The long haul: The Ark is calling

Maryan and Jeremy Bourke are one of the lucky few — their dream became a reality two years ago when they bought 2.5 hectares of land with two neglected properties sitting on a corner block near Tatura.

Known to locals as Wilson’s Corner on the Undera side of the Midland Hwy-Tatura roundabout, the Bourkes have renamed their property The Ark, which is entirely appropriate, as they now share their life with an expanded family of alpacas, sheep, ducks, dogs, cats, cows and a goat called Sir Carol.

“Most of our animals are rescued and they thank us each day by living their best lives here with us,” said aged care worker Maryan, or Maz as she prefers.

Maz said she and builder husband Jeremy would often dream about moving from their little house in Mooroopna on to a farm to raise their four children, two of whom have special needs.

“We lived in the ‘burbs’ and got on with life, but the dream of having those few acres still lived in us,” she said.

For 10 years, whenever Jeremy drove past Wilson’s Corner on building jobs he would eye up the property as a potential “forever home” for their family.

In 2014 he noticed the property was up for sale, but the Bourkes were in no financial position to buy.

On top of that, the buildings were in such a state of neglect Maz didn’t like the look of them.

However, Jeremy saw the potential.

“I’m a builder, and I don’t care if it looks horrible – I can make it look beautiful,” he said.

So they continued to dream.

Five years later, they got another chance.

“In 2019 we couldn’t believe it was up for sale again. We had been looking at properties for 12 months and Wilson’s Corner was still in the back of our minds,” Maz said.

“We almost didn’t go for an inspection as we thought it was too good to be true, but talking with Brett the realtor from Ray White in Tatura we went along, and we knew immediately this was it.”

They received the keys in March 2020 just as COVID-19 hit.

Nevertheless, they began renovations straight away and haven’t looked back.

Jeremy has made the 1960s brickbuilt four-bedroom house liveable by ripping up ugly purple carpet tiles, which covered the living area. In the process they uncovered Tasmanian pine floorboards, which are now polished, adding a touch of beauty and warmth.

We are heavily into re-using items and giving them a new lease of life rather than them going into landfill. “

– MARYAN BOURKE

Jeremy also took down a wall between the kitchen and lounge area to open up more light and space.

The other property is a twobedroom weatherboard house built by the original owner Archie Wilson who called it ‘Rodney’ — which Maz and Jeremy have adopted as their pet name for the 108-year-old building.

Despite the old house not having any power or water, Jeremy and Maz are determined to restore Rodney to its former glory.

“I’m probably going to have to gut the inside, but it doesn’t worry me if it takes another five years,” Jeremy said.

They plan to eventually rent the property as a farm-stay bed-andbreakfast to provide income for their two special needs children, as they grow older.

Outside, there is a thriving vegie garden and a greenhouse made from old glass doors and trampoline frames, which they call the “caboose”.

Produce from their home-grown vegetables and fruit is made into jams and chutneys which are sold at farmers’ markets along with an abundance of eggs from The Ark’s flock of chooks and ducks.

Money from their produce sales goes into a special savings account for Rodney’s renovations.

“We are heavily into re-using items and giving them a new lease of life rather than them going into landfill. We will be using more trampoline frames to make an arbour to grow grapes on that we have found around the property,” Maz said.

As Maz and Jeremy acknowledge, this is not an overnight project. They are in it for the long-haul because after all, it is their forever home.

“We have so many things we still have to do,” Maz said.

“I’m sure my friends get sick of hearing me talk about fencing and planting trees. I feel like I’m forever doing it but I love it.”

Looking around their ramshackle property surrounded by acres of green, with tools piled waiting for a proper shed, vegetables and new fruit trees planted, sheep quietly grazing the paddocks and old dogs lying in the sun, you just know the Bourke family is prepared for the long haul.

It might take years of patience and passion, a bit of cash and a lot of love to create a forever home. But you get the feeling that if anyone can do it, it’s Maz and Jeremy Bourke.

A Facebook support and information page for The Ark and the Bourke family’s restoration project has been set up at ‘Home at the Ark’. 