THERE’SSOMETHINGQUITEMAGICALabouttheLowerHunter
Valley.ItstartsnearGosfordandtheCentralCoastofNSW
andrunstoCessnockinthenorth-westacrossa region
richincolonialandagriculturalhistory,hometooneof
Australia’soldestandmostpopularwineregions.
Lessthananhour’sdrivefromNewcastleandtwohours
fromSydneyisheritage-listedWallalongHouse.WhenIan
andBernadetteDavidsonfirstsawthehomeanditsfour
hectaresin 2015 theyknewitwasexactlywhattheywanted.
“Fromthemomentwedroveontotheproperty,wewere
captivatedbytheviewsandthehistory,”saysBernadette.
Thecouplehadbeenlookingforanotherpropertyformore
thana yeartoexpandtheirweddingvenuebusiness.“Our
otherpropertyisMindaribbaHouse,onthebanksofthe
PatersonRiverinNSW,”saysBernadette.“Thesearchfor
thesecondvenueseemedtogoonandon,untilwefound
WallalongHousenearMorpeth.”
IanwasborninYoungandhisfamilyfarmedthereforfive
generations.HelefttheSouthWestSlopestownforSydney,
wherehemetBernadette 20 yearsagoattheopeningofan
artgallery.Eightyearslatertheymarriedandstarted
draftingtheirexitstrategyfromthecity.Theplanwasto
finda placeinthecountryforthemselvesandtheirseven
children,whichcouldalsobeusedfora weddingbusiness.
By 2015 itwasclearthatthecouplewereontoa greatconcept;
privateweddingsinhistoricruralsettingsprovedtobe
extremelypopularandtheypurchasedWallalongHouse.
Wallalongdatesbackto 1823 andwasoriginallyownedby
ship’s surgeon, pastoralist and explorer Walter Scott. Themainhouse,datingbacktothemid-19thcentury,isbuiltof
stoneandearlybrick,withcedarjoineryanddoors.High
ornateceilingssoarabovethespacesandallthemajor
roomsleadoutthroughFrenchdoorstothegenerous
verandahwrappingaroundthehouse.Givenitsage,with
GeorgianandVictorianelements,thehomewasinamazing
condition.Thecouplemovedinandspentsixmonths
renovatingninebedroomsandthestables.“Theprevious
ownersreallycaredforthehouse;eventhepaintcolours
weregood,soweonlychangedsomeofthebedroom
colours,”saysBernadette.
IangottoworkonthestableswiththehelpofsonJasper
andJeffreyReibel,whonowmanagestheproperty.“We
removedalltheplasterandbroughtitbacktothe1830s
sandstone,”saysIan.Partsoftheoriginalroof,madefrom
slateshippedfromWales,werealsorestoredusingextra
tilesthathadbeenstoredina hutnearbyformorethan
150 years.InSydney,Bernadettehadmadea livingbuying
andrenovatinghomes,soshewasexcitedtodecoratethis
beautifulplaceforherandIantoenjoy(theylivethere
duringtheweekandmovebetweentheirthreeproperties
whenweddingsarebooked).Sheconcentratedonsourcing
antiquefurnitureandartworksfromallovertheworld.
Aftertheypurchasedtheproperty,thecouplemadean
incrediblediscovery.“IanandI foundtwoatticroomsin
theroofabovethestables,”saysBernadette.“Onehada
smallRapunzelwindow,soI decidedtomakeitouroffice.
Weareslowlyturningthesecondroominto a bedroom with
a drop-down ladder for our own use.” >HOMEMOR PETH NSW
“Fromthemomentwedroveontotheproperty,we were
captivated by the views and the history.”
60 COU NTRY ST Y LESEPTEMBER 2019