For the Slikkerspaar of the city, Andrew Morphett and Peter Hayward, the seemingly innocent imagination of a “weekend project” changed into something completely more monumental and life -changing.
What started as the search for a small weekender, she saw their busy, high-flying financial careers in Sydney exchanging for a full-time life as carers of a historic, vast South Australian estate.
Anlaby was originally founded in 1839 and is the home of the oldest Merino Stud in South Australia and the second oldest in the country. Image: delivered
“We were busy living in Sydney, in the financial sector,” Mr. Morphett told Realestate.com.au. “While we enjoyed our time in Sydney, we were looking for a project of weekends or longer term – something that we could bring back to life.”
And after a two-year search, a beautifully photographed brochure landed on their desks, with a crumbling Sa-homestead complete with a wild garden on almost 2,000 hectares.
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Sydney pair Andrew Morphett and Peter Hayward recorded the renovation of one of the oldest properties in Australia. Image: delivered
An English village in South Australia
Located near Hamilton, in the middle of the north of South Australia and just under two hours of Adelaide, Anlaby was originally founded in 1839 and is the home of the oldest Merino Stud in South Australia and the second oldest in the country.
The crown jewel of the estate is undoubtedly the house from the 1860s, 35 rooms. But Anlaby is much more than just one grand house.
Anlaby is much more than just one grand house. Image: delivered
“It’s not just one building,” the couple explained. “It is a village of heritage structures-28 of them are on heritage-generated-over 150 hectares, from slides and houses to the bones of what was once the largest glass conservatory throughout the southern hemisphere.”
A heart about main decision
First visits of the building at the height of the summer – in which the couple was called, thirst and overwhelmed – their first reaction seemed like a project to the death bell for the area.
“We said,” Really not, too much! “” Lord Hayward remembered. “It was dusty, painting everywhere, roofs collapse … We were completely out of our depth.”
But the unmistakable magnetism of real estate and its history – in combination with the enormous number of possibilities – turned out to be irresistible. After a second visit in August, in which “The Soul of the Place” was unveiled and the couple made an offer and the contract signed in October 2003.
“The allure was too strong,” Mr. Morphett added. “It was never a logical decision. It was emotional – Anlaby chose us. We decided it was a chance to miss too well!”
Anlaby in the late 1800s. Image: delivered
Weekends of Puin en Revival
With both the building and the site in poor form after years of neglect, the duo faced a discouraging schedule to start his transformation.
“The first four and a half years we traveled from Sydney to Adelaide on the weekend,” Morphett explained.
“Flying to Adelaide and driving to Anlaby, we would work the entire weekend and then, when the alarm went off at 3.30 a.m. on Monday morning, we would be at 4.10 a.m. and back to the airport and back to Sydney’s office at 9 a.m.
“Our weekends were filled with rubble, rot and roof tiles. We patted walls and painted rooms, dug up centuries-old drains and weeds. But all of them, room for room, garden bed for garden bed, we saw progress.”
The large main building in Alanby. Image: delivered
More in love with the 165-year-old house with every visit, in October 2008 the couple finally made the decision to pack their lives in Sydney and constantly make the switch to Anlaby. Since then, the renovation has been a continuous process.
“It started with the necessities,” Mr. Hayward said. “The leaks are sinking, the whole place again wiring and saving literal collapse!”
From Rescue they moved to Revival, carefully restoring the mansion, a former farm manager, the cottage of the Hoofdentuin (a prefabricated villa from 1904), and the Coachman’s Cottage from 1905, now a guesthouse.
“These are not facelifts, they are archaeological work,” Mr. Morphett emphasized. “Each building requires careful research into heritage, skilled stone heap and lots of mud, dust and joy.”
In the main building. Image: delivered
A work of love
Since then, their vision of Anlaby has grown into such a huge venture that it has again defined their lives.
What started as a 150 hectare has been extended to nearly 2,000 hectares, with extra packages of land, houses and even the original shear barn.
“We now have a commercial operational farm of just under 2,000 hectares,” said Morphett.
What started as a 150 hectare has been extended to almost 2,000 hectares, with extra plots of land, houses. Image: delivered
This expansion included monumental efforts, including almost 30 km screens and 9 km of water lines to maintain their sheep. They also meticulously restored two extra Victorian stone villas from the 1870s and 1905, originally built for the manager and supervisor.
‘You’ ‘possess’ no place like this, “Mr. Morphett continued. Too detail. ‘
The original Shearing Shed has been renovated. Image: delivered
Their ultimate dream? The complete recovery of the Anlaby conservatory, once the largest in the southern hemisphere. With a heritage fair that covers the brickwork, glass and steel are the following.
“We are ready enough that guests can now stay in three beautifully restored houses, but the list of ‘Nexts’ never ends,” said Mr. Hayward. “That is the joy and madness of living history. You are never ready.”
A living, working company
While the most important home remains their private retreat in the heart, Anlaby is an agrotourist feature.
“The commercial aspect is not a bustle,” said Mr. Hayward. “It is the core of how we bring people to Anlaby’s story. Plus, Anlaby is too special to keep for ourselves. The coachman’s, Garder’s and Manor Cottages are now open to guests.
The property now includes accommodation. Image: delivered
“We have also run guided house and garden trips, open the building for events and concerts, and of course we organize the Anlaby Spring Festival every spring. It is our favorite time of the year – the gardens come to life, the music floats through the sky and people fall in love with the building again.
“Furthermore, the building is available for private use: weddings, lunches with a long table, editorial shoots, nation, but all we offer is anchored in authenticity. We not only invite people to visit Anlaby-We invite them to live in, even for a weekend.”
In addition to tourism, they run a commercial operational farm and Merino Stud, which produce beautiful wool exclusively from the Anlaby sheep and turn into a series of high-quality woolen throws, scarves and women’s wraps and baby blankets, sold by their own wool company.
Guided tours are from the building and gardens are available. Image: delivered
Learned lessons
Despite the ownership that their lives dominate over the past two decades, the temptation of the historic home has not decreased over the years for the dynamic duo.
“It is the way it entails its breath when you enter,” enthusiastic.
“The silence of 100-year-old floor plates, the way in which autumn crawls the ivy of the country house and the house turns gold, or when we flourished old species of tulips that did not flourish in decades. There is a presence-anly here not only shows beauty, she makes you feel something old and real.”
The gift shop in Alanby. Image: delivered
Despite the monumental effort and countless challenges, regret are absent for the couple go -getters.
“None,” Mr Hayward confirmed. “It is the most difficult, most glorious that we have ever done. We have made a lot of mistakes along the way. We have cast ourselves in Anlaby and in exchange she has our goal, beauty and inheritance that we have proud to share. Would we do it again? In a heartbeat. Only next time, maybe with something better knees!”
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