Call of the ocean: A fisherman and artist’s Esperance beach shack

A CONNECTION TO THE OCEAN INFORMS EVERY PART OF HOW THE HENDERSON FAMILY LIVE AND WORK ON THE RUGGED SOUTH COAST OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

IN SUMMER, a south-easterly blows across the Recherche Archipelago and stirs the canopy of the giant tuart trees on the mainland near Esperance, Western Australia. Beyond the dunes, sheltered in a hollow, is a small 1910 miner’s cottage, surrounded by mallee and scrub heath. When Allira Henderson sits on the front porch of the cottage and watches the tops of the trees sway, she thinks of her husband, Christian, in the wind offshore, as he spends up to 12 days at a time at sea, fishing an area that spans from Albany to the South Australia border. When Christian is away, he has limited contact with Allira and their daughters Nikita, 14, and 12-year-old EvieJean (except for occasional text messages or satellite phone calls when in range). In his absence, Allira paints seascapes to feel connected to him.

“It started that I would paint a scene of wherever Christian was – if he was three miles south of a certain beach, I’d paint that beach while he was gone,” says the 37-year-old, who studied art while working in her grandfather’s framing and art store in her hometown of Esperance.

The ocean is not only Christian’s livelihood, it is a special place for the entire family. Each day Allira rises early to paint with oils, then she swims at Blue Haven beach, where she watches the sun creep across granite boulders along the headland. This daily ritual could be the inspiration for Allira’s Instagram handle @salted_sunrise

“I often joke with Christian that he’s on the ocean and I’m in,” she says. “The coastline is always changing; the beach is the most beautiful turquoise, but I like to paint the other side as well, when it’s stormy and doesn’t have the glossy glow. I like it when it’s a bit edgy.”

Nikita and Evie-jean also head to the beach in the morning and return to the water straight after school, swimming with their friends.

“Our girls swim every single day, whether it’s rain, hail or shine. The older we get, the more life gets in the way, >

and we have to remind ourselves to go the beach, but through summer we swim every morning,” Allira explains.

Being with the family is especially sweet for Christian. “Coming home is the best part of each trip. The ocean is one of the last frontiers and it’s a lonely existence, but you get used to it,” he says.

Christian, 40, started fishing in Broome and worked as a deckhand before catching a bus to Esperance when he was 20 years old. He worked in the abalone industry for many years and is now Master 5 of the shark boat and employs another deckhand.

Together, the family often explore the local beaches in search of shells, buoys and driftwood to take home to their beach cottage. They purchased it nine years ago and were not deterred by its run-down state, after it had sat vacant for a few years.

“We wanted something very old, something we could work on, and somewhere with land for the kids to run around. This was very overgrown, but it had a beautiful feel and ticked all the boxes,” Allira says.

Originally a miner’s cottage from Norseman, two hours north of Esperance, it was transported by bullock dray and then moved into its current position by truck in 1956. Later it was sheeted in asbestos and then clad with yellow, plastic weatherboard. A gutter running through the middle of the house leaked water and the kitchen was falling to pieces. First, they tackled the garden, then extended the cottage to include the shed which was converted into a bedroom. Christian and Allira replaced the roof, fitted fibro cement sheeting to the exterior and painted it Dulux Oceanic. French doors discovered in the shed were rehung to replace the aluminium sliding doors.

“It really was a shack when we moved in. Everything we’ve done has been done together, bit by bit,” Allira recalls.

Christian’s first gift to Allira after they met was a giant Australian bailer shell. A timber veneer cabinet that >

“Esperance is so naturally beautiful with white sand, crystal clear water and low-lying vegetation and saltbush.”

houses their shell collection was a thoughtful gift from a friend, who also saved a stained-glass door from the skip bin. It now hangs between the kitchen area and the girls’ end of the house.

“Things find their way into our home and it all somehow just mashes together and works. We like a certain style and Christian is very much into finding things. We go to antique or op shops together, and adventuring on beaches where we know with certain tides there is a wash up. We find old things off boats and do a beach clean while we are there,” Allira says.

The cottage is a happy reflection of their life in and by the ocean. “Esperance is so naturally beautiful with white sand, crystal clear water and the low-lying vegetation and saltbush,” Christian says. “We don’t live in a normal city house with people around us. We’ve put the hard work in to make it our home and that’s what I love about it.”

For more information, visit allirahenderson.com or follow Allira @salted_sunrise

The ocean links Allira Henderson to her fisherman husband, Christian, who is often at sea for weeks at a time. FACING PAGE The 1910 miner’s cottage sits behind the dunes, surrounded by scrub heath. It was originally transported by bullocks from Norseman, two hours away, and then trucked to the current site.

Early each morning, Allira swims at the beach and watches the sun creep across the headland. The sea, a beautiful turquoise, has many moods and is always changing.

CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE Christian and Allira and their daughters, Nikita and Evie-jean, on board Christian’s fishing boat, with their dog, Peaches; the home is decorated with objects and shells found on the beaches or bought second-hand; a timber cabinet houses their shell collection; Lucky Bay in Esperance boasts white sand and clear water; artwork and decor throughout recalls the ocean; the shells collected from the beaches along the coast.

Nikita and Evie-jean go to the beach daily, especially in summer when they swim every morning. FACING PAGE Allira’s studio, where she paints in oils.

CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE Allira and Christian scour op shops and vintage stores for their furnishings. “Things find their way into our home,” says Allira; Pixie the cat; Evie-jean after a dip; the stained glass door was saved from a skip bin; the family love to beachcomb, and their home is full of their finds, both natural and lost from ships. FACING PAGE The Lebad’s sign was found in an antique store in Albany, hidden under a pile of junk. “It’s one of my favourite finds,” says Allira.

Cats Dave and Bruce sleep in the main bedroom, which was originally the shed that Allira and Christian incorporated into the house. FACING PAGE, CLOCKWISE, FROM RIGHT Allira at work in her studio. She started painting her seascapes as a way of connecting with Christian while he was away at sea; the French doors were found in the shed and rehung; Allira and Christian on the beach; Peaches; a buoy found on the beach.