46 Australian Country HOMES
everybody should have a collection. I have
four diff erent ones. Some were started
when I was just 18, and some more recently.”
Adjoining the house is Bonnie’s studio,
where she busily creates with every spare
moment. Both Paul and Bonnie also love
getting their hands dirty in the garden. It
was one of the fi rst things that appealed to
them the day they spotted the home, long
before they discovered it was once a happy
playground for a young Heath Ledger, who
would visit his aunt and uncle when they
lived there. “Heath was often seen playing
in the yard and using a stick to make noise
to scare the snakes,” Paul says. “When we
started the renovation we found a drawing
of a red racing car on the wall signed Ledger.
I still have the piece.” They met the star’s
relatives at their gallery after they spotted a
painting Bonnie had done of Berry House.This page: Bonnie’s breezy studio adjoins the home. Her works are sold at storiesonthewall.com.au.“One day I saw this couple walking into the
shop to buy that painting,” Paul says. “They
told us that they lived in Berry House, it
was very touching.”
It’s clearly a home that’s stolen its fair
share of hearts in its 110-year history, its
current inhabitants very much included.
“We love to travel but we love coming back
to Berrry House” Paul adds. “The feeling is
calm, serenity and warmth.” ACH