opened doors to an absorbing new career for a former Sydney nurse

ALLIANCE FRANCAISE

A South Australian couple divide their time between the south of France and the Adelaide Hills.

By TAMARA SIMONEAU, photography ROSS WILLIAMS, styling BRONTE CAMILLERI

These pages: The French farmhouse-inspired property is in the Adelaide Hills; Michael and Judy have certainly brought the Mediterranean ambience home; Michael built the kitchen himself; the outdoor areas feel a world away from South Australia. W e’ve all read those travel memoirs written by a wander-lusting expat who throws caution to the wind and sets up camp in the European countryside. The restoration of an old character-fi lled house is usually part of the storyline, as is the charmingly challenging adaptation to rural life in an enchanting foreign land.

For South Australian couple Michael Norris and Judy Richards, that narrative is one they know well. Very well. “We live the dream in two small villages,” Judy says. “One is in one of the most beautiful regions of France and the other is here in the Hills, in my opinion, one of the world’s most stunning places.”

The adventurous couple have known each other for more than three decades and tied the knot in 2008. That was when they began living an enviable double life. “We have spent three to four months most years since then restoring houses in southwest France, in Lot-et-Garonne,” Judy says. “It’s been a fabulous experience, and we have been accepted by the local community who supply us with fruit and vegetables and invite us to all the local events.”

It makes sense that Judy and Michael would bring those European infl uences home with them. Their Aussie abode is more French farmhouse than typical country home. “We found our Clarendon property a decade ago,” Michael says. “We were driving down one of our favourite ›

roads in the Adelaide Hills, which is known for its beautiful European feel.”

Set on 13 acres (fi ve hectares), dotted with olive, apple, plum and peach trees, and featuring a large pond where the couple’s grandchildren paddle the weekends away in a little boat, it’s a magical property with an intriguing history to match. “The property has been added to through the years, beginning as a market garden and orchard of the earlysettler Richards family,” Michael says. “Originally, in the late 1800s, there was a two-storey stone blacksmith shop and small residence. In the 50s it was added to by a farmer and his wife, who, due to the restrictions of building materials after WWII, made concrete bricks on site for the dwelling with the help of their two sons.”

The property has had many industrious inhabitants, including Michael. A skilled craftsman and builder, he was hands-on with any renovations and extensions and made most of their furniture himself. And evidence of the couple’s French love aff air is all around. “We’ve brought back from France many locks, hinges and hardware, linen, paintings, tapestries and curios from vide greniers (village markets), brocantes (old wares stores) and antique shops,” he says.

The couple call the property Shimla after a village they fell in love with during travels to India, where Michael ran a forged-iron furniture-making business from 1999 to 2005. Their Hills life is an idyllic existence, and a labour of love. “We

These pages: Michael at home in the Hills; gardening is a shared passion; natural light filters throughout the home; wooden beams add interest and a sense of history to the hall.

are always fi nding things to do, adding new interesting plants, paths and garden features,” Michael adds. “Recently we planted a new avenue of Italian cyprus trees that line the path to the cabin.”

The cabin sits beside a creek that runs through the property and was once used by orchard workers. It’s Michael’s answer to a man-cave.

“The cabin is Michael’s haven and his favourite place,” Judy explains. “It has the feeling of a Depression-era shanty. It just needs a rocking chair and a banjo to complete the feel.”

These pages: The cabin is Michael’s haven; the couple has brought home many souvenirs from France; the cabin includes guest beds.

Judy has her own little happy place back inside the main house. “There’s a secret Narnia passage behind an armoire façade, which fascinates the grandchildren and visitors,” Michael says. “Its passage takes you down to Judy’s studio, where she writes for a local paper and paints.”

When she’s not working in her studio, you’ll fi nd Judy elbow-deep in the garden beds. “In diff erent homes I have lived in over the years, I have established, restored and added to many old gardens,” she says. “It’s an interest that came from my passionate gardener mother, Rita. Unfortunately, I didn’t inherit her green fi ngers and often have to struggle to get the eff ect I want.”

They call the garden rustic highmaintenance, but it all adds to the appeal for visitors — of the human and animal kind. Judy says Shimla’s rambling grounds attract “small birds, echidnas, koalas and bandicoots, kangaroos and believe it or not, large deer that have escaped”.

And there’s never a shortage of family stopping by. “I have two sons and when I married Judy I inherited another son and three daughters,” Michael says. “Together we have 15 grandchildren who keep us very happy and busy.”

Their French fairy-tale getaways add to their already full schedules. “We’ve made many wonderful friends,” Judy says. “We really do have two interwoven lives: one in France and one here in the Hills.” ACH

Chelsea Park

…a boutique bed and breakfast with a 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 Highlandds s. 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.