90 Australian Country HOMES
This page: Tara and Wes and their children enjoy spending family time at the beautiful Godshill property.National Park status, that timber from the
park was fi nally off limits. The traditional
gatherings are no more, but indigenous ties
still run deep, and the Bunya Mountains
are protected as a living museum for
throngs of visitors from near and far.
Many can’t get enough of this magical
place, and Wes and Tara, who rent Godshill
out when they’re not using it, often have
return guests. “We get people who book
it out consecutively each year,” Wes says.
“It might be Easter or diff erent times of
the year.” Peak season is winter, when a
fi replace, a pair of Uggs, and a bold glass of
red are all you need for a cosy night in after
a day exploring.
“It snowed up there a couple of years
ago,” Wes recalls. “It’s often actually in the
clouds. It’s not uncommon to wake up in
the morning and have the clouds rolling
through. When a wallaby jumps through
the yard you just see his shadow.”
The home is made up of three living
zones, including a separate studio that
can sleep up to 14 people. It was given a
makeover a few years ago by Wes, who is a
builder by trade. “Everything was 20-plus
years old, so it just needed to be brought
back to life a bit,” he explains. His aunt,
artist and interior decorator, Di West, who
originally owned it, helped with the styling,
and her paintings adorn the walls.
“We actually had her paint over the
existing paintings she’d done 25 years
ago,” Wes adds. “All the large pieces are
the existing paintings with new artwork
over the top of them. You can see the old
paintings coming through still.”
They’ve created a luxurious country
ambience, with antiques and interesting
treasures in every nook. Wes found
some original chairs from Brisbane’s
famed Festival Hall, and has given them a
quieter life at Godshill. “I bought them at
an antique shop in Newrybar years ago,”
he says. There are chill-out zones, a poolroom, a loft for the kids, four fi replaces, a
wine cellar and that pizza oven in the Great
Room that gets plenty of use. It’s a home
created by family, for family, in a spot that’s
been special for thousands of years. ACH