieces.

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1 Linton enamel pendant light in green, $140.75, dowsingandreynolds.com 2 Studio Enti oyster dish, $72, thedesignhunter.com.au 3 House Plants cushion cover, $50, margin.etsy.com 4 Goldfish Orange task lamp, $121.40, andshine.co.uk 5 Rocking deck chair, $132, gardentrading.co.uk 6 Winter Woodland wrapping paper, from $3.50, gabriellasshop.etsy.com 7 Natural ladder, $245, barefootgypsy.com.au 8 Kado Era freestanding bath, $1749, reece.com.au 9 Lab bottle candle, prices vary, alchemyandthistle.etsy.com 10 Light Up letters, $141.10, thewhitebulb.etsy.com

64 Australian Country HOMES

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68 Australian Country HOMES

Tickle your fancy Tickle Tank, the enchanting water tank turned home and garden, is bound to do more than just tickle your fancy — this house, and its talented owner, will capture your imagination.

----------------by LAUREN MCKELLAR photography JOHN DOWNS styling BRONTE CAMILLERI

HOMES Australian Country 69

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ou only have to look at the photos in this article to fall in love with Tickle Tank. This property defines the term “larger than life” as its bright colours, exuberant garden and natural tones jump off the page at you. However, in 1998, it was simply a run-down water tank. It is thanks to the vision of sculptor and artist Irene Pearce that it progressed to the beacon of beauty it is today.

“I had some life-changing situations happen and I needed to find myself a new home on a very small budget,” Irene says.

“I didn’t want to borrow money and have a mortgage tying me down in my mid-50s.”

Irene went to the council to enquire about developing the land, curious to see if her housing idea would comply with engineering standards and health regulations. When she encountered no obstacles, she straight away purchased the 450-square-metre block.

“I designed it myself,” Irene says, adding that she then got an architect in to insert the correct terminology the plan needed to make it through council.

70 Australian Country HOMES

Still, this home is very much Irene’s. She developed the initial plans for the property and completed a lot of the work herself.

Irene put in the doors and windows and finished the frames and other internal fixtures. She also ordered three smaller tanks and had those lowered into the foundations via cranes and then fitted them out on her own.

One of the first projects Irene had to undertake, however, was some basic work in the garden, particularly since the original tank was partly underground.

“In the winter of the year I bought it, 1998, I removed all the soil and cut the holes in the house,” Irene says. “Then I had to think about [what would normally be considered] ‘stage three’, which was an urgent landscape to retain the walls, as otherwise I’d have all the dirt I’d removed from the tank wash back towards the house.”

These images: Creating a fanciful, low-maintenance garden was a top priority for

Irene when she bought the property in 1998, and is today one of Tickle Tank’s best assets.

HOMES Australian Country 71

Due to the block’s natural lines, Irene chose to optimise existing sunken areas and retain them, holding back the earth with stonework and other materials she salvaged from the building site, such as sandstone blocks and bricks.

Irene then set about developing the garden in a fashion that would best suit the climate and her own lifestyle.

“I wanted it to be a hardy garden that worked for me; I didn’t want to have to work for it too much,” Irene says. “I don’t want to spend my time nurturing it; I just trim it back now and then when it gets a bit exuberant.”

With all these considerations in mind, cool-climate plants such as ferns and ground covers that can go onto paths were the natural choice. They flourished, and soon Irene was the proud owner of a very well-developed garden that family and friends fell in love with.

Of course, they’re not the only ones bewitched by the garden’s beauty. The curved seat outside her kitchen door is one of Irene’s favourite spots on the property.

72 Australian Country HOMES

“I can open the kitchen door, take a cup of tea and a sandwich and just be surrounded by the garden while I eat,” she says. “I can also add some mint or rosemary for the sandwich while I’m out there, or whiz out for some herbs while I’m cooking a meal — it connects me with nature and things that are living.”

This connection with nature is evident inside the house, as well as out. Irene often brings clippings from the gardens inside and has been known to find leaves trailing down her cupboards if the cuts happen to take root and grow.

As well as planning the transformation from water tank to house, Irene made a lot of the furniture and cupboards herself, incorporating natural woody tones and spots of bright colour and texture. The fixtures and fittings sit well against the stark white backdrop of the building walls.

Irene also extended her artistic hand to the driveway and created an intricate stone design that really captures the creative, peaceful vibe of Tickle Tank.

Clockwise from opposite: Irene uses herbs and spices from the garden when cooking; a

favourite reading corner; the original design plans for Tickle Tank were devised by Irene.

HOMES Australian Country 73

In fact, it’s rare to walk a few metres on the property without seeing further proof of Irene’s talent and vision, right down to an art retreat for some of her younger guests.

“Our water tank sprung a leak and I thought, ‘What a shame, I’ll just have to make a bigger hole,’” Irene says. She painted the interior, made two little chairs and purchased a board and some coloured pencils and chalks. Now this garden feature is a popular escape for the smaller visitors to the property. “There’s usually a queue of people waiting to go in,” Irene says.

When it comes to people lining up to spend some peaceful time at Tickle Tank, Irene is pretty used to it. This property is in the Open Gardens South Australia program, an achievement that certainly wasn’t part of Irene’s master plan.

74 Australian Country HOMES

“I met a woman at a women’s gathering, and she said, ‘Oh my gosh, you need to put your garden in the Open Gardens scheme!’

Initially, I wasn’t interested, as it’s a bit wild and quirky and recycled, and I don’t have avenues of trees, or professional gardeners.

“But she said to me, ‘People relate to small gardens these days and it’s so different and gorgeous. Put it in once and see how you feel; I’ll make sure you get the support,’” Irene recalls. Despite her lack of confidence, she did end up opening the garden — and received an overwhelming response.

“I had 750 people through that weekend,” Irene says. Three weeks prior to the opening, the house had been featured on Burke’s Backyard, and the allure of Tickle Tank was too much for the general public to resist.

“It was so exciting to think this place that little old Irene built on a tiny budget had brought all these people in from everywhere,” Irene says.

These days, Tickle Tank is still open to visitors, allowing others to fall in love with the house during Open Gardens season exclusively (opengardenssa.org.au).

“It’s a wonderful place to live and I feel very happy here,” Irene says. And, surrounded by this peaceful, self-sufficient and organic beauty, we have no doubt that this is indeed the case.

Clockwise from above left: Irene remains happy in her water tank; interiors

favour woody tones and white walls; Tickle Tank is open to visitors during Open Gardens season.

SO MUCH TO SEE!

A journey into a vanished world

A Theatre of the Past

B

Q

eleura is a wonderful time capsule, a theatre of the past. Its magic is the depth of its provenanced collection of household things - some grand but much ephemeral, trivial, amusing... Beleura, an Italianate villa erected in 1864. The auction of Beleura in 1916, attracted Sir George and Lady Tallis. Their youngest son John Tallis, acquired Beleura in 1948, and bequeathed Beleura, to the people of Victoria in 1996.

To visit, telephone or see our website.

Open: Select days throughout the year A: PO Box 1198, Mornington Vic 3931 T: 03 5975 2027 E: info@beleura.org.au W: www.beleura.org.au

Photography - Christopher Groenhout

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While a decked-out water tank ta the may not be within reach, these ccharming pieces inspired by Ir Irene's inventive style certainly ar are.

