'Currawong' - Come for a walk with me around this beautiful old property

My first visit to 'Currawong' was over ten years ago when the original owners were having a huge auction and clearing sale. It was filled with farmers bidding on machinery & tractors and hundreds antique dealers and collectors busily packing their cars with treasures. Andrew and I went up for the day and I remember walking around thinking to myself this is such a wonderful old place, it just needs someone clever to buy it and bring it back to life. It was quite rundown and definitely worn out, but had all the right elements for a great place to live. Then along came two friends of ours, Al & Lyn Bailey who have quietly over the last decade transformed this property into a magnificent home & garden and made it one of the Southern Highlands most desired homes.

I can't imagine that there isn't anyone that doesn't look up to 'Currawong' when they drive by on the country road. I always do! the house looks so peaceful sitting up on the hill and I love the way it nestles into the surrounding countryside. Lyn and Al have been planting & growing hundreds and hundreds of olive trees and making their own olive oil to sell. They have also beautifully landscaped the old gardens and added a large new wing to the home and renovated the old part of the house.

'Currawong' was built in the 1920's and if you have ever visited an old Australian property or station you would know of the energy in the air that lives in these places that can only come from years and years of farming & history. 'Currawong' definitely has it, with the very long white driveway that leads up to the house and around past the original cattle yards to the old sheds. You really do feel like you're way outback somewhere in Australia. As you all know I love spending time photographing the beautiful gardens of the Southern Highlands where I live and this is one home that I really wanted to share with you.

I love the beautiful whites and blue/greys that Lyn and Al have used everywhere around the home, it's soft and calming. Lyn said that the colour is a favourite of hers and she even had her bridesmaid dresses made in the same colour for their wedding. The soft grey concrete walkway around the house is really quite clever and randomly positioned and is made from the original old pathway that the previous owner had laid from the house up the hill so his feet didn't get wet while he went on his daily walks. Lyn and Al dug up the old pathway and brought it down the hill piece by piece to reset around the house. There are huge, beautiful trees around the house that give perfect shade through summer and they have planted masses and masses of blue Agapanthus flowers which line the gardens, the entrance and around the tennis court.

It is still a working farm after all, but a Southern Highlands style farm, which means there are beautiful views in every direction. Both Lyn and Al have cleverly modernised 'Currawong' without taking away the wonderful old history of the place. It's time to move on and find another place, "just like this one, but smaller" said Lyn. We both love 'Currawong' and we love our olive trees and this year's pick will be amazing as we have had so much rain. They pick their olives in May and hopefully they might win another medal for the oil. Lyn and Al's olive oil has won two gold and many others at the National Show in Canberra.

View from the living room across the pool to the front paddocks of the property and below the long driveway up to the house.

Thanks for visiting me today and I wish you all a wonderful week ahead, the weather is changing fast here and I have been busy photographing the last of the Hydrangeas and the gardens for the season. Where has this year gone, can you believe we are already in the middle of March, does anyone have any secrets on how to slow things down a little ?.

xx Coty

If you would like to contact Lyn and Al Bailey to talk about their farm or their beautiful home you can email them on lynda_bailey@bigpond.com or you can just leave me a message and I would be delighted to pass it on to them.

Share this with a friend,


Share

Also welcome to everyone from Susan's Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer You should drop over to Susan's blog and see some 'very green' St Patrick's Day celebrations
Happy St Patrick's Day

Beautiful style - Blue & White

I met a lot of lovely people over our summer break while we were staying at Mackerel beach, it is such a small world and everyone is connected somehow. Next door to my sister in law's home is a very pretty little old original fishing cottage painted in the palest of blue with white washed timber. This home belongs to a beautiful lady named Rhylle. Rhylle's late husband found this fishing house twenty four years ago and over that time they have lovingly restored and added extra rooms to their holiday home.

This house still has many of the original features of the old fishing house, but with Rhylle's elegant and feminine style it is today a very beautiful home and she has created a perfect holiday haven by the seaside. Rhylle swims every single day of the year and spends much of her time visiting her holiday home at Mackerel Beach throughout the year. These last holidays, Rhylle brought her delightful little six year old granddaughter with her for some special one on one Grandmother - Granddaughter time together.

It's hard not to gaze into these homes when you pass by them on the beachfront, each home has the most wonderful character and they're all unique in their own way. There are a few modern homes on Mackerel, a lovely old sandstone beauty perched high on the hill and many little old original 'Aussie style' beach houses. These homes are so gorgeous and are very sought after, especially when they are on the waterfront at Pittwater.

