For high-flying lawyer Jessica May, what started as a seemingly ordinary work trip to rural Queensland turned into something more profound and life-changing: full-time management of a 135-year-old architectural masterpiece.
“I stayed there for two weeks on a business trip and couldn’t believe there was a building like this on the Darling Downs,” Ms May told realcommercial.com.au. “I had the best night’s sleep and felt safe. Even though it was a hotel, it ultimately felt like a home away from home.”
Located in an agricultural area on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, The Abbey was built in 1891 by the Sisters of Mercy and used as both a monastery and a boarding school. The 20-bedroom, 20-bathroom property, built from local sandstone and spread over 2.5 hectares of land, left the lawyer impressed.
“I was in awe of the building and told my husband, David, about it,” Mrs. May said. “I said, ‘I wonder what you have to do to own a building like that?’ We both thought it should be a ‘generational home’ that had been in the family for decades and we agreed that if it ever came up for sale, we should do everything we could to buy it.”
The pair did not know it was actually for sale.
The stars align: from Toowoomba to Warwick
While Mrs May dreamed of The Abbey, her 43-year-old husband, businessman David May, was looking for a historic home closer to their home in Toowoomba.
“I had just made an offer on a historic house in Toowoomba which was not accepted,” May said. That evening, while considering whether to increase his offering, he expanded his online search to the suburb of Warwick.
“Then I saw The Abbey,” he said.
“I know Jess told me about the hotel she stayed at before, but I didn’t know it was the same place.”
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Lawyer Jessica May and husband David in front of their estate in Queensland’s Darling Downs region. Image: supplied
The next day the couple contacted the agent who put them in touch directly with the owners and a deal was struck.
“It was one of those rare cases where the deal was done primarily between the parties,” May said. “We went out that weekend and David fell in love with the place too.”
The previous owners even let them stay as guests whenever they wanted before the contract was signed. And in March 2024, the pair sealed the deal, trading their lives in Toowoomba for a full-time, extended commitment as managers of the neo-Gothic property.
A country house fit for a king and queen
Adapting to the scale of the property has been quite a journey for the couple, as the internal area is estimated to be between 2,500 and 4,000 m².
“We don’t have an exact figure, but it is huge,” Mrs May said. “Put it this way, we now give the kids a walkie-talkie when we’re there to communicate because it would take an hour to find them in the house.”
Abbey managers Jessica and David May say the site will be a focus point for renovations. Image: supplied
Comprised of 20 bedrooms, 20 bathrooms, four dining rooms, a boardroom and even a chapel, the sprawling building is also home to a wealth of historic architectural treasures.
“No matter how much money you have, it would be almost impossible to recreate the architecture and the grandeur of the building,” May said. “For example, some of the statues on the grounds were sculpted by the same man behind the Statue of Liberty in New York [Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi].”
The building has a chapel. Image: supplied
Other notable features were the stained glass windows in the chapel, made by the same workshop that supplied stained glass for the Vatican.
A truly grand design with a five-year renovation timeline
The couple consider themselves custodians of the historic property, rather than owners, and as such are fully committed to the unique challenges of preserving the landmark.
“We weren’t sure where to start at first, but we decided to start exclusively with the site,” they explained of their ambitious ‘five-year’ renovation plan.
The first phase of work focuses on the one hectare of gardens and grounds. They have already added new paths and gardens.
“Lights will soon be installed in all the major trees and lighting to illuminate the building at night,” Mrs May said.
They also plan to install a new tennis court on the site of the original court when the abbey was a girls’ boarding school. Construction of the site, including a new swimming pool, is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
The building has four dining rooms. Image: supplied
After the site, they will turn their attention to replacing the exterior wood on verandas, terraces and windows, before renovating the internal rooms one by one.
“I suspect in the next five years we’ll have everything done,” May said.
The quality of the building’s masonry and timber continues to amaze even the specialists they hire.
“It’s really amazing to see the reactions of guests, especially merchants, when they see the building,” he continued. “There was a guest who came less than five feet into the building and he couldn’t stop running his hand on the baluster of the main staircase, remarking that he had never seen such craftsmanship.”
“Yes, some floors are not completely level, but I tell guests that if they want a cookie-cutter room with fast Wi-Fi, this is not the place for them.”
A dream house and a retirement plan
Initially, the couple’s idea was to gradually phase out the existing business and make The Abbey their private home. However, the opposite happened.
“We were surprised by the increased interest, especially for weddings and corporate events,” the Mays said. “Enquiries for weddings and corporate events have soared, with wedding bookings increasing by 50% in just a few months.”
The Mays still maintain The Abbey as a guesthouse and wedding venue, and guests reportedly love its distinctive, shabby-chic interior. Image: supplied
The success is so great that their plans to live there permanently have been put on the back burner and their vision for the property has grown into a full-fledged business plan.
“We try to find a balance between organizing events and providing hotel accommodation,” they explained.
If the Mays stay, they’ll simply lock down a six-bedroom wing for the family. The property is so vast that “you hardly notice there are guests.”
The commercial aspect is now seen as an attractive pension scheme.
“We could easily do 30 to 40 weddings a year… and still have the whole building to ourselves for most of the year – it’s a great retirement plan,” May said.
A passion for the long term over short term profit
Despite the ongoing efforts and challenges of maintaining such a large, old building, the couple remains committed.
“There have been ups and downs, but the ups still outweigh the downs,” the 43-year-old businessman said. And when they were asked whether they would part with the impressive pile, their commitment was already put to the test.
The couple has already rejected offers to sell. Image: supplied
“We’ve already had a couple from Brisbane bid to buy it and we would have walked away with a profit,” they said. “As we thought about it for a moment, we said no. I think that answers the question.”
“We’re still pinching ourselves that we actually own it.”
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