Summer reading recommendations

selected by Sarah and Mark from the shelves at South Seas Books in Port Elliot.

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson (2015). A story of a man living through the second world war, the ripple effects from his life and the differences we can make to the world. Wild Sea: A History of the Southern Ocean by Joy McCann (2018). An erudite demonstration that ‘far from being a wild sea at the uttermost end of Earth’, the Southern Ocean is deeply entangled with humanity’s past and the world’s future. Lab Girl: A Story of Trees Science & Love by Hope Jahren (2016). An outstanding, poetic memoir written by a scientist, memorialising her love of plants and lifelong friendship with her laboratory partner. Peace by Gary Disher (2019). A gripping, tightly controlled crime novel set in South Australia’s mid-north. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham (1955). A classic science fiction story of coming of age in a post-nuclear future, exposing Marvel’s current crop of mutants as two-dimensional pretenders. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner (1987). A revived classic, reflecting on the gift of friendship, its necessity to enhance the world’s joys and cushion the fates of its indifference. The Forest of Wood and Steel by Natsu Miyashita (2019). A man’s journey to become a piano tuner in Japan, his engagement with the people he meets and music he loves as he searches for beauty and perfection. Warlight by Michael Ondaatje (2019). The disorder of war and its aftermath alongside the disruption of established hierarchies of age and class in London, provides a fertile setting for discovery and self-invention, for breaking free. Greenwood by Michael Christie (2020). Beautifully written ecological fiction describing the history of a forest over a century through the stories of the people who live among it for both good and ill.

Adventures of a lifetime

Story by Nina Keath. Photography by Jason Porter. Styling by Liza Reynolds.

‘I wanted it to feel both expansive and womb-like – where we are protected, warm and safe but can look out onto the world changing around us.’

Page left: The individualised elements of this home shine throughout. Paddock stone collected by hand on the property has formed the feature walls framing the front entry. Above: The living, dining and kitchen areas all take in breathtaking views of the pastoral areas around Hay Flat and the ocean beyond.

When Mike Steller was ten years old, his uncle gifted him a small, carved wooden canoe from Port Moresby, where he had been based in the Merchant Navy. Boasting a boldly carved figurehead with jagged teeth, glowing red eyes, and a deck that invites you to jump on board, let down the sails and cast off into the great unknown, this precious gift ignited a spark in Mike.

Thus began a 58-year passion for travel and collecting that has seen Mike and his wife Rita traverse the world in search of treasures and adventure. But perhaps their greatest find, and most rewarding escapade has been finding their treasured property and building their home in the hills behind Yankalilla.

Rita explains, ‘About eight years ago we realised it was time to plan for retirement, and we wanted our own little piece of God’s earth. One of our daughters lived in Adelaide… and we love wine, so South Australia seemed like a perfect fit.’ Plus, they needed somewhere to keep Mike’s ever-growing art and artefacts collection.

Living in Alice Springs at the time, they began a systematic search of the Fleurieu and Adelaide Hills for a one-acre property – enough for some chickens and a veggie garden. After several years of searching, however, Mike was almost ready to call it quits. They’d looked at so many properties, but nothing had felt quite right. On their last trip, Rita had made four property appointments and after visiting the third, Mike announced, ‘I’ve had enough!’ He recalls, ‘We hit this dirt road and I turned to Rita and said, ‘Are you serious? >

Top: Salvaged timber and stone on the deck create a beautiful setting to enjoy the views. Bottom left: Mike’s own scrimshaw work etched on various animal teeth found on their travels. Right: Masks from the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea adorn the hallway. Page right: A French Cheminées Philippe fireplace sits atop unique custom made metal shelving by local fabricator David Graetz.

I don’t want to go!’ Rita, however, had other ideas, replying, ‘Just shut up and drive.’ So, Mike drove.