I just couldn't resist asking Rhylle if I could take some photographs around her beautiful home and after a chat one morning we realised we knew many of the same people. Rhylle knew many of the women that I worked with in Sydney in my magazine days. I ended up photographing most of Rhylle's beautiful home over a couple of days and I also took some portraits very early one morning of her and her granddaughter on the beach, (to come soon). But I must say this table setting, with all of Rhylle's wonderful treasures was my very favourite settings this Summer. Just look at these chairs, they're absolutely amazing, they normally sit inside her kitchen but I had to bring them out for this shoot, there is also a table to match. The blue flower on her deck was in full bloom and a perfect backdrop, so of course everything just had to be blue and white and Rhylle's home was full of interesting things to use. I especially love the deep blue woven coffee pot and all of her cane baskets. Being a lover of all things blue and white....everything was just perfect.

Oh and I must also mention, the light beam that appears in some of these photographs above just appeared out of nowhere, it looks like we had an extra lovely guest with us for lunch.

Thank you again for all your amazing & kind comments from my last post, I wish you all a wonderful week and happy times with your loved ones on Valentine's Day this coming weekend.

Share

"Willowvale" - My sister's beautiful home

About ten years ago my sister Caroline and my brother-in-law Mike found this wonderful old 1880's sandstone home called "Willowvale" in the N.S.W countryside just past the Blue Mountains in Australia. It it was to be their little bit of country, a place to get away from the City on weekends and holidays with their four children.

We were all so excited for them when they found it and I couldn't believe how beautiful it was when I first saw it. It became a wonderful place for all our families and children to spend some of their holidays together. My two children learnt to ride motorbikes and drive a Ute around the paddocks, and yes, there were a few little accidents around the farm. Caroline, who is the only one in my family with a 'green thumb' was aways gardening and has created a wonderful garden and planted some gorgeous trees around the farm.

The only thing missing from all these images are all our children playing everywhere, on bikes, playing tennis, swimming and just running around, it is a perfect playground for children.

Visiting them over the years we have watched the place change. We have been there through many different seasons and my very favourite...spring... it is absolutely delightful with bulbs and blossoms everywhere. I spent many holidays helping Caroline decorate and re-arrange the furniture around the home.

After a day to settle in, Caroline would say, o.k. Coty what should I do with this room. I was thinking.......... and a couple of days later we would have together totally re-arranged the entire house.

With lot's of muscle, lot's of fun and laughter and some crazy ideas and the odd glass of wine and you can create anything.

Caroline would call Mike before leaving Sydney and say, Coty wondered if you could just fit a couple of chairs and a lamp in the car to bring up to the farm tonight, she needs them in the sitting room. Mike was always so gracious and would fit them in somehow.

Winter, the willows are bare

While I was helping Caroline, Andrew (my husband) was helping Michael set up his own woodworking workshop in the old barn. Andrew didn't really get much of a chance to relax under the willow tree when ever he came away to "Willowvale" (he never does) as there was always something that Mike and Caroline had planned around the house to do and Andrew was always delighted to join in and help. Timber plate racks, woodwork repairs on furniture and around the house and many other things that boys find to do in the workshop. They spent hours and hours in Mike's workshop and the kids just loved visiting them and seeing what they were up to.

My darling Andrew is always in demand when he arrives somewhere. He just loves to get in and help and he is so good at it (except around our house). A couple of weeks ago he did the most amazing job pruning all the hedges at my parents home. He doesn't really mind as long as he is near me of course (ha ha) and all the family. I raked the grass and made coffee and breakfast while he shaped a perfect hedge, it was something different to do and I know he loved doing it.

Caroline and Mike transformed a little two story timber cottage on the farm (below) into a gorgeous little guest house as well as there was always lots of visitors to sleep. It has a lovely little loft area upstairs and the main bedroom downstairs with a beautiful view across the tennis court to the hills. This was perfect for the families with little babies and for very tired parents who needed to escape from the main house for an afternoon nap.

"Willowvale" countryside is very different to the Southern Highlands where I live, both beautiful, both quiet and both filled with stars at night time. I'm not sure what it is about their farm, it must be the history of this property, it is filled with a wonderful Australian style energy and charm that I am so glad I had the opportunity to be a part of.

Sadly Caroline and Mike have decided to sell "Willowvale" and put it on the market, so I thought before it goes I would show you this beauty in the country before someone else buys it and moves in. My only wish... that if they ever go looking for another farm they come down near us in the Highlands, we would just love to see them more.

Thanks Mike and Caroline for all the fun times we had at "Willowvale" we will all miss it, but no where near as much as you will, we know you loved it so. You added so many lovely touches to to this beautiful place.

To see more about the sale of "Willowvale" click here....

**

Welcome to everyone from Susan's outdoors Wednesday Party at A Southern Daydreamer