a place in history
A TASMANIAN COUPLE’S MOVE TO A TINY FISHING VILLAGE HAS TURNED INTO A PASSION FOR TRANSFORMING HERITAGE BUILDINGS INTO FAMILY HOMES.
WHEN KERRY AND ALASTAIR HOUSTON first visited the fishing village of Stanley, tucked under a spectacular volcanic plug known as The Nut on the rugged north-west coast of Tasmania, they were struck by its similarities with the remote wild beauty of Scotland’s Isle of Skye, where Alastair had spent many happy years as a child. Originally the centre for the Van Diemen’s Land Company, Stanley is now the main fishing port for the north-west coast of Tasmania. A town of perfectly preserved colonial buildings and stone cottages dating back to the 19th century, with beautiful beaches, a population of just 500 and wildlife that includes penguins, migratory whales and seals, Stanley is easy to fall in love with. And soon Kerry and Alastair were head-over-heels.
The couple bought a derelict cottage that was originally the billiard hall of a nearby inn, built in 1892, which they restored to use as a holiday house. They named their cottage Little Talisker after the place Alastair’s family visited on the Isle of Skye, and dreamed of leaving their busy professional lives in Hobart, where Kerry, 52, worked as an HR manager and Alastair, 48, had a landscaping and stonemasonry business, and their daughters attended school, setting their sights on a move to Stanley. Little did Kerry and Alastair realise that their simple sea-change dreams would become a life-changing adventure, involving a new business venture, and three of Stanley’s heritage buildings.
“We didn’t deliberately set out to renovate old buildings but have always had a fondness for items with a story, so we kind of fell into it,” says Kerry, who was born in Yorkshire, but grew up in Gippsland, Victoria, and moved to Tasmania 17 years ago.
When we first met Kerry and Alastair in 2019, they had purchased the heritage-listed 1849 guest house a few doors from their cottage, which they had renovated and were now operating as luxury accommodation, The Ship Inn. At the time, the Inn also served as a home for the couple and their two young daughters, Lucy, 10, and Bonnie, eight, as well as accommodation for their older daughters, April, 24, and 16-year-old Matilda when they visited, with a separate apartment for Kerry’s parents.
But raising a family and running a business from the same location had its challenges, and so last year Kerry and Alastair purchased a large stone building next door to the Inn, the original Van Diemen’s Land Company Bond Store, built in 1843. “It’s such an iconic property in Stanley and the north-west coast and we had long admired it,” says Kerry. “The previous owners gave us a tour when >
“We didn’t deliberately set out to renovate old buildings but have always had a fondness for items with a story, so we kind of fell into it.”
we first moved to Stanley and had been thinking about selling but hadn’t listed it. Alastair approached them for a chat and it all went from there.” Another National Trust-listed property, the Bond Store was designed by John Lee Archer, a prominent Colonial architect. “It has been a few things: a place of detention, a butter factory, fish processing plant, gallery and workshop, boutique accommodation and now a home by the sea,” says Kerry. The distinctive basalt stones on the outside of the building are a combination of rocks from The Nut, and stones that were used as ship’s ballast in the 1880s.
When COVID closed down the Ship Inn for a few months, work started in earnest converting the old Bond Store into the Houston’s family home. “Alastair is a stonemason and landscaper and spent that time learning the art of making lime mortar,” explains Kerry. “He’s made over two tonnes of lime mortar which has gone into the internal stone walls damaged by the salt air over its century-and-a-half life.”
Stylists Lynda Gardener and Belle Hemming, who had also worked on the Ship Inn renovation, were enlisted for the new project, but had to advise from afar, due to travel restrictions. “They helped with choosing colours, light fixtures, finishes for the kitchen and our beautiful wallpaper mural,” says Kerry. “We all got very good at planning via email, photos and video calls!” >
Although the old Bond Store had been used as accommodation, and tastefully renovated, Kerry and Alastair re-floored the lower level, making sure to protect the original cobbles underneath, and installed a kitchen, butler’s pantry and spare bedroom, as well as relocating one of the four bedrooms downstairs and turning the upstairs attic bedroom into a TV ‘snug’.
“It’s not a museum,” says Kerry, when asked about the challenges of transforming a heritage building into a family home. “For an old building to be maintained and used, it needs to be relevant and useful for today’s needs.” Kerry and Alastair’s approach was to be sensitive to the building’s history, but also incorporate changes their family could enjoy. “Fingers crossed our new stone courtyard and small wooden shed (with living green roof) get the stamp of approval,” says Kerry, explaining that their renovation plans have to go through council and heritage approval. “Heritage Tasmania has been so wonderful to deal with in all our renovations,” she adds.
When it comes to decorating their heritage homes, the Houstons are fortunate in that the Bond Store was sold fully furnished, including a pair of beautifully worn Chesterfield sofas. They also had furniture brought over from the Ship Inn, and have family heirlooms and other pieces bought second-hand. “An ornate table belonging to Alastair’s great-grandfather arrived from the UK two days before we moved in, taking pride of place in the large lounge room,” says Kerry. “The huge wallpaper panels gracing the stairwell were painted by his great-grandmother and there are also many pieces painted by his grandmother on display.”
For their remaining furniture and pieces, currently sitting in a shipping container in front of the house, Kerry and Alastair will have to be patient, as a family of penguins has taken up residence underneath it. “Sometimes we sit with the doors open and hear them trilling,” laughs Kerry. “We may have to wait until breeding season finishes before we can finish unpacking.”
Little Talisker can be booked through Airbnb or booking.com
“It’s such an iconic property in Stanley and the north-west coast.”