The day prior to my first meeting with
Robert Jennings and Elizabeth Blieschke
in Goolwa, it was a whopping 46 degrees
in and around Adelaide. ‘A good test for
any home and it was about 26 degrees
in here (without air-conditioning) so pretty
good,’ says Liz. The cross ventilation, fans
and high ceilings specifically designed for
their new build had worked effectively to
mitigate the harshest day of summer sun
we had seen in a while.
Bob and Liz had initially built on the Fleurieu in 1990 – a holiday
house on Middleton Beach. They lived in Adelaide at the time and
both worked for the Advertiser as journalists. Many of you who follow
motorsport will likely know Bob’s work.
When the couple decided to make a career move to Sydney, they
sold their city home and kept the house at Middleton with the intent
of retiring there one day, which they did close to a decade ago. The
Middleton home was two-storey and required a fair bit of upkeep,
so another move was at hand. ‘We decided we were at the time
of life that we needed a single story and wanted to be closer to
amenities,’ Bob says. ‘We were lucky enough to hear about this block
and grabbed it.’ The block they now sit on was a rare find. It is right
next to the river on a private road – so very quiet but it’s still walking
distance to the township. ‘We’re also addicted to views,’ he adds.
Each day they see sailboats, fishing boats and tourist boats like the
Oscar W, as well as an array of land and waterbirds. They are close
to the train line – now only in use for the Cockle Train. They are also
adjacent to a beautiful old stone building called The Chart Room
which was used to house the maps and charts for the riverboats and
paddle steamers from days gone by. Bob tells me that the stone from
the chimney was selected to match the stone on this building and it is
a lovely echo and a standout feature of the main living area.Another thoughtful touch is the polished concrete in the generously
proportioned entryway. The couple had asked to incorporate a bag of
polished glass they had foraged from around the block. ‘We suspect
the land around the property had been used by the old paddle
steamers as a dump,’ says Liz. In the earth they found old bits of
brown, green, clear and blue glass that add a lovely bit of history and
colour to the floor. Other personal touches are the map of the Murray
River on the pantry splashback-, Liz’s artwork and mementos from
their travels. >Page left: The polished concrete in the entryway has pieces of coloured glass collected from around the block before the builders arrived. Above: The home is elevated by
two metres to capture river views.