australiancountry.net.au 41into the hinterland and hunt around until I found
Hillview,” she recalls. “I bought it online while I
was on a work trip in Frankfurt.”
“We got married in the old country church
across the road, which was once part of the
original dairy farm,” Simone explains. “Suddenly,
Bruce found himself married and living on a
farm in an old falling-down home that I thought
only needed a lick of paint, but he was happy to
follow my farm-life dream.” As it turned out, there
was a long list of repairs needed and the couple
began ticking them off one by one, as they grew
their family at the same time. “We have spent
years and considerable dollars reviving Hillview,
doing most of the work ourselves, with help from
family,” Simone, who also shares the home these
days with sons Tom, Sam and Ben, adds. The boys
spend their days whipping around on their horses
and fi shing in the nearby creek or adventuring
along surrounding bush trails. “They absolutely
love farm life here and even ride their horses to
the local country school quite often,” Simone
says. “They’ve also canoed from home to school
along Currumbin Creek and they really do enjoy
a true Huckleberry Finn childhood. They can
be mustering on horseback in the morning and
then surfi ng just 10 minutes down the road in
the afternoon.”Clockwise
from above:
Windmill sails are
repurposed in the
living area; Simone
favours a rustic
ambience; the
open-plan living area
frames views of the
bush; hats at the
ready for farm life.