16/07/2026
6 Months at Avondale
Less "we bought a village"... more "we bought a lifestyle that came with a side of mud, bugs and endless maintenance."
In reality we bought a challenge—one that's tested us, utilised the skills we have, skills we don’t have, exhausted us, surprised us and at times has us questioning our sanity.
Things we've discovered about living at Avondale
• Summer is HOT – dry, relentless and unforgiving
• Winter is COLD - damp, freezing and unforgiving …..it settles deep into the valley with cold nights, freezing mornings, lingering fog and damp that hangs around for hours, but the sunny daytimes are lovely
• Rabbits are the worst!
• If you need to dig holes, do it in winter after rain. The ground is basically concrete for the rest of the year.
Some lessons we've learned...
• Forget checking items off the to-do list, just tackle whatever is most urgent today
• Don't expect anything to stay clean
• Nature is in charge now – plants, bugs, animals… (I'm looking at you, Gary 👀)
• The war on vermin is ongoing. Who knew we'd spend so much time and money trying to evict mice and rabbits?
• Bugs…because they deserve a second mention
• Whatever time you think a job will take… triple it
• Budget? What budget? Everything costs much, much more than you expect and we spend money on things we never thought we would
• There is always, and will always be, another job waiting to be done
• And perhaps the biggest lesson of all… don't get a puppy before you've finished renovating. (Sorry, Obie 🐾)
The wins ❤️
• The pool saga finally seems to be behind us. There will always be bugs and leaves to scoop out, but the water has stayed crystal clear and will be ready for summer!!!
• Heating and cooling have become absolute priorities. We now have working air conditioning and fireplaces in both the winery and the cottage, making life more comfortable
• We welcomed new furry family members and watched them settle into life at Avondale
The heartbreak 🤍
We said goodbye to our beautiful old boy, Sir Harvey.
He'll always be part of our memories here, and he's missed every single day
Looking ahead...
We're hoping the next six months will finally bring some visible progress.
The cottage is slowly coming back together and, now that the air conditioning is installed, it will be a much more comfortable place to work.
Rabbit and Obie-proofing the fences continues—slowly but steadily. Around a quarter of the house paddock now has the above-ground component completed, which is keeping Obie away from the neighbours on the right. Unfortunately, the rabbits are far more determined and simply dig underneath, so we've changed our approach.
From here on, we're installing both above and below-ground protection, burying heavy-gauge wire beneath the fence line. It takes much longer because a trench needs to be dug first, but hopefully we'll only have to do it once.
But as usual this place likes to add to the to do list, the river-side fence is barely hanging on, so that will need replacing before we can rabbit-proof it.
Our goals for the next six months
• Finish the cottage and Bulls Room renovations, ready for guests
• Complete the rabbit-proof fencing
• Start landscaping around the cottage
• Enclose the winery verandah with insect mesh… because, well… bugs
• Document Avondale's incredible history (with special thanks to Michael for all of his detective work)
Our 12-month goals
• Winery renovations underway
• Cottage gardens beginning to resemble… actual gardens
• A vegetable patch replacing the current w**d patch
What we're looking forward to most
• Finally living in one building instead of several. I definitely won't miss the freezing 60-metre walk between the winery and the cottage on winter mornings and nights
• Welcoming family, friends and guests to experience this wonderful piece of history
• Making new memories here for many years to come
Six months in, there have been plenty of challenges, more than a few tears, and the occasional "What have we done?"moment
But there have also been countless moments that remind us exactly why we took the leap.
We're excited to see what the next season at Avondale brings…..if history is anything to go by, I'm guessing it'll include some new varieties of bugs!🐞
