Heavenly Escape: vackert, lugnt, unikt och prisbelönt stuga i träden

Yes, the photo is me, your host - a pretty smiley happy guy who spent more than a decade working as a freelance documentary director, photojournalist and author based in South East Asia (photographed here with a 100 year old Muslim gentleman amid the religious unrest in Myanmar). But with two little daughters that we wanted to educate in Australia and have closer to their broader families, we returned to OZ at the beginning of 2016. As a kid, I myself spent lengthy periods traveling the world with my intrepid backpacking 1970s generation, Cat Stevens inspired 'single Mum. Northern Soulawesi in '78, age 10, just the two of us ... kind of way out there! And whilst it was largely reluctant at the time, it obviously had a huge impact on my adult life. Simply - I still adore travel and the adventure, interest and excitement it brings. And my media work - pretty much all based on humanitarian / refugee / environmental advocacy and education. Winner of 3 international photojournalism awards, author of 1 book, director of lots of films. And still smiling more than not ...

I bought A Heavenly Escape to manage and look after in recognition of the fact that freelance media is a fickle income source at the best of times and leaving ones established network is big risk. I want to be able to continue the work that I do and say yes to work that interests me irrespective of the budget of the people with whom I work ... yes because of the job, not the money. And in order to do this from an Australian base, well, simply something had to provide some sort of income. I researched the property markets in Halls Gap for about 6 years and when we learnt Heavenly Escape was for sale, well, it is rare that such properties come on the market. QUITE SIMPLY - after years of being based overseas and taking R & R in small boutique guest houses / cabins (and loving them), Heavenly Escape was quite simply the house that my wife and I would have wanted to stay in ourselves. By a long shot. It's already lovely and my goal is step-by-step to make it absolutely gorgeous - artistic, unique, creative, tranquil but never feeling 'untouchable' ... even more the sort of place I love to stay in myself. And the long term goal - well, the dream is to have two such houses so that I can work for free for the community groups and small organizations out there with no budget for top shelf media but are doing some wonderful work in advocacy and education on the matters that I feel are the most important, to all of us.

(1) abundant wildlife all around the house (2) wonderful balcony (3) the double bush block (4) spa & cast iron fireplace (5) complimentary bottle of wine (6) proper coffee machine (very important to some - like me!) (7) the sense of privacy (8) the unique design of the house