A new day is dawning for Edwina Bartholomew and family, in more ways than one. Having listed their beloved Dulwich Hill home for sale, the Sunrise star and her husband, Neil Varcoe are readying themselves for a brand-new chapter. It’s a journey down the road less travelled, quite literally. The family is about to start work on restoring and transforming a home in country NSW into a boutique hotel.

While it’s an ambitious goal, they have form. The city-dwellers have recently enjoyed much success with the transformation of ‘Warramba’– a historic homestead in the Capertee Valley, that they now own and run as luxury short-stay accommodation.

Edwina and Neil admit that the emotional journey has been as unexpected as it has gratifying, and one that’s left them wanting more. “Our plan is to buy another guest house in the country, in another location, to turn into a boutique hotel. We originally bought Warramba as a place for just our family and friends to enjoy, but people kept on asking if they could visit. There was no way we could be there every weekend, so we started opening it up to guests. We now have families who spend their holidays every year at Warramba and that is so gratifying,” Edwina shares.

 

 

She adds that when they first bought the property, it came with house guests. “There were frogs living in the loo. The grass was knee high, and a garden hose connected the house to the water tank. We wanted to retain the character and beauty of the house but update the interiors to a new level of luxury. Having been through that whole experience and seeing how it came together, we just fell in love with the process,” she says, no doubt also having learnt how to relocate a family of amphibians at the same time.

You might recognise Edwina from Seven’s breakfast program Sunrise. She’s a prominent journalist, columnist and staple of the Australian media landscape. While Neil is a more behind-the-scenes character, he’s a respected digital media executive, and has led editorial and video efforts for some of the world’s biggest publishers and platforms (Google, Twitter, News Corp, to name a few). He is also an “accidental farmer” who’s embraced the mud, sweat and tears of the restoration journey thus far. Edwina and Neil are also parents to Molly and Tom and their “delinquent” cattle dog ‘Mate’ – a family well-versed in the juggles of modern life. Neil will now be in charge of project managing the new build, while Edwina remains in the city for work.

“It was never our intention to sell our house in Dulwich Hill but we happened upon this other property and can see the enormous tourism potential.” The Abergeldie Street home holds a lot of memories for the family and the impending sale is bittersweet. “All of the very first memories of our kids are in this house,” says Edwina. “First steps, first words, first everything. It’s been a very special house for us. We know it will be a very special place for the next couple or family who move in too.”

When you couple the emotions with the time and energy invested into the home, it’s not surprising that Edwina and family will miss the Abergeldie abode. “The house has really evolved with us. We lived in it for three years un-renovated and really got a feel for the home, where the light fell, what we wanted to change and what we wanted to keep as is.” They then embarked on a six-month renovation, which saw them address underlying structural issues (being one of the oldest houses in Dulwich Hill),
re-waterproofing the brick exterior, and giving the garden some tender love and care. The approach to the interior design was led with similar consideration; engaging their good friends at Studio Esteta, and later Interior Stylist, Kate Nixon, to curate and source elements and accessories. “We designed this home to last a lifetime with beautiful finishes and a lot of attention to design details”, says Edwina of the renovation.

It’s a partnership that gave rise to the contemporary yet classic home that stands today, complete with a moody home office and library, a blue-tiled bathroom, and a greenhouse-style terrace off the kids’ rooms, with a glass atrium and jasmine-covered trellis.

The community spirit and connection makes this home all the more unique. “All of our neighbours are wonderful. We have an annual Christmas party; and passata-making two doors down where everyone pitches in and squashes all the tomatoes. It’s a bring-everyone-elses-bins in kind of street. The best in the suburb,” Edwina says.

“We also love the wider community in the Inner West. On any given day we’ll have breakfast at our favourite local café, Sideways, have a dip at the Petersham pool, or head to Annandale to sit by the water. And we love taking the pram or bikes down to Andiamo in Summer Hill in the evening and sitting on the street to eat our spaghetti bolognaise. This pocket of the Inner West is just teeming with kids and dogs, there’s never any shortage of people or animals to play with!” she says.

And while their fondness for their current postcode is clear, there’s a pull of country NSW that Edwina and Neil can’t resist. “We just love the feeling of ‘away’ and community you get in the country. We have been so lucky to live on Abergeldie Street but there’s nothing quite like the long chats, and cups of tea you have in the country. It’s just a slower pace. We feel like a weekend lasts for a week,” concludes Edwina.

1 Abergeldie Street, Dulwich Hill goes to auction on Saturday 18 March.