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1 Janek planter pots, from $19.95 each, linenhouse.com 2 The Hive large, long pendant, $900, barefootgypsy.com.au 3 Vitamin Ninety stool in ash, $588, einrichten-design.de 4 Sabra cushion, $145, barefootgypsy.com.au 5 Ocean’s Runway paint, $39.80, haymespaint.com.au 6 Teepee, $229, cattywampus.com.au 7 Sunburst mirror, $499, ozdesignfurniture.com.au 8 Remy stacking armchair, $351.50, bridgman.co.uk 9 Mercer + Reid rabbit pot, prices vary, adairs.com.au

76 Australian Country HOMES

BODY & FACE CARE - BATH & SHOWER - THERAPEUTIC HEAT PACKS - LUXURY GIFT PACKS

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S

andy and Don Harvey met as teenagers in the mid-’60s in Caloundra, where they were both holidaying with their families.

“There was a big group of us kids and we sort of just all paired off; we’re still together and so are a lot of the others,” Sandy recalls.

Shortly after marrying, the couple moved to Darwin when Don took a post as a dentist with the Australian Navy. “We were assigned a pre-war government house,” Sandy says. “It was beautiful, but basically condemned and so we could do what we liked with it. We had a wonderful time — this is where our love of renovating began.”

After a three-year stint in Darwin, Sandy and Don, who by now had two sons, Paul and Jay, moved their family to Brisbane to open a private dental practice in the southern suburb of Rochdale. “It was a great time, we bought a seven-acre hobby farm and had horses, sheep, milking cows, custard apples and chokos,” Sandy says.

“The boys used to sell their home vegies on the footpath. We did a big reno and added a tennis court and swimming pool — it was an idyllic place for the boys to grow up.”

A number of years later, a third son, Andy, was born and the family moved into the historic Moreton House in Manly, a property once owned by the Uniting Church and used as a finishing school for young ladies. The couple once again renovated extensively.

“By the time we were finished, I had started calling it the Cape Cod House,” Sandy says.

“The boys sailed competitively and we all loved living on the bay.”

Two of Sandy and Don’s sons, Jay and Andy, became pharmacists. “They are also both with pharmacists and so we now have four in the family,” Sandy says. When Jay and his wife decided to buy a pharmacy in St

MOUNTAIN HIGH When it came to deciding between the city or the bush, the extended Harvey family chose Mount Tamborine and an idyllic hilltop retreat within striking distance of both Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

-----------------by TAHN SCOON photography JOHN DOWNS

78 Australian Country HOMES

Clockwise from above: Picture-perfect Mount Tamborine overlooks hinterland in the foreground and the Gold Coast coastline in the background; afternoon tea with all the accoutrements; Sandy and Don love their hilltop retreat.

HOMES Australian Country 79

George, south-west Queensland, they asked Sandy and Don to come and take a look at the town. “We just went for a look but ended up falling in love with the place,” Sandy says.

“For a couple who loved boating, this seemed unusual but we ended up running the St George dental clinic for the next five years.”

Sandy talks fondly of her St George experiences. “We rode horses, we went mustering, we just loved it and our time in the town really cemented our love of country living,” she says. “I once asked an older man in St George why he loved it so much, he said, ‘Well if I die in the city, they’ll step over me. If I die in St George, they step over me and say look, there’s Keith’.

“There was another guy who rang the surgery with a dental emergency. When I questioned him, he said he’d broken part of his denture. I commented that it wasn’t really an emergency and he said it is if you’re a contract shearer and you can’t whistle your dogs!”

In conjunction with running the practice, Sandy and Don also found time to renovate the attached residence. “It was a little neglected cottage painted institutional green,’’ Sandy adds. “We brightened it up with a fresh coat of paint, added a generous back deck and planted 200 roses. It looked extremely sweet.”

Their most recent move has been to Mount Tamborine, where they live in a former farmhouse on a knoll overlooking expanses of picture-perfect hinterland in the foreground and the Gold Coast coastline in the background. The home has been extensively renovated during the past five years, with much of the work carried out by Sandy and Don. “The first thing we had to do, before we could even move in, was paint,” Sandy says. “I prefer a neutral scheme but the previous owners were much more daring. Our bedroom was painted in hot pink and white stripes.”

Another person instrumental in the renovation was a local man, Spencer. “He did all the drystone walls,” Sandy says. “He came for a week and stayed seven years.

We’d be lost without him.

“I have a love of the French countryside but am resigned to the fact that I may not get the opportunity to restore a mas [big 80 Australian Country HOMES

Clockwise from opposite: The home has been extensively renovated through the years; the couple hired a local stonemason to build the garden’s drystone walls; Sandy was inspired by farmhouses in the French countryside; everyone loves the manicured gardens and the shady spots for avoiding the summer heat.

HOMES Australian Country 81

Clockwise from top: The property has all the makings of an ideal country home, dog included; a cosy living room; this elegantly understated bedroom was painted in hot pink with white stripes when the Harveys moved in; despite extensive travels, Sandy says this property and location is her favourite.

82 Australian Country HOMES

country house] in the south of France. So this is it! We’re lucky because the house once belonged to the original cattle farm so the gardens are very old and well established, and we inherited some lovely old trees with the property.”

Together, Sandy and Don have worked hard to create lush, flowering vignettes, which include mass plantings of lavender, cannas and daisies running down the hill towards the valley and masses of wisteria that hug the house in spring.

Inside, the home features some exquisite pieces of antique furniture made by Don’s grandfather, the renowned craftsman, LJ Harvey, and others by his father, Elvin Harvey of Harvey Brothers. “Funnily enough, much of the timber was found all those years ago on Mount Tamborine,” Sandy adds. “It gives us a really nice sense of connection with the area.

“We really have the best of both worlds up here. We’re on the top of a small mountain, in a place that is at least five degrees cooler than the coast it overlooks. We farm our own water, grow our own produce and can still burn real fires. We shop the old-fashioned way, in a village full of individual shops … and individual characters! However, we’re only a 20-minute drive from a major freeway connecting two major cities [Gold Coast and Brisbane] and two international airports.”

Sandy and Don are also fortunate enough to have extended family living on the mountain. “Our son, Jay, and his wife, Adrienne, and our grandchildren, Georgina, William and Daniel, live here,” Sandy says. “As do Adrienne’s parents who own Heritage Winery and her aunt and uncle, who run Secret Gardens Art Gallery. Our once-a-month get-togethers are just huge!

It’s very special actually — we all bring a dish and a stray friend or two!

“Out of all the places we’ve lived, nothing compares to driving up the mountain, reaching halfway and opening the windows to feel and smell the air change. I remember coming over the hill in Caloundra as a young person to the first sight and smell of the ocean. I guess nothing really changes — just your age.”

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Outdoor rooms are having a moment.

Master the art of indoor-outdoor living with these classic accessories.

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1 Maldives hanging chair, $1605, globewest.com.au 2 Garden Birds gauntlet, $28.50, sophieallport.com 3 Aerin floral-print napkin, $12, williams-sonoma.com.au 4 Pistachio Monaco cafetière, $38.70, creative-tops.com 5 Colca wool rug, from $229, westelm.com.au 6 Reversible throw in Earl Grey, $230, tollymcrae.co.uk 7 Copper wall clock, $73.95, melodymaison.co.uk 8 Claytan Damask full casserole bowl, $59.95, zanui.com.au 9 White pot, $185, barefootgypsy.com.au 10 Bramble dining table, $2599, ozdesignfurniture.com.au

84 Australian Country HOMES

Chelsea Park

…a boutique bed and breakfast with a difference difference

Chelsea Park is a glamorously restored Art Deco mansion, painted in a mellow, period cream to highlight the classic Deco lines and dramatic curves. When you arrive at this Bowral gem, you soon appreciate why Chelsea Park is called Hollywood in the Highlands. nd ds.

