Our homes are where we make many of our treasured memories. This home - Windmill Lodge - hidden on a quiet suburban back street, doesn't just hold rich memories for its owners, but also for their extended families, their community and for so many others.
It's the sanctuary of sculptor Tanya Bartlett-Murdoch and husband Paul Murdoch, and, when they aren't away for study or work, their three sons call it home too.
You wouldn't think to look at it from the street, but this dwelling is set on more than 70 acres in Maryland. It's a little (big) slice of rural heaven, right here in Newcastle, complete with horses, DJ the dog, chickens and oodles of country charm. Paul bought the land around 2000, but his connection to the area goes back further.
"It was originally a dairy farm," Paul said. "I remember coming here as a kid hunting rabbits with the adults, so it invokes many childhood memories."
When it came time to build on the land, the dream was for a big four-bedroom family home with his first wife Sue, and their two young sons, along with a movie room and gymnasium.
"I wanted a contemporary Australiana home so it would look like it was the original homestead on the property."
From hearing the rain on the Colorbond roof, to the hardwood blackbutt flooring, the red cedar window frames and the old bridge timbers used for the pergola and around the pool, it is a country home through and through. Everything has a story, even the windmill it is named after.
"My best friend turned up in a big truck with a windmill on the back. It was on his property not being used, and was one of my dreams. It's a comet windmill with actual bullet holes in it."
Paul's link to each element of the property runs deep. "Every part of the house I've had a hand in building," he said.
"I was an owner-builder, borrowing a friend's backhoe to do the excavation work. I had a full-time job, so it took years."
It was in 2006, when Sue became terminally ill, and it became a race against time to finish the home so she could enjoy it. Tragically, she died just weeks before it was completed, despite generous efforts from the community and volunteer tradespeople.
"This home was completed by community love," he said.
Years passed, and in time, Paul and this magnificent home welcomed Tanya and her young son into its fold. Known for her bronze sculptures including Mary Poppins, Les Darcy, the racehorse Winx, and Don Bradman, Tanya has a deep love of the country, and calling Windmill Lodge home seemed like it was meant to be.
"It's surprising how much of the furniture fitted perfectly from my old place," Tanya said. "It just slotted right in."
"We love the eclectic thing - a little bit modern, little bit country and a little bit everywhere else. Once you go heavy with a theme you can get stuck within it. We prefer to do away with boundaries and create a living environment that won't necessarily date."
When you walk around the home, you can see miniatures of Tanya's work - known as maquettes - as well as mementos from their life together, each with its own story.
But the house is more than memories, it is a place for living. There are little luxuries, centred on having fun together. The huge pool, the fire pits, the outdoor kitchen with barbecue and giant paella pan, a pizza oven and the outdoor stove nicknamed the "Global Warmer".
"We've tried to give it all those comforts without too much polish; it's a house for living in. It's robust and everything is solid and working," she said.
"It's a place for our kids and, maybe one day, our grandkids, to come and be together."
Their doors have always been open, to friends, neighbours, visiting students, and family. About five years ago, they decided to share Windmill Lodge on Airbnb so others could make memories there too.
By converting the gym, it now has seven bedrooms, plus vast dining and living spaces that have big sky views over the property, and a kitchen to feed an army. There are outdoor nooks, a chapel, covered verandas, and plans for more.
On those rare occasions it's just the two of them at home, watching the view from the deck is a favourite place for Paul and Tanya to enjoy the life they have created.
"We get the best sunsets, and we also see the storms come in. We've seen lightning strike in the reeds, start a fire and then the rain put it out. The colours of the bulrushes change throughout the seasons," she said.
"It's beautiful."
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