Beverley is a fantastically well kept secret. We stumbled over the town by sheer accident. Once I'd decided we needed our own place, without accompanying bickering offspring, I turned to Google. Of course. I investigated a sweeping arc of all the inland towns about 90 minutes or so out of Perth. Close enough to drive to the Big Smoke in the event of a real emergency, but far enough away to discourage casual visiting.
I looked at GinGin (contradictory council), Chittering Valley (too expensive), Northam (too big), Brookton (a bit small) and York (not our cup of tea). Then I discovered Beverley's website. Unobtrusive, informative and attractive. Ooh... Art Deco and Federation buildings. A main drag that wasn't the through highway. Nice looking houses and gardens. A bit of history. The Avon River. A population 1700 in the Beverley Shire (that figure hasn't changed in almost 4 years!). And about 133 kilometres from Perth GPO - no doubt there will be some conjecture about this distance! And then I saw a house online.
We drove up to Beverley on a November afternoon in 2010 after their driest winter on record. The country did look somewhat bleak. I was amused by the names of some of the properties "Flying Pig Farm", "Beverley Hills" and "Chocolate Hills" I couldn't imagine how this grey dust could be described as anything resembling chocolate. First impressions.
We immediately loved the look of Vincent Street - the main drag. There were a few empty shops, which was a bit of a worry, but even on a sleepy warm afternoon, the town was pretty and open. The streets were wide and the buildings very attractive. We were excited.
Unfortunately, the initial house did not excite. Too far out to walk into town and on a connecting road to Mawson. A basic house and no trees. We could not hide our disappointment. Fortunately, our canny real estate agent Helen (Captain) Stubing worked out our criteria in about five seconds. We couldn't afford much, we wanted to be closer to town, we needed trees and we craved some quiet. Helen made a phone call, booted the people out of their home and introduced us to the House that Rocks.
The house had potential. The colours were awful, the place was a mess, the garden was a hit and miss (mostly miss) shambles and it needed work. But we could instantly see the end result. And it had a functional kitchen, good sized bedrooms, air conditioning, some mature trees and it was the corner block on two cul de sacs. We fell in love on first sight.
We thought about the house for a few days. Actually, Michael thought about it, I just wanted it. We motored back to Beverley and stayed at the B&B. The weather was already hot. We put in an offer. The owners countered. We negotiated. The deal was done!
We then had to sell my house in Perth. It was obviously meant to be and sold in 5 days! We had settlement for 7 January 2011. Somehow, my children moved out, we packed up and moved ourselves, the 3 Stooges, the Cat and the trusty trailer up to Heavenly Beverley on settlement day.
The day before we moved, Beverley had its first decent rain in months. The town was washed clean. We settled in to camp and completed the first stage of the renovation - fencing (securely around half the property), flyscreens (installing them so we could open the windows) and floors (polishing the beautiful jarrah floorboards that had been hidden by revolting carpet). Whilst we were waiting to have the floorboards done, we attacked the garden. I weeded and hacked and transplanted and watered. We planted about 20 trees and shrubs in our first 4 weeks. The garden and a tiny green tinge of lawn responded by exploding into life.
In three years we've completed most of the renovations with minimal cash and maximum effort. Early on, we were lucky enough to meet Guy, fixer, carpenter, drummer, DesignMan and all around good guy (pardon the pun!). He has traveled the renovation road with us from the beginning. Being a framed house meant we could cut holes in the walls. So we did. Our kitchen, which used to have the stupidest, small lapsash window to the right of the sink, now sports a full length 3 metre jarrah one, flooding the kitchen with light and allowing me the pleasure of watching the garden whilst I wash up.
Every wall, door, ceiling and window has been painted. The kitchen cupboards have new fronts (cheating to create a new look) and Michael learnt how to tile. Windows that were falling apart have been repaired rather than replaced. We installed a tile fire for heating and underfloor insulation. We took down all the curtains and now only have blinds on the east and west windows. The bathroom has a new cabinet with orange tiles, blue walls and two mirrors to give the illusion of space. We've used mirrors elsewhere in the house for that purpose as well. The house is only 87 square metres!
But the established garden is now nearly 1/2 an acre. We have created micro climates under existing trees and planted for summer shade and winter sun. This summer should see the beginnings of a more mature garden, supporting and nurturing itself. And we also have an above ground pool (which comes all the way up to my thighs) for cooling off on scorching days.
The seasons in Beverley are real and distinct. Summer is bloody hot. Autumn is spectacular as our deciduous trees put on all their colours. Winter is cold, particularly on fine nights, but gives the reward of my flowering bulbs and the chocolate earth. Spring brings the promise of new life, fields of intense yellow canola and a huge sigh of relief when I see the trees shooting new leaves! Our 50 year old mulberry tree is the keeper of the garden. The second it puts out the first spring leaf means no more frosts for the year. A very smart tree, that mulberry.
I knew I'd be happy to live anywhere with Michael, but I had no idea I'd fall in love so completely with Beverley. There are a really interesting bunch of people here. We have the Beverley Halls, the shire offices, the CRC, a chemist, a newsagent, a bakery, a beautiful dress shop, a beautician, a supermarket, a butcher, a hardware, a post office, an information office, some aeronautical tourist attractions, a new restaurant, two pubs, a cafe, a gallery in the old railway station and a fabulous new art studio. And that's just the main street.
Cross over the Avon and swing around to our street. We have absolutely fantastic neighbours, all people who chose to live in Beverley. As our end of the street is short, there are only four houses. We all like it that way. Every year, we have a street party at Christmas time. And I mean a street party. We drag tables, chairs, BBQs, children, animals and ourselves all into the middle of the bitumen under the shade of our magnificent eucalyptus tree. Last Christmas, our newest residents had such a good time, they were ringing their children to deliver more supplies to the party as they live up a particularly long driveway!
Michael has his sheds and his shops. Soon he will have his gallery, which he hopes to share with other like minded metal artists. I'll be the mouth and he'll be the creative genius behind the scenes. I'm really looking forward to this new phase in our lives. And I'm writing furiously in order to get our adventures up to (hopefully) publishing standard, so I can become a proper author. I'm sure our outback expeditions will continue too. Good to have something to keep me off the street!
Do I miss anything? Not really. I have become allergic to Perth. The noise, the crowds, the angst, the traffic all exhaust me. If I want or need a bit of shopping, I can go to Northam. The only thing lacking is a good hospital and we have to travel for some specialist medical services. But that is a small price to pay for living here - @ the House that Rocks in Heavenly Beverley.
My study - before and after!
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