A rare find

The day prior to my first meeting with Robert Jennings and Elizabeth Blieschke in Goolwa, it was a whopping 46 degrees in and around Adelaide. ‘A good test for any home and it was about 26 degrees in here (without air-conditioning) so pretty good,’ says Liz. The cross ventilation, fans and high ceilings specifically designed for their new build had worked effectively to mitigate the harshest day of summer sun we had seen in a while.

The home is elevated by two metres to capture river views.

Bob and Liz had initially built on the Fleurieu in 1990 – a holiday house on Middleton Beach. They lived in Adelaide at the time and both worked for the Advertiser as journalists. Many of you who follow motorsport will likely know Bob’s work.

When the couple decided to make a career move to Sydney, they sold their city home and kept the house at Middleton with the intent of retiring there one day, which they did close to a decade ago. The Middleton home was two-storey and required a fair bit of upkeep, so another move was at hand. ‘We decided we were at the time of life that we needed a single story and wanted to be closer to amenities,’ Bob says. ‘We were lucky enough to hear about this block and grabbed it.’ The block they now sit on was a rare find. It is right next to the river on a private road – so very quiet but it’s still walking distance to the township. ‘We’re also addicted to views,’ he adds. Each day they see sailboats, fishing boats and tourist boats like the Oscar W, as well as an array of land and waterbirds. They are close to the train line – now only in use for the Cockle Train. They are also adjacent to a beautiful old stone building called The Chart Room which was used to house the maps and charts for the riverboats and paddle steamers from days gone by. Bob tells me that the stone from the chimney was selected to match the stone on this building and it is a lovely echo and a standout feature of the main living area.

Another thoughtful touch is the polished concrete in the generously proportioned entryway. The couple had asked to incorporate a bag of polished glass they had foraged from around the block. ‘We suspect the land around the property had been used by the old paddle steamers as a dump,’ says Liz. In the earth they found old bits of brown, green, clear and blue glass that add a lovely bit of history and colour to the floor. Other personal touches are the map of the Murray River on the pantry splashback-, Liz’s artwork and mementos from their travels.

The living room looks out to the river and the historic Chart Room where captains of paddle-steamers and riverboats stored their maps and charts from days gone by.

The open plan kitchen and living area.

The master bedroom.

An old printing stamp tray displays a collection of shells and rocks.

The backsplash in the walk-in pantry has a hand-painted map of the lower Murray and lakes.

When Bob and Liz first bought the block in 2016 they borrowed some scaffolding from the neighbour to get an idea of how high they needed to be to attain the right vantage from which to see the river. Just two metres they worked out. The wraparound decking and floor to ceiling windows in the main living area give them a great vista from every corner.

Bob and Liz hired building designer, Scott Cooper to draw up the plans. They wrote a brief and knew that they liked the look and thermal properties of rammed earth and polished concrete and, of course, the views. Liz also had a collection of reference images which they bundled up for him to use as inspiration.

When it came time to find a builder they looked at a few options. ‘We talked to Scott about a few builders but we had seen what Don Bailey had built in the Beyond Development at Hayborough,’ says Liz. ‘And we knew he was quite a fastidious sort of person so we chose him and we were pretty impressed by his attention to detail.’

Indeed, the home recently won the Country Builder of the Year Award at the 2018 HIA building awards.

Don Bailey was enthusiastic about the process of working on the project. ‘From a client perspective they were lovely people to work with and appreciated the fact that we were available to meet on site whenever required to check in on the progress – we had a lovely relationship,’ says Don. ‘We were thrilled to be selected to build the house. It is such a striking home in such a beautiful location on the South Coast.’

The generous deck offers unencumbered views of the river and Chart Room.

The home features many of Liz’s paintings, as well as foraged collections and mementos from their travels.

The final product has exceeded the couple’s expectations. Features like the double glazing, a sheltered balcony for winter, large wooden beams on the verandah and lovely light-filled rooms are all well conceived. The contrast between the finely finished polished concrete, rammed earth and glazing are beautiful. Looking to the future, provisions have also been made to accommodate Bob and Liz as they age, with a long ramp on one side if mobility becomes an issue. A water wise low-maintenance garden also adds to the sustainability. ‘We were very particular about what we wanted and it is very specific to our needs.’ says Bob.

The location next to the slip and a small marina suits them really well too. Bob has an avid interest in wooden boats and is part of a group of volunteers who both build and maintain boats at the Armfield Slip – also walking distance from them.

Bob and Liz feel very lucky, ‘Goolwa is just a great little town,’ says Liz. With Bob’s volunteer work and a close community around them, they have found a great lifestyle in a very comfortable home.

A painting from a trip to Greece and other collections.

Story by Petra de Mooy.

Photography by Robert Geh.

Styling by Marcus Syvertsen.