Houzz Tours
My Houzz: Idyllic Hangout in the Barossa Valley
A bluestone farmhouse allows this creative couple to lead anything but a quiet lifestyle, but they love their slice of country life to a tee
Cherie Hausler was working as a freelance food writer and stylist in Sydney, and her partner, Damien Feuerherdt, was a freelance sound engineer and musician, when Feuerherdt’s mother found a 150-year-old bluestone farmhouse for sale in South Australia’s Barossa Valley. She thought it would be a perfect fit for them and suggested they move back to the countryside, where they have roots, for a quieter lifestyle.
“I’d love to say it’s super-relaxed, but the truth is, we’re busier here than when we lived in Sydney!” says Hausler. “We’re more involved. It’s a very full life, and we love it – the animals, the garden, our friends and work are all in the mix, so there’s always something to look forward to.”
A friend gave the couple some great advice when they bought the property: to take their time in renovating. “The idea was to give us a chance to find the way we moved around the space, what would make sense for our day-to-day living,” says Hausler. “It’s exactly what we’ve done: renovating bit by bit and letting good fortune fill in the gaps with inherited furniture, handmade gifts and secondhand finds.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Cherie Hausler and Damien Feuerherdt, with their border collie, Wolfgang, rescued cat, Hildegard, and a variety of other animals
Location: Koonunga Hill in the Barossa Valley, South Australia
Size: 250 square metres on 10 acres; 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
“I’d love to say it’s super-relaxed, but the truth is, we’re busier here than when we lived in Sydney!” says Hausler. “We’re more involved. It’s a very full life, and we love it – the animals, the garden, our friends and work are all in the mix, so there’s always something to look forward to.”
A friend gave the couple some great advice when they bought the property: to take their time in renovating. “The idea was to give us a chance to find the way we moved around the space, what would make sense for our day-to-day living,” says Hausler. “It’s exactly what we’ve done: renovating bit by bit and letting good fortune fill in the gaps with inherited furniture, handmade gifts and secondhand finds.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Cherie Hausler and Damien Feuerherdt, with their border collie, Wolfgang, rescued cat, Hildegard, and a variety of other animals
Location: Koonunga Hill in the Barossa Valley, South Australia
Size: 250 square metres on 10 acres; 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
The freestanding wooden cabinet in this room was inherited from Feuerherdt’s grandmother, and the space underneath is a favourite sleeping spot for the couple’s border collie puppy, Wolfgang.
There is very little split between work and home life for the couple. Hausler now grows seasonal fruits and herbs, which she collects and hand blends in the kitchen to create her range of artisan teas, Scullery Made Tea. Meanwhile, Feuerherdt bakes sourdough bread for the Barossa Farmers Market.
Hausler makes her own almond milk on an almost daily basis, and the couple helps run regular local events, including the Full Moon Farm Gate and The Breakfast Rave.
Hausler makes her own almond milk on an almost daily basis, and the couple helps run regular local events, including the Full Moon Farm Gate and The Breakfast Rave.
“Everything seems to happen at the kitchen table,” Hausler says. “This table was Damien’s great-grandmother’s, and each time I sit down and see the burn mark from the old coal iron, I figure this table can handle a decent amount of work with what it’s already been through.”
Hausler’s treasures are mostly discovered serendipitously. “I find so many things on our morning walks: hawk nests or crow feathers, pieces of wood that I think are really beautiful,” she says. “I always try and find something to bring back when we travel, too – something little to remind me of the feeling of a certain place.”
As for the home’s many handmade items: “A lot of what is homemade in our house is because I fell in love with a wool colour and had to find a use for it, or desperately wanted to paint something, anything, and so ended up with a piece to hang on the wall,” explains Hausler. “Sometimes I want to tackle a big creative project like the hand-knitted rug on our bed; other times I go for the quick fix of screen-printing and make some extra tea towels for the kitchen.”
Friends have given the couple the paintings and photographs that decorate their walls.
Friends have given the couple the paintings and photographs that decorate their walls.
Hausler became obsessed with making sock and glove animals for a while, so “they pop up around the house, too,” she says.
The guest bedroom features a pendant light Hausler fashioned out of twigs.
The greenhouse has changed the way the couple gardens. “It gives us year-round greens for smoothies and juices, as well as eating, and a chance to grow fruits such as golden berries and pepinos,” Hausler says. “It’s amazing how much food can be grown in 20 square metres. It can get pretty windy out here on the hill at times, so having the protection from that, as well as a more humid environment, has meant we can grow so many more daintier things.”
“We grow most of our vegies, so we’re always bringing fresh food in from outside, along with flowers, herbs or a lovely mossy twig for a vase,” Hausler says. “We also have lots of old screen doors around the house, so we always have them open to let as much light in as possible – right up until it’s really, really too cold to do so.”
The outdoor eating area has a Mediterranean feel, and the outdoor shower is used often during the summer months. The couple also uncovered an in-ground cellar about 50 metres from the house, which they cleaned out and restored.
The bluestone farmhouse was originally built in 1860 as the manse for St. John’s Catholic Church. After that it was owned and farmed by a local family who had the original Koonunga shearing shed.
The house was originally four small rooms – a typical little English cottage regardless of the harsh Australian climate. A big room was added later, which is now the master bedroom, along with a lean-to at the back and shearer’s quarters, which are used as a studio. Hausler added Hardenbergia violacea vines to provide extra shade to the verandah on the front of the house. A native Australian vine, it is a drought-tolerant and frost-resistant alternative to the more water-hungry wisteria that is traditionally used in English cottage gardens.
Expansive 360-degree views stretch around the rural farmhouse, which is located on top of Koonunga Hill. Extensive lavender hedges give the bees plenty of food for a biannual honey harvest.
Connection is central to how the homeowners live their lives. “We love living with daily reminders of the seasons, what phase the moon might be in or when the sun’s setting,” says Hausler.
The couple has an eclectic collection of animals: a former thoroughbred racehorse, Moose; two rescued steers, Helmet and Wilhelm; two rescued pigs, Mrs Beeton and Mrs Thatcher; a rescued cat, Hildegard; and too many chickens, geese and ducks to mention by name.
“We have a strong connection to nature through the animals we have living with us, as well as our vegie garden and daily walks,” Hausler says. “It all works toward the same goal of appreciating the bigger picture.”
The couple has an eclectic collection of animals: a former thoroughbred racehorse, Moose; two rescued steers, Helmet and Wilhelm; two rescued pigs, Mrs Beeton and Mrs Thatcher; a rescued cat, Hildegard; and too many chickens, geese and ducks to mention by name.
“We have a strong connection to nature through the animals we have living with us, as well as our vegie garden and daily walks,” Hausler says. “It all works toward the same goal of appreciating the bigger picture.”
The couple loves puttering. “We call it sidetracking – you go out to collect eggs and decide to pat the pigs on the way through, give some carrots to the horse, pull a few weeds, realise there are ripe figs to be picked, the garden needs watering, or you’ve finally found the left shoe our puppy ran off with weeks ago,” says Hausler. “And then you come back inside to make a pot of tea and realise you forgot the eggs!”
Dedicated to the experience of good food in its entirety, Hausler (shown here) believes there are very few things in life that can’t be helped by a proper cup of tea.
See more photos of this home
My Houzz is an ongoing series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes in Australia and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more inspiring projects.
See more photos of this home
My Houzz is an ongoing series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes in Australia and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more inspiring projects.
The living room is a warm and inviting space. “Damien is a musician, so we always have music either being played live or playing through speakers,” says Hausler. “The great thing about living so far away from any other houses is that listening at volume is never an issue.”