As they climbed the foothills of Yankalilla, Mike’s spirits lifted in line with the elevation. Mike recalls, ‘The view just got better and better the higher we went.’ At 80 acres, the property was 79 acres more than they wanted but it had a shed, a walnut orchard, and views that you could sail off into. Something shifted within Mike and two days later, he turned to Rita and said, ‘I can’t get that Walnut place out of my head.’ Rita responded, ‘Neither can I.’ And before Rita had a chance to say more, Mike had put in an offer. And so, their next adventure began.

They were fortunate to have an in-house architect in the form of their son-in-law, Doug Baillie. Mike explains that Doug and their daughter Peta had moved into their Alice Springs family home with an agreement of free rent in exchange for free house design – a house for a house! and he couldn’t have known his clients better. Rita recalls fondly, ‘Doug and I would talk for hours and he put so much love into it.’ The result is a stunning home that speaks to the unique needs and interests of Rita, Mike, and their extended family. Rita says, ‘We wanted somewhere that family could visit but that’s also comfortable when it’s just the two of us. I wanted it to feel both expansive and womb-like – where we are protected, warm and safe but can look out onto the world changing around us.’

When I visit one Saturday morning in spring, I can confirm the brief has been filled. Sitting at their kitchen bench eating homemade damper with jam and cream and gazing out on the rolling landscape of clouds, sea and patchwork farms, my feeling is one of utter contentment.

Part of this comfort is because the house has been cleverly designed according to passive solar design principles. Rita enthuses, ‘We are never too hot or too cold, and we’re completely off grid. We love working with young people because they know all about the latest in technology and design.’ >

Above: A solid stone basin and bathtub complemented by brass fittings and salvaged woods create a beautifully warm environment to bathe and shower.

The serenity of the home is balanced by Mike’s intriguing collections displayed across every surface. The luxury of building your own home is that you can design each space with a specific piece in mind. A specially designed alcove in the hallway, for example, has been scaled precisely to house Mike’s central Australian boomerang collection.

Mike’s interest in collecting is not limited to artefacts and art alone. Rita explains, ‘Everywhere we go, Mike finds something interesting to buy.’ Every door handle in the house has its own unique story, and his eye for beauty is not constrained by convention. The stunning timber used for their bathroom cabinetry is sourced from the packing crates that delivered artefacts from one of their many overseas collecting expeditions. The striking bedhead in the spare bedroom turns out to be an old tabletop that has been artfully turned on its side. The beautifully textured corrugated iron feature walls in the entryway and laundry were sourced from the roof of an old shed that Mike had noticed in the centre of the view from their building site. Other iron used in the study was exchanged with a local tradie for two cartons of beer.

Some builders may baulk at such varied and creative use of materials, but Rita and Mike were fortunate to find Todd Dellatorre from Dellatorre Constructions who embraced the challenge. Mike says, ‘When we told him our vision, Todd was pretty excited.’ And the same went for all the trades who worked on the build. From Todd’s uncle Vic, who did the stunning stonework and the apprentices who were each invited to select their own rock to place in the wall, to Nathan Wundersitz from SpaceCraft who wrought magic with the cabinetry. ‘Everyone who worked on this build has put so much love and skill into it,’ adds Rita. And it’s easy to see why. Mike and Rita’s enthusiasm is disarming and infectious. When Mike kept turning up at the build site, Todd brought him his own work belt and said, ‘You might as well make yourself useful.’

It’s this exuberant perseverance that took the couple to Papua New Guinea when Mike was working for the Commonwealth Bank. Mike explains, ‘I’d been trying to get there for twelve years when I was finally told I could go in a month. The only hitch was that we were due to have our first child in a month.’ So, Mike asked if they could go in three months instead.

Papua New Guinea at the time was known to be highly volatile and not always safe. But nothing was going to put the young couple off. Rita says staunchly, ‘I’d rather go through hell with him than without him. We just embraced it and had a wonderful time. Word got out that Mike was a collector and we had streams of people turning up at our home with spears and shields to trade.’

Many of these items now grace the walls of their new home. But the piece that started it all – the canoe from Mike’s uncle – takes pride of place in the kitchen, ready to launch Mike and Rita into their next adventure.