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AUSTRALIAN HOUSE&GARDEN| 77
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ometimes,thestarsalignandfatestepsin,
showingyouexactlywhereyouneedtobe.For
MelburniansJoanneandCraig,buyingthis
beautifulterraceinthecity’seastbegan with a
serendipitousparkingspotin 2009.
HongKong-basedatthetime,Joannewasvisiting
Melbourneforthreewhirlwinddaysofback-to-back
appointments.“Iparkedina streetlinedwithelegant
terraces,acrossfroma gorgeouspark,andimagined
howwonderfullifecouldbehere– kidsclimbingtrees,
playingcricket,picnicswithfriends,revellinginthe
openspace.ThenI noticedthatone of the houses had a
‘ForSale’sign,”saysJoanne.
Craigmadea follow-uptriptoinspectthehouse.He
lovedhowlightthehomewas,thegenerousproportions
oftherooms,andtheabundanceofsurroundinggreenery,
butwhatreallycaptivatedhimwasitsproximityto
Melbourne’sculturalandsportscentres.Afterwinning
thehouseatauction,thecouplerentedit outuntilthey
couldreturntoMelbourne,whichtheyandtheirchildren- Sophia,now 12 , andXavier,nine– didin 2012.
Thelayoutwoulddoforthemoment,butsomeelements
ofthe 1970 s decorwouldnot.“Wealwaysknewwewould
needtorenovate,”saysJoanne.“Thekitchenwastiny,
butI couldlivewithit.I justcouldn’tlivewithallthe
MissionBrowntapware.”Theydidwhattheycould,
including changing the tapware and installing >