Sweeping up the driveway to Chelsea Park, you feel transported back in time and the mood continues inside as you are welcomed into a 1930s environment.

Arcadia House Arcadia House is a country-style home located close to the heart of Bowral. Fully self-contained accommodation for families and groups. Five comfortable bedrooms, two spacious bathrooms and all linen provided. Your home in the country, child friendly and close to all the attractions. Savour the lifestyle, sit and relax in a little bit of heaven known as the Southern Highlands.

More information at www.chelseaparkbnb.com.au or www.arcadia-house.com 589 Moss Vale Road Burradoo NSW 2576 T: (02) 4861 7046 E: chelsea@hinet.net.au

Finding Nino For abstract artists Billy Gruner and Sarah Keighery, living the dream means owning a faithfully restored 1960s project house in the Blue Mountains.

---------by KIRSTY MCKENZIE photography KEN BR ASS

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t’s received real estate wisdom to buy the worst house in the best neighbourhood, but even the agent selling the property thought artists Billy Gruner and Sarah Keighery were mad when they bought their lower-Blue Mountains home without an inspection.

Billy and Sarah were looking for a country home west of the Blue Mountains, NSW, when they stopped in Faulconbridge for a coffee and spotted an ad in an old magazine.

As huge fans of mid-century Modern style, Sarah and Billy knew instantly that the house — a Beachcomber designed in the early ’60s by architect Nino Sydney for the fledgling Lend Lease Corporation — was exactly what they were looking for “We’d admired Beachcombers in other locations,” Billy recalls. “Although the agent told us it was the ugliest house in the Blue Mountains, we knew it was just what we were looking for. It had been on the market for two years so the site was very overgrown but, because we were familiar with the design, we knew that anything that couldn’t be repaired could be replaced. As it turned out, the only thing we had to do was replace the Oregon beams [due to white ants]. The rest was a matter of clearing up the site and cleaning up the interior.”

Croatian-born Nino Sydney was one of many post-WWII migrants who made their 86 Australian Country HOMES

HOMES Australian Country 87

mark on Australia. A devotee of Modernist architects including Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer, Nino brought a European sensibility to the Australian environment when he arrived in 1956. He found a like mind in his employer, Dutch engineer Dick Dusseldorp, founder of Civil and Civic, the financing arm of what became the Lend Lease Corporation. Dick’s motivating mantra was that the designer should be hired by the contractor, rather than the other way around, and in 1961 his first request of Nino as Lend Lease’s main architect was to create five designs for Australia’s first project home village in the Sydney suburb of Carlingford. True to his “less is more” aesthetic, the Beachcomber Mark I — an elevated “matchbox” that could be sited on almost any block — was one of these designs.

“As far as I’m concerned, Nino Sydney was the hero of suburban life,” Billy says. “He shifted the ground for ordinary Australians by designing prêt-à-porter houses that could be built for less than $4000, which was a realistic spend for an ordinary family at the time. Nino had a reputation as being a ‘builder’s architect’ because his plans were simple, could easily be read and therefore could be delivered on time and on budget.”

The Beachcomber design was affordable and low-maintenance with steel supports and a top structure in timber. It’s also perched on stilts, which suited bushy and rocky settings. In another concession to the changing face of Australia, there was space underneath to accommodate that other new accessory of family life, the car. The Beachcomber, or variations of it, became the generic for elevated homes and by 1963, when Sarah and Billy’s home was constructed for Russian immigrants, the Dimitrof family, it was Mark II of an eventual four Beachcomber variants. In total, there were about 200 Beachcombers 88 Australian Country HOMES

built up and down the east coast of Australia. But as far as Sarah and Billy have been able to determine, theirs is the only one surviving with its original kitchen and bathroom.

For Sarah and Billy, buying the Beachcomber in 2008 was a perfect match. As an abstract artist with a PhD in art theory, the Australian mid-century Modern era is Billy’s “period”. Sarah, always a collector — or a hoarder as her mother called her — can’t remember a time when she didn’t love the mildly mad and

Clockwise from top: Billy and Sarah love their ’60s home; the dining room remains faithful

to the period; art and decor are either from the mid-century or inspired by it.

minimalist aesthetic of the ’60s she grew up with. “Sarah’s parents were fabulous with a capital ‘F’,” Billy explains. “Sarah’s mum drove a purple Cortina and she was famous as a flamboyant entertainer.”

“When I was growing up, our kitchen was orange and brown and purple,” Sarah adds. “While I admit it took me a while to get over all the orange, it came floating

HOMES Australian Country 89

back and now I love it. It’s such a warm and romantic colour, the colour of sunshine in the morning and late afternoon and the colour of spiritualism as in the saffron robes of Buddhist monks.”

Stepping into the home today is a time warp, with every detail of the ’60s faithfully restored or reflected. The bathroom has mauve laminex panelling and channels an “inner caravan”, there is furniture from classic designers such as Parker, Fred Lowen and Featherstone, and artworks are either from the mid-20th century or inspired by it.

“Except for the fridge, everything is from the period,” Sarah says. “The house actually came with a few pieces of original furniture and the rest we have collected through the years. Appliances, crockery, cutlery, Tupperware, soft furnishings, even tea towels and tablecloths are remnants of a time when things were made to last — and they did.”

In fact, Sarah has collected so much furniture that for a time she ran a retro shop called Pink Flamingo in the Blue Mountains village of Hazelbrook.

“We bought the shop with the intention to do it up and sell it,” she explains. “But then we found out that the existing use rights expired in two weeks, so we had little choice but to open a shop there right away. We stocked it with furniture we’d collected over the years and were surprised at how people flocked to buy it. By default, I became a shopkeeper and I was amazed at how well it went. People just seem to connect with mid-century Modern, it feels right to even younger generations.”

Billy and Sarah admit that moving to the Blue Mountains from Sydney has involved a “huge cultural shift”, but one that is eased by the existence of the computer. On an early spring day, with the sun streaming in through the floor90 Australian Country HOMES

to-ceiling glass picture windows that frame views over the rugged valley of Grose Wold, the joys of living in such an extraordinary location are plain to see.

“It was quite an effort reclaiming the property from years of neglect,” Billy says.

“People just used to throw things over the cliff. I think we recovered something like 30 TVs that had been tossed away. But gradually we are restoring the garden. In its heyday, Mrs Dimitroff had gardens on several terraces going down the hillside and gradually we hope to restore that.

These images: 200 or so Beachcombers were built in Australia, but

Sarah and Billy’s is the only one with the original kitchen and bathroom.

“In the meantime, it’s just amazing to live on a bird flight path. Every night, thousands of cockatoos fly over on their way to the Kings Canyon and every morning they fly back again ... we have cockatoos, rosellas, wallabies, kangaroos, lizards and possums as regular visitors. I suppose one day we might end up buying the farm we initially set out looking for. But for the time being, this is our version of living the dream.”

Inspiration room by room Hundreds of images, ideas and information to get your home project done

NEW HOMES & RENOVATIONS

KITCHENS & BATHROOMS

INTERIORS

OUTDOORS, POOLS & SPAS

completehome.com.au

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Coveting mid-century interiors?

