This historic South Australian family home has a new lease on life

He may not have envisioned the hotly contested bicycle races, but Charles would surely be proud of his enduring family legacy. Ellie and her husband Chris are the fifth generation of Staceys to live in the house that Charles built, and the sixth generation to farm Braemar, the 1600 hectare property it sits on in Hornsdale, three hours north of Adelaide. Surrounded by pasture, bush and the Tarcowie Hills in the distance, it would be a serene country existence were it not for the boisterous antics of the four children — Harriet, eight, Teddy, six, Wilson, four, and Kit, 16 months — who love chasing chooks, building cubbies and helping their dad shift cattle and sheep. “I feel really lucky raising our family here,” says Ellie, 35. “The kids have so much space and freedom.”

Their childhood echoes Chris’s early years: he spent the first five years of his life at Braemar before his parents moved a few clicks closer to nearby Jamestown (and the school bus route). So it was Chris’s grandparents, Robert and Judy, who passed on the Braemar baton when Ellie and Chris, 38, married 10 years ago. While raising kids and running the mixed farm (they grow wool, cattle, grain and hay) is their focus, like generations before them, the couple have slowly been putting their own stamp on the house. Most recently, that’s involved removing a hallway to open up the living areas and renovating the kitchen and bathroom — a daunting task for Ellie, who was conscious of the history embedded in the walls.

“I was always going to be a bit nervous, making changes to such a special family home,” she admits. “It’s a beautiful place to live … we just wanted to make the space work for us.”

They were careful to tread lightly, opting for local builder Bob Case from Flinders Building because of his sensitive approach to heritage homes, and embracing original details, such as the brick fireplace in the kitchen that was previously covered in plaster. When removing the mantelpiece exposed the honey-toned brickwork beneath, Ellie’s first thought was to paint it, but the savvy tradesmen intervened. “They kind of said, ‘Oh, really? We’re going to leave it till last’,” she recalls. Eventually she warmed to the idea of leaving the bricks raw, to the relief of her team. “They said, ‘Oh, thank goodness, we were hoping you would come around!’ I was worried it would overshadow the kitchen, but it doesn’t, and it’s just beautiful to look at.”

Hanging next to the fireplace is another precious hand-me-down, an original poster advertising a clearing sale that Charles Stacey held at the property. Showcasing it in the new kitchen is just one of the ways they’ve kept the past alive. “We’ve found little bits and pieces and Chris’s grandmother has kept records, so we’ve got the original invoice for the buildings and things like that,” Ellie says. “There’s a lot of good history and good vibes through the house.”

With the home now better suited to a modern family’s needs, Ellie and Chris are getting into the swing of life running a farming business with four children underfoot.

“I help with the farm where I can: shifting stock, moving machinery between blocks and delivering lunches and coffee. And I’ve been learning to manage a family of six — everyone’s schedules and food needs and washing!” Ellie says. “We’ve got the hang of four [kids] now. Well, it’s still crazy, but we don’t forget to count anyone anymore.”

With plenty of support from Chris’s family and the local childcare centre, Ellie, a teacher, has recently gone back to work part time at the school Harriet and Wilson attend in Jamestown. It’s full circle for Ellie: although she grew up in Jamestown, she never expected to return as an adult. “My family weren’t farmers so it was never on my radar,” she explains. “My grand plan was to move overseas to live and work and I always thought teaching was a fairly good plan for moving around the world.”