CHANGEOFPLANS
WhentheHaddensfirstboughtMeadowood,
thepropertyhadsixacres(2.4hectares)
of grapevineswhichwereleasedbythe
neighbouringvineyard.Unfortunately,three
weeksaftertheypurchased,thevineyardwas
soldandthecouplecouldn’tgetanyoneelse
toleasethevines.Knowingnothingabout
viticulture,EmmaandColinhadtocomeupwith
analternativeincomesource to keep up with
mortgagerepayments.
Colin’sideatoaddglampingtotheir
accommodationofferinghasbeena winner.
“Thisyearit’snearlytakenoverfromthehouse
bookings.It’sbeenphenomenallysuccessful,”
Emmasays.Shewasn’tinitiallykeenonColin’s
suggestiontobuytentsfora glampingzone,soit
wasa surprisetoherwhenfourtentsturnedup
onthedoorstep– butit allworkedoutintheend.
“Afterthinkingthatsellingwinewasthebe
allandendall,thechangeactuallyturnedoutto
bequitea plus,”Emmasays.“We’renextdoor
toZefferCiderCoandourtwobrandsreally
complementeachother.Thedemographicsfor
thecideryandglampingareverysimilar.”
They’vealsoreplacedthegrapevineswith
appletrees,whichtheyhopetoexportina few
years. “It’s ended up being a blessing. We’dSKY’STHELIMITThe
wallpaperintheAmelia
Earhartroom(Bradbury
& Bradbury’s‘Aeroplane’
inskyblue)is particularly
aptasit wascreatedin
theearly1930s,possibly
intendedforthehomeof
a femaleaviatoratthe
time.A slimlinemirror
andwalllights,sourced
atauctionsbyinterior
designersBibby+ Brady,
fitperfectlyinthe
petite ensuite.
alwaysintendedtoputinanorchardeventually
butthatjusthappenedsoonerthanplanned.”
GardeningmightnotbeEmma’sthing,but
interiorsandtakingcareoftheglampingare
“herbabies”[aswellasheractualbaby,Ross,
whowasbornnotlongafterthisphotoshoot].
Intheglampingzone,LotusBelletentsare
fittedoutwithcomfortablequeenbedsand
qualitylinen.Outside,showerheadsemerge
directlyfromtreetrunks,andlightsarestrung
throughtrees.“Atnighttimeit lookslike a
fairytale.It’sfabulous,”Emmasays.
A garagewasturnedintoa speakeasy-
stylebarbyColinandfilledwithop-shopfinds
byEmma.Theideawastohavea spacefor
glamperstorelax“iftheweatherwasn’tplaying
ball”.Insidethere’sa projectoranda rangeof
black-and-whitemovies;outsidea spaand
brazier,withmarshmallows for toasting. “It’s all
veryromantic.”
Ratherthanletallthoseromanticvibesgo
towaste,theentrepreneurialcouplehavealso
turnedthepropertyintoa weddingvenue,
purchasinga marqueesothatcouplesneedonly
worryaboutcatering(flowerscanbepickedfrom
thegardens).Intheirfirstseasontheyhosted
threeweddings– evenmanagingwhenlittle
Ross arrived two days before the first.70 |yhg