Go Modernist chic and mix graphic patterns with pop colours and natural nishes Don’t forget the mid-century finishes. es essential: a statement light.

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1 Spira Friends Dagny cushion cover, $33.85, andshine.co.uk 2 Brazil Modern by Aric Chen, $85, penguin.com.au 3 Taro cushion cover in green, $28.50, andshine.co.uk 4 Etta pendant, prices vary, maisonvalentina.net 5 Cheddar paint, $39.80, haymespaint.com.au 6 Red floor lamp, prices vary, delightfull.eu 7 Thermique cafetière, $87.80, creative-tops.com 8 Ava dining chair, $269, westelm.com.au 9 Bright Orange paint, $39.80, haymespaint.com.au 10 End of Silence III print, from $130, karibouartco.com.au 11 Zafferano Billia coffee cup and plate, $38.50, casaecucina.com.au 12 Gus Belmont bedside table, $1145, globewest.com.au

92 Australian Country HOMES

Flexible steel garden edging which bends to virtually any shape for lawns, drives, paths flower and vegetable beds

Durable: Made from 1.6mm gauge mild steel galvanised and powder coated or with a Cor-Ten® rusted finish Versatile: Bends to virtually any shape and suits all soil types Unobtrusive: Intended to be mown over, available in metre lengths in various depths and colours Simple to Install: Hammered directly into the ground and easily interlocked. No extra pins, pegs or joiners

www.everedge.com.au

Tel: 0488 010 203

BALANCE POINT Discovering the difference between needs and wants has led to a move interstate and a much more relaxed life on the NSW South Coast.

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by KIRSTY MCKENZIE photography KEN BR ASS

94 Australian Country HOMES

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Clockwise from left: Roger and Toni swapped endless work and time apart for a more relaxed country existence; a postcard view; the couple welcomes guests to their sprawling Berry property.

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lthough Roger and Toni Stent used to live on the Mornington Peninsula, surely one of Victoria’s more desirable addresses, they had little time to enjoy it. As the general manager of a Canadian aviation company, Roger spent more time on a plane and in hotels than at home. Toni’s situation wasn’t much better as she worked in customer service management in Melbourne, where the hours were long and work usually followed her back to Mount Martha at night.

“We had a lovely home and from the outside, it probably looked as though we had everything one could want,” Toni recalls. “But after years of being constantly under the pump, we both came to the realisation that there must be more to life than relentless work.”

And so began a four-year search for an established hospitality business. “After long careers travelling and staying in venues all over the world, we both had a clear idea of the kind of property we wanted to run,” Toni says. “We’re both ‘people’ people but we knew we didn’t want a B&B with guests 96 Australian Country HOMES

living under the same roof as us. After all, we were wanting to escape from constant work, not jump out of the frying pan straight back into the fire.”

They knew they’d found what they were looking for the moment they set eyes on the Drawing Rooms of Berry in 2010. Located in the lee of the Illawarra escarpment, about 10 minutes drive from the tourist village of Berry and 20 minutes from the rural hideaway of Kangaroo Valley, the 15-acre (six-hectare) property

is set in rolling green former dairying country, with a three-bedroom guesthouse close to the main homestead, two lodges with two bedrooms each and a villa just for two. The guesthouse operates as a B&B and, while the other accommodation is self-catering, the Stents are happy to organise caterers to provide all or some of the meals as guests require.

“We have such wonderful local restaurants that we decided from the outset not to compete with them,” Toni

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Clockwise from left: The couple’s initial plan to stay in Berry for seven years is likely to be extended and the year-long trip to Italy put on hold — their life feels

explains. “Some guests choose to bring all their own food or pick up local produce and spend the weekend cooking. For others, that’s the last thing they’d want to do on holiday, so they tend to eat out or order in.” Much the same applies to activities. Some opt for the full program of bush and beach walking, surfing, swimming, kayaking and horse riding, while others opt for nothing more strenuous than reading a good book on the verandah of their accommodation or strolling the stalls of the Berry Country Fair, held on the first Sunday of each month. Those in search of more retail therapy have abundant opportunity in Berry, where homewares and curio shops vie with galleries and craft outlets for shoppers’ attention.

When it comes to dining, the Stents recommend Berry Sourdough Cafe and Milkwood Bakery for light meals, the casual Mediterranean fare at Mezzadellas, organic Asian delights at the Hungry Duck or more contemporary Australian indulgences at South on Albany. A little further down the road at Nowra, Wharf Road boasts a chef’s hat while closer to Berry, but still in 98 Australian Country HOMES

a bucolic setting, Silos Restaurant is set in a vineyard and has a splendid cellar in a former grain silo.

“Berry offers such an interesting mix of people, it’s little wonder so many city people are attracted to the area,” Toni says. “Alongside the former corporates, there are still fourth-generation farmers, many of whom will be selling their wares at the produce markets on the second Saturday and fourth Sunday of each month.

Kangaroo Valley has a more down-to-earth, creative component, but together we all add up to a very caring and cohesive unit.

like a holiday already; the classic, country-style living room is the perfect place to relax; the master suite boasts one of life’s greatest luxuries: a freestanding bathtub.

In all the years we lived on the Mornington Peninsula, we never really became part of the community. But here we feel we’re real village people. So much so that one day I went to town and forgot my wallet but was still able to do all the shopping I needed. I didn’t think that kind of trust existed anywhere anymore, let alone in a community that after all is only two and a half hours drive from Sydney or Canberra.”

Roger adds that while the business keeps them busy, they now have time to smell the roses and enjoy the odd round of golf or art class. “Because the way we bought the property was quite emotional, we initially said we’d give it seven years,” he explains.

“But now that we’ve been here five years, I think the plan will be extended a bit.”

“We’ve always had a bit of a plan to take a grown-up gap year in Italy,” Toni continues. “But having moved to Berry, it’s less imperative now. It will probably still happen, just somewhere further down the track. Being in hospitality means you have to plan well in advance if you want to take time off. But now there’s less need for a holiday because living here is a bit like being on permanent holiday.”

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1 Squiggly Gum tea towel set $34.95, linenhouse.com 2 Aurelia II print, from $130, karibouartco.com.au 3 Cinder grey vases, from $49.95 each, linenhouse.com 4 Blue Movie paint, from $39, dowsingandreynolds.com 5 Maison de Vacances Royal velvet cushion, $180, bastilleandsons.com.au 6 Kado Neue freestanding bath, $1699, reece.com.au 7 Cruz placemat, $64 for the set, thedesignhunter.com.au 8 Albert print, $390, 11horses.com 9 Aerin Figural Leaf pitcher, $130, williams-sonoma.com 10 Southport Coast occasional chair, $795, globewest.com.au

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Good vibrations The Windrim family has created a benchmark for sustainability at Krinklewood vineyard in the NSW Hunter Valley.

----------------by KIRSTY MCKENZIE photography KEN BR ASS

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he sign on the cellar door says it all: “Please leave the winery lights off and the music on.” Peter Windrim, winemaker and son of Rod and Suzanne Windrim, founders and owners of Krinklewood vineyard and winery in the Broke Fordwich region of the Hunter, nods his assent. “Biodynamics is all about good intentions and vibrations,” he says. “So we always play music while the wine is fermenting.”

Biodynamics is also all about the cycle of life, and visitors to Krinklewood get to experience that first-hand. From treating the farm as a living, breathing organism

and getting the soil just right with the administration of preparations synced to the phases of the moon and the planets, to acknowledging that every animal on the farm has a role to play, Krinklewood is a thriving object lesson in the sustainable approach to agriculture developed by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s.

