FAMILY TIES

A JOURNEY ACROSS AUSTRALIA INSPIRED A COUPLE TO BUILD A DREAM HOME AND BUSINESS THAT NOW SUSTAINS THREE GENERATIONS.

A cleverly renovated house on NSW’S North Coast is now home to three generations.

YALBURABA MEANS ‘place of contentment’ in the Bundjalung language of northern NSW. And for Jane and David Fewson, it was the perfect name to adopt for their property.

“David and I have travelled a lot, and moved homes many times. But when we came here, we had a feeling of utter contentment,” Jane says. “David, especially, has always been someone who has looked for the next project. But here, he has finally found his place. He’s not searching for more.”

The Fewsons’ little patch of paradise is eight hectares of lush, subtropical land near the little town of Tintenbar, in the hinterland of Ballina, 20 minutes from Byron Bay. For David, a carpenter and builder, and Jane, a home renovator, the move here represents the culmination of years of buying and selling property, and a surprising finale after an adventurous journey across Australia.

Originally from the UK, the couple had raised their family in Western Australia, living first in Broome and then Fremantle. Five years ago, they both started feeling restless and decided to head for the east coast to be closer to daughter Holly who was studying in Sydney. Their older daughter, Hannah, was living overseas. “We thought we’d rent out our home, take a year out, and settle back in Fremantle.”

They bought an old fire truck, refurbished it into a comfy caravan, and travelled up and down the east coast, including Tasmania. On their way to Queensland, they camped at Mullumbimby, inland from Byron Bay. “We camped there for two nights, then a week, then a few weeks,” says Jane. “Before we knew it, we were looking at real estate in the area.”

They found this property, a former macadamia farm, and Jane loved it immediately. “The house was located down a long drive and it had a feeling of being away from everything,” she says. “The land was undulating with a creek running through it — it was just lovely.” David didn’t love it quite so much: he knew the 1970s house needed a huge amount of work but he was persuaded by Jane’s conviction: “I have confidence in David’s ability; I just knew he could do it.”

The original home was a two-storey red brick structure with two carports at ground level and all living quarters upstairs. David has totally reconfigured this original structure, effectively doubling the size of the house in the process. >

Downstairs, the former carports have been enclosed, with pictured windows and sliding doors installed, and the walls rendered and painted white. The entire downstairs is now an open-plan living and dining area, and kitchen.

Upstairs, all the brickwork has been clad in golden cypress, a honey-coloured sustainably grown timber that the Fewsons intend to allow to ‘grey off’, to echo the tones of the bush surrounding the home. Located upstairs are four bedrooms including a master bedroom with ensuite, plus a second bathroom. David removed the original roof and replaced it with a low-pitched structure. He then designed a parapet extending around the top of the home, giving it the appearance of a flat roofline.

Inside, David’s carpentry skills are evident in every direction you look. All the doors are handmade and built from rosewood he recycled from the old roof. The colossal dining table is a former macadamia sorting table which he refurbished, including the addition of a new parquet-style tabletop made from many timbers, teamed with handmade bench seating, which can accommodate up to 30 people. The bed in the master bedroom is also his handiwork, including the bedhead made from sticks collected on the property.

Jane and David’s happiness at Yulburaba has been further enhanced by the fact that three generations of their family now live and work together here, bonded by their love of sustainable living. Their daughter Hannah returned from overseas during the two-year house renovation and decided to join them on the property, taking an active role in the renovation process.

Two years ago, the Fewsons built a cabin-style dwelling called Paddock Hall on the property in which they offer boutique accommodation, and Hannah now co-manages this business with her mum. The cabin is hand-built, made from environmentally responsible materials, and all the fittings and furnishings are second-hand and locally made. It radiates the same warmth and authenticity of the Fewsons’ home. “Like the big house, Paddock Hall is designed to promote immersion in the beautiful property and surrounds,” says Hannah. “We don’t have or need air conditioning. The climate is nearly always comfortable.”

Soon after arriving at Yulburaba, Hannah met local man James Grant — now her fiance — and they recently welcomed baby daughter, Purslane, into the world. Hannah and James have moved onto the property, having relocated a weatherboard Queenslander onto the site, and are planning to expand the accommodation offerings at Paddock Hall this year. While Hannah oversees the bookings and general running of the accommodation, James is the groundskeeper and gardener. “We always had dreams of living close by but this has just evolved and it’s turned into a family business,” says Hannah. “Pipe dreams really can come true.”

Jane and David are clearly thrilled to be building their own multi-generational community, and love sharing it with others. They celebrated younger daughter Holly’s marriage here last year, and are looking forward to celebrating Hannah and James’s nuptials later this year. “To hold two family weddings here really cements this as our special place,” says Jane. “It really is our place of contentment.”

“To hold two family weddings here really cements this as our special place.”

A resident chook wanders across the Fewsons’ verandah. FACING PAGE David, Jane and Hannah Fewson with baby Purslane, English bull terrier Lennie and blue heeler Bean in front of the main home.

CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT The kitchen cabinetry is made from recycled white beech; Jane and David reupholstered an old sofa for their living room where the fireplace is the focal point ; the ‘winter room’, so-called because it’s flooded with sunlight in winter, is filled with treasured objects and artworks, including a painting by Holly Fewson above the bench. FACING PAGE The chest and rocking chair in the winter room are heirlooms.

CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE David made the bed in the master bedroom, forming the bedhead using sticks collected on the Fewsons’ property; the couple have hosted 30 people around the generous dining table; every window frames a view to the landscape outside; a reclaimed concrete trough features in the laundry. FACING PAGE The kitchen is a medley of earthy tones.

LEFT The stair banisters are made from recycled copper piping. The old leather chair — a mid-century Danish design that was bought second-hand — is one of David’s prized pieces. Next to it is a drink stand made by Hannah, fashioned out of timber off-cuts. ABOVE A favourite outdoor family gathering place. FACING PAGE The 15-metre pool is surrounded by golden cypress decking.