Sunrise star Edwina Bartholomew admits it was a risky decision to spend her life's savings converting an 1880s country hotel into luxury boutique accommodation, admits she and husband Neil Varcoe. It wasn't a decision I made lightly.
Like many Australian families, Bartholomew is fed up with his ever-increasing mortgage payments, so he plans to sell his family home and use the money to build something for the future of his family of four. He said he had made a choice.
“As daunting as it sounds, the choice for us is to either spend a lot of money on a mortgage or use that money to build something that will generate income in the future.” she told realestate.com.au.
“It was a choice for us, so we decided not to live in our own house, rent in Sydney and do this instead.
“In some ways, this is like an extreme version of rent-to-own investing. We're renters here[in Sydney]and we're building elsewhere.”
Bartholomew admits it was something of a coincidence that they bought the old pub in Calcoar, near Bathurst, New South Wales, which they later renamed Saltash Farm.
“We definitely found it,” she said.
“Like a lot of people you know, we visited a rural town and loved it, saw how beautiful it was and saw the potential of the area. Just like post-corona. [gone] It's exactly like Gangbusters. ”
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Edwina, her husband Neil and children Tom (1) and Molly (3) embarked on a two-year mission to reimagine the property. Photo: Provided.
Inspired by the innovative and interesting hospitality and tourism projects being implemented in the Orange region, but especially in Bathurst, Bartholomew and her husband were encouraged to further expand their offer for the luxury tourism market.
“We were all for joining the uptrend,” she said.
Saltash Farm is not the couple's first commercial venture.
For the past seven years, the couple have run Warumba accommodation in the Capertee Valley, near Mudgee.
Like Saltash, the two found a listing and bought a farm with the intention of building it for their family, but over time they built it into a lodging business.
Calcoa, in central-west New South Wales, is located approximately 50 kilometers south-west of Bathurst. Photo: realestate.com.au
“It gave us a taste of both renovations, but also a kind of love for that hospitality space and entertaining people. We really loved the experience and loved the project and the brand. I also really liked collaborating with them on ,” Bartholomew said.
“I think we both approach this from a marketing and storytelling perspective. Architecture is not our area of expertise. But we are fortunate that all of our The experience has been really positive and actually really great.”
As Saltash Farm's development application prepares to be submitted, Bartholomew laughs when asked if the two accommodation projects are part of a grander long-term plan that goes beyond television.
“I don't know about that,” she laughed.
“I mean, it's great to do this while you're on TV because you've built this kind of great audience that loves following the project and hopefully eventually comes and stays.” Because you can.
“We’ve been surprised by the interest in this project so far, but having a profile and involvement on a show like Sunrise is clearly generating interest.”
In December 1930, the hotel was known as Stoke House and served a town of approximately 3000 people. Today, only 304 people call Calcoa home. Photo: Provided.
Saltash Farm's name comes from a land grant granted to his daughter by cattleman Thomas Eisley in the 1850s.
“Like any renovation or building project, there are various ups and downs,” Bartholomew said.
“We decided on one name and then the history became a little questionable or questionable.
“So we rebranded and chose a new name. So it still has some nice history and is probably a more unique name. So like a lot of these things, we ended up starting You will end up in a better place than when you started.”
She admits that the “joy of building something from scratch” has had some unexpected “twists and turns,” but for the most part, the dreams she originally envisioned for the project are still there. Masu.
“Thankfully, a lot of our team was great because our very clear ideas were on the same page with them from the beginning,” she said.
Edwina and her family discover hidden traits beneath every surface. Photo: Provided.
“Even when we looked at the property for sale and looked at the land and its potential, we thought we could build there and we were very clear and clear about what we wanted to do. I had an idea.”
As Saltash Farm belongs to a town with protected cultural heritage, plans had to change along the way.
“Since the 1970s, the whole town has been under fairly strict heritage guidelines. There's a reason for that, and that's why we love this town, its beautiful history, its beautiful buildings, its unspoiled and very well-preserved heritage. “That's what attracted me to the Main Street facade, which has been maintained,” she explained. .
As the family watched, work began to transform the land into Saltash Farm. Photo: Provided.
“We wanted to make sure we did the same thing throughout the project and obviously that means we have to work within heritage guidelines, within traditional colours.”
This includes regulations associated with operating a commercial business, as well as restrictions on altering the original building structure and keeping the roof the same Colorbond Red Manor shade.
“We certainly approached it with rose-tinted glasses, and it was a complex process in terms of planning,” she said.
Edwina and Neil peer into the cellar, which has 10-foot ceilings and features original barrel rails. It took Neil a week to clean it. Photo: Provided.
“We are absolutely loving every minute of it. It's been a crazy journey so far.”
Bartholomew said they hope to be up and running by fall 2025, and will eventually have five guest rooms within the main guesthouse and three additional cabins behind it.
“I think it will be a three-step process,” she said.
“Eventually we're going to build a pool there as well. We're also going to build a small type of residence that I can use when I'm there on the weekends or when my husband is traveling back and forth to manage it.”
The pair worked with local tradesmen, along with “lost professions” such as masons and sign writers, to pay homage to the hotel's heritage.
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“We are so touched by the local community and we want to take them on the journey with us,” she said.
“We have a local builder who grew up in town. He's on this project and he's also using all the local work. And he was literally delivering milk and newspapers. , I think when this building was owned by two little guys, 40 years ago. ”