The inclusiveness even extends to the peacocks, which Suzanne candidly admits wail like banshees and perch on everything, not to mention poo everywhere. “However, they are just beautiful to have around the place,” she says. “They make you feel good, so we bought a Gerni.”

Above and opposite: Landscape designer Annie Wilkes worked on Krinklewood’s gardens. Exteriors feel French provincial, with sculptures, private garden areas, pathways and Virginia creepers.

In fact, it was the “good feeling” of a weekend in the Hunter that brought the Windrims to the area in the first place. “In 1977, we were invited up by friends during the May school holidays,” Rod recalls. “The morning mists, the beautiful mountains, the open fires … we were sold. We bought land at Pokolbin the following year and planted our first vineyard in 1981. In 1989, we moved to another property at Wollombi, which is where we established our Limousin HOMES Australian Country 101

102 Australian Country HOMES

cattle herd. But we missed having ready access to water so in 1987, we found this property, moved here and planted a 48-acre (19-hectare) vineyard.”

A builder with a passion for heritage architecture in a former life, Rod devoted almost two years to building the house and winery and tasting area. He cheerfully confesses he was influenced by the colonial Georgian bungalow design of the Sydney heritage homestead at Elizabeth Farm, but added a mishmash of other historic house influences to build his dream home. The details are revealing, as only a builder or heritage aficionado might notice the lambs’ tongue mouldings on the glazing bars or the elaborate design of the cornices.

While the house was Rod’s pet project, Suzanne took over in the garden and commissioned “the queen of the parterre”, landscape designer Annie Wilkes, to design the garden. “Annie never thinks small,” says Suzanne. “It took four weeks with a bulldozer to level the grounds so we could have the water feature running down to the main gates.” Sculptures, enclosed gardens, gravel pathways and copious Virginia creeper shrouding the outbuildings lend a French provincial air to the property,

Clockwise from opposite: A table is positioned to maximise views of the park-like gardens; a former builder, Rod spent almost two years building the home; a “good feeling” drew the Windrims to the Hunter region in 1978.

which suits the family well as they have enjoyed extensive travels to the French and Italian countrysides.

Although they initially ran the vineyard and winery conventionally, Rod and Suzanne became increasingly interested in more sustainable farming practices.

Inspired by viticulture and Steiner courses, they started introducing biodynamics to

the vineyard in 2002 and were officially certified in 2007.

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding … or, in this case, in the bottle. As would be expected of a Hunter Valley winery, Krinklewood’s Shiraz and Semillon varieties have won accolades at wine shows all over the country. Its Chardonnay, Verdelho, Francesca rosé and sparkling blanc de blanc HOMES Australian Country 103

104 Australian Country HOMES

have not escaped attention either and have attracted awards and warm comments from wine writers and the tasting public.

For the Windrims, it is a heartening endorsement of their vineyard and winery practices, which, at best, were regarded as experimental and, at worst, fringe loony.

“Our primary focus is building life in the soil,” Rod explains. “Once the soil has the right biology, the rest takes care of itself.

The fungi and bacteria exchange nutrients with the plant. There is no way you can do it artificially as chemicals kill all the good stuff along with the bad. When the plant has its own balanced nutrition, it has the ability to fight off fungus and disease.

If it hasn’t, nature’s garbage collectors [grubs and moths] come and attack it.

Biodynamics is not only about farming the soil, it’s about diversity. So everything we grow, from our Limousin and Red Poll cattle, Southdown sheep, Berkshire pigs, horses and geese to the ti-tree along the creek, vegies in the garden and bees in the hives, has a role to play, whether it’s weeding, providing manure or just bringing a lovely energy to the place. We compost with manure; in fact, we make hundreds of cubic metres of compost.”

Clockwise from opposite: The extended family gathers at Krinklewood for weekends and special occasions; spaces here are relaxed; Rod looked to heritage homesteads for inspiration when devising the property.

When Australian Country visited, the vineyard was postcard perfect. There were cattle and sheep grazing between the vines with their lush early-summer canopy.

Rod explains that canopy management is another crucial element of biodynamic vineyards, as it is important to have plenty of aeration to keep the vines healthy and bug-free. “It’s all part of a holistic approach,”

he says. “Initially, everyone told us it wouldn’t work and that we’d just been lucky because there’s been a long drought. Finally in 2008, we had lots of rain and that put us to the test … that was the throw-it-in or march-on vintage. We used a compost tea to predate the downy mildew. We sprayed it out … and it worked. All of a sudden, I felt I could put my hand up and say ‘we are biodynamic’.”

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The Windrims divide their time between the Hunter and their home on Sydney’s northern beaches, and the extended family frequently gathers at Krinklewood for weekends and special occasions. The couple’s eldest daughter, Carla, looks after marketing while her younger sister, Danika, is also involved in the industry both on a family level and as the marketing manager for Champagne Bollinger and Henschke Wines. There are messages of love from the grandchildren written all over the property, from the concrete egg fermenters and the gates at the entrance to the vegie garden. At busy times such as the biannual members’ club lunches, it’s all hands on deck as the family congregates to do what they do best: share their love and passion for their label and the wine that goes in their bottles.

Peter has become increasingly involved with the winery recently and is assuming the role of head winemaker. A graphic designer in his first life, he says he developed his love of winemaking and biodynamics by osmosis. “I’ve been fascinated with wine since I was nine or 10 years old and I helped Dad make a Shiraz that won a silver medal at the Hunter Wine Show,” he explains. “I’m not sure I would have been so keen about getting into the family business if it weren’t for biodynamics. It’s a fascinating field to be involved in and I am constantly learning more about it.”

Pete has become something of a poster boy for biodynamics with a regular radio slot on 2SER explaining the intricacies of 106 Australian Country HOMES

Clockwise from top left: Fresh flowers adorn the home; the home’s interior scheme has matured through the years, with a French and Morrocan influence emerging; a cheerful yellow claw-foot bathtub.

the approach. “In many ways, it’s an idea whose time has come,” he says. “With increasing awareness of the importance of what we eat and drink, not to mention a healthy lifestyle, it’s obvious that organic and biodynamic farming will become mainstream. I’m keen to take it further, perhaps with apothecary candles from our beeswax, or natural cheeses or other fermented foods. We’ve already dipped a toe in the water with Wild Cider, in which we set out to make the cleanest cider you could possibly make. But for now, we’re taking baby steps and the winery is our priority. It’s exciting, though, to have so much potential for expansion and diversification. There’s enough here to keep me busy and fulfilled for several lifetimes.”

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French provincial style meets Africaninspired interiors in this Hunter Valley winery. Match vivid colours with earthy tones and stock up on drops of Krinklewood’s ďŹ nest to follow suit.

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-----------compiled by ALICE GRIFFIN

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1 Mexican Rag rug, $40.65, iansnow.com 2 Classic shirt, $139, countryroad.com.au 3 Lovely Linen tablecloth, $262, casaecucina.com.au 4 Nguni wire head, $199, safarifusion.com.au 5 LEDlux Glow LED candle, $44.95 for three, beaconlighting.com.au 6 Tribal Embroideries cushion, $40.50, iansnow.com 7 Albany chair, $339, ozdesignfurniture.com.au 8 Linc lantern, $34, thedesignedit.com.au 9 Hambledon small butlers tray, $227.85, gardentrading.co.uk

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HINTERLAND HAVEN A 1950s farmhouse in northern NSW has become a relaxing weekender for a Gold Coast couple.

