Up the back, over yonder, through the horse paddock and next to the mini-pine forest sits a matching dwelling to our limestone farmhouse. Everything here on the Limestone Coast seems to be…made of limestone.
It isn’t currently in use, hasn’t been for quite a few years, we use a few other shearing sheds spread out over the 30,000 acre property Matt works on. So it sits up on the hill empty and a bit lonely unless Tess and I wander up to explore. It is quite simply a beautiful old building – full of the oh-so-familiar shearing shed smells, the wooden pen rails slick with lanolin, the well trodden boards practically whispering their stories of the shearers, the rouseabouts, the wool classers that have stood there before you.
Rumour has it that a few years ago this humble shearing shed held a hum-dinger of a country wedding. Can you imagine?! I dreamt of holding our wedding in an old shearing shed, but after not convincing Dad that our shearing shed (very much still operational complete with dags on the floor and rats in the rafters) couldn’t be converted into an elegant reception venue we went down the path of the marquee in the paddock.
Imagine the possibilities of a gorgeous old shearing shed like this one though, no longer needed for it’s intended purpose, bursting with potential. Every week Matt and I sit and peruse the Weekly Times real estate section, of course buying a farm these days is very much out of reach for our generation unless you are born to it or win tattslotto. We’ve come to terms with that. But every now and then a property will appear in a fabulous location with a structure like this very limestone shearing shed. We sit and muse over what we’d do to it – Matt would run whatever stock he wanted, do as he pleased, work land that was ours, be the boss, come home for lunch, take a kid with him on a tractor for an hour, that sort of thing. And I would transform that bluestone coach house or shearing shed or old dairy into a reception venue full of exposed beams, a stage for the fiddlers and serve local delicious food and wine.
One day maybe. Maybe not. Not today though.
Kathy says
What a beautiful building and I can see you running a beautiful rustic wedding venue. You definately have to have dreams that’s for sure and I think that whilst you don’t own the property where you live you are living it and living on a property so for some that is a dream come true. Most would think we can’t afford a property so you don’t do it however you guys are on a beautiful property so keep on dreaming girl….you just never know do you. Gorgeous photos of course. I’ve popped your blog onto my list of blogs now so it’s easy reading. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia http://www.oursimpleandeverydaylifeblogspot.com
Amy says
Nothing ever happens without a dream to set it out there. Keep on dreaming and creating, m’dear. And love the moment you are in for now – because it’s exactly where you are meant to be for now. Gorgeous shed! Love it. xx
Anne says
I love the limestone shearing shed and what lovely photos … I like your dreaming … we dream like that to. Lets hope we all win the Lotto … yeah better buy a ticket first.
Sharon says
it may not be used any more but gosh its in such good order, and what a stunning building!!! Perhaps plant a seed in the owners mind (you know, value adding) but if nothing else, what STUNNING photography location. I hope you get some work of that nature soon that you can utilise that building for!
so much history in your part of the country, so much older than up here!