June 4, 2016. Heritage house wonder

LOCATION:  Learmonth, Victoria, Australia.  New housesitting assignment near Ballarat 

WEATHER:  Drizzle. Highs in 50s

We left our apartment hotel in Melbourne, took the train to the main train station, then hopped on another train for Ballarat.  The train ride was about 1.5 hours.  Once we left the Melbourne suburbs, the landscape turned to farmland.  It reminded us of the Hill Country in Texas.

Ballarat is an historic town, settled by gold rush people in the 1800s.  We will want to spend sone time  there, checking out the historic areas.

Our homeowner and her darling 12-year-old daughter picked us up at the train station and drove us to their home, in a tiny historic village about 20 minutes from Ballarat.  Population of about 300.  

The homeowners moved here because of their interest in heritage homes.  We pulled up in front of their house, and our jaws dropped.  

They bought 2 derelict buildings a few years ago, one a bakery and one a blacksmith/stables.  Instead of tearing down the eyesores, they painstakingly renovated them into one beautiful home.  They planned, designed and did all the work themselves over several years.

These are some photos from a newspaper article featuring their home.  They have received awards for their renovations.

This is Laurie, the homeowner.  The right side is the old bakery.  The left is the former blacksmith shop.

This is the entryway they built to join the 2 buildings.

The inside is both modern and airy, as well as perfectly preserved.  Once the bakery, the room below is the cozy living room.  The homeowner has  chopped mountains of firewood for us to keep the fireplace going while they are away.  

Sadly, Hubert their dog passed away a few months ago.  Even though we won't have pet-sitting responsibilities here, the owners still wanted us to come, to watch over their house during their trip to Quebec and the USA.

This is the old bakery sign.  Back in its heyday, people queued up to buy the bakery's famous buns. The homeowners told us that neighbors visited them while they were renovating, and told them stories about the old buildings. 

They rebuilt a fireplace from the blacksmith shop, and it luxuriously warms the master bathroom.

We spent the afternoon getting oriented, then talked about their trip as well as day trips we can take around the area.

DINNER:  The homeowner made Mexican fajitas.  What a nice change of pace!