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by JULIE GEORGE photography ANASTASIA K ARIOFYLLIDIS styling TAHN SCOON

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Opposite: Stone from the property was used throughout to form pathways, walls, seats and a firepit.

Above: Niccy and Andrew’s home at The Channon in north-eastern NSW is surrounded by rolling hills and pastures and is close to wonderful World Heritage-listed national parks and rainforest.

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ffectionately known as the Green Cauldron, the northeastern corner of NSW rests within an expansive ancient volcanic crater. Winding the narrow roads toward The Channon, green it certainly is and in every possible shade. World Heritage-listed rainforests and national parks are patchworked with rolling hills of macadamia and coffee plantations, lush pastures and strolling cows.

Home to an eclectic mix of alternative lifestylers, farmers and tree changers, this area is dotted with little villages connected by a labyrinth of dreamy country roads.

“You’ll feel like you’re a million miles from anywhere,” Niccy Mockridge, who purchased property here with husband Andrew Shepherd, says. The Gold Coast couple bought their 1950s farmhouse set on slightly more than 100 acres (40 hectares) as a weekender seven years ago. Their renovation of the property far exceeds its Federation-style charm, as the home has become a family haven for them and their children, George and Lilly, and sits beautifully alongside contemporary, rural glamour.

Niccy’s childhood was infused with holiday memories of her grandparents’ hobby farm in Victoria. Andrew was born in Augathella in western Queensland and spent much of his childhood in the country, which allowed an easy transition from specialist teacher to boutique farmer.

He now produces beef from Angus and the original Charolais cattle on the property.

“The attraction of a rural lifestyle and the small local school for the children played a large part in the decision to make a permanent move,” Andrew explains.

Reviving the home, though, would be

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Clockwise from opposite: Niccy decided on white walls and large windows to modernise the 1950s farmhouse; Niccy and the family couldn’t be happier with the change in lifestyle; the guest house is frequently occupied; pops of colour add intrigue on an otherwise monochromatic verandah.

110 Australian Country HOMES

a challenge. It had been subject to a ’70s modernisation complete with all of the era’s design elements — linoleum floors, shaggy carpet, lowered ceilings and verandah posts clad in brick. “The house had a total of two power points and a donkey heater, which had to be filled and fired up each time we needed hot water,” Andrew recalls.

“The owner saw this as a selling point, but fortunately we were already sold.”

For Niccy, an interiors consultant, the plan was clear — clean whites for inside and out, allowing the space to be punctuated with her antiques and garage sale finds together with the views of the surrounding hills. “The house was dark and enclosed by the previous renovations,” she says. “So when it was stripped, the light flooded back in.” Also revealed were hardwood floorboards made from local teak and striking 12-foot tongue-andgroove ceilings.

Niccy’s clever design for the open-plan galley kitchen incorporates her glamorous modern aesthetic. The wide Italian quartz benchtops in Tuttifrutti and high-gloss cabinetry provide the space needed for the activities of The Channon Cheese Collective, a group Niccy formed with girlfriends where local milk is turned into Camembert and fetta. Niccy also spends time making her own preserves and tomato sauce.

Looking out from the kitchen, a fuchsia pink 1950s parlour lounge is the focal point of the living room and defines this couple’s chic individual style. Discovered at an auction, Niccy just had to have it. In the excitement, she was also the successful bidder on four large pillars originally from one of Brisbane’s old sandstone CBD buildings. At the end of the day — when Niccy got a chance to read the lot tag more carefully — it was discovered the posts were not out the back but were concreted in barrels in the ground at a Gold Coast address. After a hasty call to

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Clockwise from top: Once sealed, the hardwood floorboards made from local teak are now one of the home’s most striking features; antiques and garage sale finds adorn the home; an interiors consultant, Niccy has an eye for mixing and matching.

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Andrew, an excavator was arranged. Once they were home, Andrew used his tractor to manoeuvre them into place. Now converted to lamp posts, they play a central role in framing the external additions to the house.

The brief for the surrounding grounds was classic and country and was handed to John Young from Prestige Landscaping.

The pool needed to be French, rectangular and grassy. “John was really clever with his design,” Andrew says. He convinced the couple to position the pool on the southern side of the house, making the most of the view but requiring a substantial cut and fill to the slope. It was the right decision. The grassy pool surrounds against the backdrop of the valley is both visually stunning and luxurious underfoot.

The pool area gently drops away into landscaped gardens, where stone from the property was used extensively in pathways, walls, seats and a firepit. “Once the large bush rocks were in place, they looked like they had been there forever,” Niccy says.

From the pool area, the slope cleverly hides the fencing from view. The old wrought-iron gate separating the pool from the croquet lawn has complied as a safety gate with the addition of Perspex and a child lock.

The final touch was the addition of a newly constructed guest suite, facilitating the couple’s love of entertaining and spending time with family and friends.

Of course, they are never short of guests.

The deep cream carpet and provincial furnishings give this space a luxurious feel.

The suite features an adjacent cinema room with a retro-style ticket booth providing a fun twist to movie nights. And the price tag for this renovation? “Too much!” Niccy says, but the big flash of her smile suggests that all is sitting just right. Not only was this the revival of a house but also of the family’s lifestyle “and we really are living in one of the most amazing parts of Australia”.

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We’ll never n tire of Federation-style ch charm but for a fresh take, updat the look with crisp neutrals update an and a few statement ďŹ nds.

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Mundane to masterful Al Phemister takes ordinary, everyday materials and turns them into extraordinary sculptures at his studio in country NSW. ----------------by KIRSTY MCKENZIE photography KEN BR ASS

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t first glance, Al Phemister’s dandelions are works of such incredible lightness that you feel a puff of breath would blow them away. On closer inspection, it turns out the sculptor’s delicate disintegrating flower heads are in absolutely no danger of falling apart. They’re made from concrete reinforcements — plastictipped bar chairs — sturdily welded together and firmly planted in the ground.

Al can see potential where others see mundanity. From his studio in the NSW southern tablelands town of Yass, he takes sprockets, washers, horseshoes, chicken wire and other scrap metals and discarded

industrial building materials and turns them into objects of gentility, fluidity and soft beauty. Al’s studio is in the grounds of a rambling hub of creativity surrounding the 1853 extended cottage he shares with his artist wife, Sara, and young adult children, Annie and Jack.

Born into a family of builders, Al’s formal qualifications are in greenkeeping and horticulture. A firm believer that you can make anything you want if you work

Clockwise from opposite: The garden is full of Al’s sculptures; his dandelions are extremely popular; Al doesn’t let inhibitions or self-doubt stop him — he believes you can achieve what you set your mind to.

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hard enough at it, Al has renovated and extended the family home, adding an outdoor dining room and an upper level to the original four-bedroom cottage along with sundry cubby houses and outbuildings in the garden.

“I’m best described as an artist by accident,” Al says. “I just happen to make sculpture for a living. Sara is the real artist in our family. She’s the one with the fine arts degree.” Sara works in paint, fabric and graphics and has also illustrated a children’s book with her trademark, and colourful, naive works. The Phemisters’ home is crammed with examples of their work and

those of many artist friends who call the Yass Valley home. Both Sara and Al are members of YASSarts, an affiliation of local creatives who open their home studios for the Yass Arts Trail on the first weekend of each November. Some of them also exhibit at Sculpture in the Paddock, an exhibition held at the same time at the National Trust Cooma Cottage on Yass Valley Way, on the outskirts of Yass.

Clockwise from opposite: The family garden is enchanting; sculptures are made from recycled materials; Al works on the premise that everyday objects are masterful; dandelions; a beautiful birdhouse.

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Al says his first foray into metal sculpture came when Sara needed some support frames for growing sweet peas. Not content just to make a purely utilitarian object, Al crowned his work with a chicken fashioned from wire. Next up, a friend handed him a bag full of rusty old horseshoes.

“First, all I could think of was 1980s copper art,” he recalls. “But, eventually, I turned them into a pear shape. It took me quite some time to get there but my Pair of Shoes sculptures became very popular and I’ve now had more than 100 commissions.”

Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery and Al says there are copies of his pears out there. His response was to

number each work and provide a certificate of authenticity. “Instead of being frustrated at being copied, I decided to diversify,” he says. “In 2010, I was lucky enough to win a sculpture competition and the prize was a residency at the ANU Art School. That gave me an opportunity to experiment with bronze. About the same time, a friend who runs recycling centres gave me the steel mesh that is used to reinforce concrete.

As soon as I saw it, I knew it would make a

These pages: Al Phemister, his artist wife, Sara, and their young adult children, Annie and Jack, live in the 1853 extended cottage in Yass. The home is an eclectic mishmash of vintage and shabby styles.

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great ball. The dandelions kind of evolved from there. I love the concept of recycling and I like things to look aged even when they are new.”

Even the clothesline at the Phemisters is a work of art, carved from recycled timber.

“Just because you use something everyday doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful,” Al says. “At one stage in my life, I helped a retired naval architect build a house and I learned a lot from him. He used to say ‘if you put your mind to it, you can do anything’. I’ve incorporated that into my business and my life.”

Recent success has enabled the Phemisters to travel and sell overseas 120 Australian Country HOMES

including taking two sculptures to England.

“I [have] shipped dandelions to Scotland and Singapore and one of my pears is on its way to Malaysia,” Al says. “Suddenly the world became achievable for our family and we are all re-energised by the experience of new cultures and settings. Who knows what’s around the corner but we’ll find a way to embrace whatever opportunities come our way.”

Clockwise from above right: The family likes their colourful linen; cute kitchen accoutrements; Sara and Al’s artworks are dotted throughout the home, alongside pieces from other artists in the area.

ENJOY ULTIMATE LUXURY AND RELAXATION. ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE PAMPERED WITH DELECTABLE TREATS AND STUNNING WINES FROM OUR REGION AND BREATHE IN THE AROMA OF UTTER PEACE. IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT AT BISHOP’S COURT ESTATE.

Bishop’s Court Estate 226 Seymour Street Bathurst NSW 2795 Ph: 02 6332 4447

www.bishopscourtestate.com.au

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This artists’ abode favours bright hues and floral flair. Here are the pieces you need to follow suit.

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11 1 Räsymatto bag, prices vary, marimekko.com 2 Retro Flower Spot porcelain egg cup, $3.55, kitchencraft.co.uk 3 Faux potted Boston fern, $55.55, audenza.com 4 Siesta 2101 paint, $39.80, haymespaint.com.au 5 French grey three-tier cake tin set, $53.10, kitchencraft.co.uk 6 Tahlah multi cushion, $39.95, kasaustralia.com.au 7 Parmers cushion, $25, sheridan.com.au 8 Colourworks blue scales, $30.15, kitchencraft.co.uk 9 Peony wallpaper, prices vary, covethouse.eu 10 Gaya shiny ash celadon mug, $14, westelm.com.au 11 Vintage pressed-metal panel 12, prices vary, schots.com.au

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Clockwise from top: A colourful welcome; Pru is running out of places to store her finds; Pru happily shares her Snowy Mountains home with holidaymakers; there’s nothing dry about Bimblegumbie.

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ru Parker is a woman ahead of her time. She abandoned the rat race and started collecting unusual glass vessels, teapots and other funky paraphernalia well before it was fashionable to do so.

“When I started collecting the glass in the ’70s, it was definitely not in fashion and there were many jokes by the auctioneers as to where I may be putting my finds,” Pru recalls. “It was excellent.

I didn’t have to enter into many bidding wars for my great discoveries, unlike today when fashion has caught up with my obsessions. These days, I don’t have much space left so I tend to give in at the auction battles and share with the other locals.”

Her teapot collection (around 100 to date) was less whim and more necessity. She was after a teapot that retained heat and did not spill. She is not sure she has found it yet.

However, her efforts have left her with a vast collection that ranges from Art Deco to retro and back again and like her glass — and the rest of her home — it is a sight to behold.

HIGH COUNTRY HIDEAWAY A working holiday in the Australian Alps has turned into a 40-year love affair with the region for Pru Parker.

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Clockwise from opposite: Pru has more than 100 teapots to her name; Pru’s partner, Craig, tends to the high-maintenance alpine garden; colourful vintage glass vessels decorate the home; the couple go to great lengths to ensure Bimblegumbie is eco-friendly; returning guests love the character of the property.

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It was 1970 when Pru abandoned Sydney’s North Shore for the Snowy Mountains. It was only meant to be a working holiday but life intervened and she still lives close to the slopes 40-odd-years later. To make ends meet, Pru managed Thredbo-based Twynam Lodge and later worked at the Thredbo Alpine Hotel and the iconic Bernti’s Mountain Inn. But she’s always been an independent soul and in around 1976, Pru had the good fortune to snaffle up some prime acreage located about nine kilometres from Jindabyne, where she shifted with her then husband and daughter.

“It was a pretty intense and exciting time,” Pru says. “We moved to the bush and commenced a challenging life on the land as well as juggling work in Thredbo and raising a child. My ex-husband and I built the main house on the property and in 1978, it quite unexpectedly morphed into a guesthouse.”

Now, many years, and extensions, later, Bimblegumbie is a rambling, colourful and much-loved property that Pru continues to share with current partner, Craig Clarkson, and her oft-returning guests.

All alpine gardens are challenging with very specific needs and Bimblegumbie’s is no exception. But Craig’s green thumb and artistic eye have changed all that. The garden is now filled with hardy, mostly native, trees and plants. Additionally, his many sculptures and artworks are a feature scattered throughout the landscape.

“Craig is the genius in the garden,” Pru says. “He has an excellent understanding of permaculture and since an extreme bushfire in 2003, a lot of the garden has been planted to provide a food source and habitat for native wildlife. Additionally, he has a passion for bonsai and sculpture and

HOMES Australian Country 127

Clockwise from top: Built in 1976, Bimblegumbie has been Pru’s home for 40-plus years and counting; the house defines the term, eclectic; Bimblegumbie’s accommodation, referred to as The Lodge, can house around 22 guests when it’s at its full capacity.

128 Australian Country HOMES

evidence of these are all over the property.

It is so wonderful to share the visual results of his work.”

While life in the mountains can be harsh and the winter season gruelling, Pru and Craig remain passionate about nature and the environment. Each building on the property is carefully designed to integrate with its surrounds, while composting and recycling are de rigueur. Fresh herbs and salad supplies are also on the menu for guests, while environmentally friendly cleaning products, energy-saving globes and a solar hot water system also make the grade.

“The best part about living here is the space and nature all around us, with wonderful guests continually bringing the city to us and sharing their stories,” Pru says. “It is like a reciprocal exchange. We share what we have with our guests and vice versa. It is old-fashioned hospitality, a nurturing atmosphere, with mod cons and hi-tech as well, which makes for an experience that is so different from the highly commercialised options. We like to think it is a lot more real and honest.”

Indeed, a visit to Bimblegumbie is like a visit to your favourite aunt’s. It is eclectic, comfortable and cosy. It is whimsical, nostalgic and, at times, surprising. Like a good bottle of red wine, the property continues to improve. Now, in addition to the original house where its owners live, there is an assortment of self-contained areas and rooms in what is referred to as The Lodge. At full capacity, the property can accommodate up to 22 people. But, full house or not, one thing remains the same — it is a place to escape, which is exactly what Pru did all those years ago.

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132 Australian Country HOMES

A Phoenix rises In the hot, dry summer of 2009, Penni Thompson nagged and nagged her husband, Tony, to move an irrigation pump down on to the river flats close to their home on the outskirts of Marysville. Eventually he complied and that pump probably saved their home and their lives when the devastating Black Saturday bushfires swept through.

----------------------by KIRSTY MCKENZIE photography KEN BR ASS & DARYL HULL

F

or the people of Marysville in Victoria, life will never be the same after the holocaust of Black Saturday, 2009. Penni and Tony Thompson count themselves as lucky, however, as although most of their property was devastated by the inferno that raged across the district, they were able to save their home and none of their immediate family was injured or killed in the tragic event.

The road to recovery has not been without its challenges, but the people of Marysville are a determined lot. Penni and Tony are intent on restoring their property and its garden as a symbol of the indomitablity of the human spirit and as a tribute to their friends and neighbours who lost loved ones and homes in the fires.

The Thompsons bought Maryton Park as a tree change business in 2000. Trained as a baker and pastry chef, Tony decided after 17 years of 1am starts to look for a business that allowed him more sociable hours and hopefully a more balanced lifestyle. He and Penni found what they were looking for in Maryton Park, a 60-acre [24-hectare] farm with the picturesque

Steavenson River on its boundary. The property was already established with six guest cottages dotted around the park-style garden that surrounds a waterlily-strewn lake. They served breakfast and dinner in a central restaurant with a charming outdoor courtyard for the summer months and gave the cottages and grounds a good spruce up. Gradually word of the idyllic location spread and business grew as guests reported enthusiastically of the district’s many outdoor attractions including bushwalks, cycling and cross-country skiing on nearby Lake Mountain. The Thompsons had just added three more selfcatering cottages to their accommodation options when the Murrindindi Mill fires ravaged through Marysville killing 34 locals and two tourists and destroying 90 per cent of the buildings.

“On the Friday before, it was hellishly hot, around 48 degrees, but there was no wind,” Penni recalls. “I’d been hassling Tony to move the pump down to the river so we could start irrigating a crop.

Eventually my sister and brother-in-law and niece came to visit and while we had the extra hands, they moved it down to HOMES Australian Country 133

134 Australian Country HOMES

the dam. On the Saturday afternoon, we could see the smoke coming from the north-west, but it wasn’t until late in the afternoon that we realised the fire was coming from behind as well. By the time we realised what was happening, we were surrounded and there was no way we could leave.”

While Penni, her sister, niece and four guests took refuge in the house lining the doors and windows with wet towels, Tony, their chef, Stan, and brother-in-law Graham set up the pump and dropped the irrigation pipes in the lake so they could direct the water onto the house and restaurant. For four hours solid, they waged war against the devastating onslaught, putting out spot fire after spot fire. By the time they could finally take their first breather at around 11pm, they were surrounded by a scene of utter devastation. Through the smoke and embers, they could see that the garden was in cinders, a hay shed was smouldering, a row of blackwood trees that lined their driveway

was gone and only one of the 17 gums that encircled the lake was left standing.

“At that stage, I didn’t even know the town had gone,” Tony says. “In the immediate aftermath, there was just shock, but gradually we pulled ourselves together and started on the recovery effort. We were a strong community before this happened, but I would say that we are an even stronger one now. Everyone looks out for everyone else.”

With lives, homes and businesses destroyed, many Marysville residents had no option but to move away. The Thompsons threw themselves into the rebuilding program and Tony assumed the role of chairperson of the Community Recovery Committee, responsible for rebuilding, liaising with government agencies and charity relief funds and keeping a weather eye on the mental health issues members of the community inevitably faced. Nine years down the track, Marysville is once again open for business and the town’s population, which at the time of the fire

Clockwise from opposite: The lake saved the house; gradually the grounds have been restored; Penni and Tony were instrumental in the recovery effort; a picture-postcard setting by the lake.

numbered somewhere between 430 and 450, is now around 400. Visitor beds, which once numbered around 2500, are gradually being restored and there are currently about 1000 available. Business is coming back to town and there’s a new school, new police station, general store and visitor centre, which contains a comprehensive display chronicling the fires, their aftermath and the rebuilding effort.

“We have received an astonishing amount of support,” Tony says. “People from all over Australia opened their hearts and their wallets and contributed to the relief effort. The public bushfire appeal generated more than $390 million, which is an extraordinary figure, even when it was divided across all the affected areas.”

The memory of Black Saturday is, however, omnipresent. There’s HOMES Australian Country 135

undergrowth returning in the forests that were denuded by the fires, but the bare trunks still stand on the hillsides resembling a northern European winter scene even in the height of spring. With the rebuilding programs, gardens are slowly being restored. Many are helped by a program called Plant Aid, which the Thompsons ran from their back paddock.

“People from all over donated plants to help us rebuild,” Penni explained. “Individuals donated cuttings and seedlings in pots, nurseries sent truckloads of trees. One company from South Australia sent a trailer full of orchard trees. We stored them at our place and co-ordinated the redistribution.

For the first 12 months after the fire, people just survived. But now a sense of normality is returning and people are rebuilding.”

Penni adds that throwing themselves into the recovery program has been a good way of dealing with survivor guilt. “It’s good to keep busy,” she says. “At one stage, Tony 136 Australian Country HOMES

was putting in about 60 volunteer hours a week. You have to keep moving. I couldn’t wear jewellery for about two years after the fire because it just didn’t seem right when so many others had lost everything.”

In their “spare” time, the Thompsons have gradually rebuilt their garden to the showpiece it once was. Given the devastation, they had little choice but to cut the garden back to nothing and start again.

In this endeavour, they have been helped by another Marysville fire survivor, Daryl Hull, whose own story of surviving the fire by taking refuge in the town’s lake went viral when he posted video footage of the aftermath on the internet. Daryl has been living in one of the Thompsons’ cabins and has lent his passion for gardening to Penni’s effort. Now roses, blossom, bulbs and rhododendrons add their colour to the grounds, and locals come again to Maryton Park to enjoy beer and platter afternoons and evenings in the courtyard on weekends.

Clockwise from above: A magnolia blooms beside the lake at Maryton Park; the garden is just as enchanting as it used to be; wildlife has returned.

“We tried reopening the restaurant, but it was just too early,” Tony says. “So we’ve opted for a more low-key alternative and it seems to be working. Gradually events are returning to town. We have the Marysville Really Long Lunch in March, Australia’s only sparkling wine festival in October, the Marysville marathon in November and lots of cycling events come through town during the year. We have to constantly keep working to make sure that when people do visit, they have a reason to want to return.

It’s not an easy task, but I’m confident that having survived this far, we will eventually get there.”

To gain more information on Maryton Park’s various accommodation options, visit marytonpark.com.au.

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