Out Of Office: 5 Rural Hideaways

While taking a collective pause, we look back on some of the Journal subjects that advocate for this type of slow living, year round. From the A-frame hideaway of Phoebe Golden and her young family - to the creative sanctuary of Zach & Phil, a dancer & human rights lawyer, each one reminds us: there truly is no place like home. 

Zach & Phil, Glen Davis

A sloping patch of land in Glen Davis on Wiradjuri County, three hours from Sydney, is where contemporary dance artist Zachary Lopez & human rights lawyer Phillip Wardle’s first home journey began. Practice Ground, as it’s now known, began simply as a camping spot before the pair constructed a small cabin from scratch. In 2023, in close collaboration with TRIAS architects and FABPREFAB the main home took form; a pre-fabricated timber home emerged on the land, with panoramic views of the surrounding bushland - some of which they have regenerated themselves. Practice Ground now acts as a retreat for the couple, outside of travelling for their respective careers, and an idyllic guesthouse. Looking forwards, Zach & Phil are planning an artist residency space, inviting others to experience this part of the world that has brought them so much, and to which they have given so much in return. 

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Emily Evans, Jan Juc

This home holds special significance to the family that resides here, housing two generations that fell in love with the solitude and surf of Victoria’s Jan Juc. Interior designer, Emily Evans and husband Mitch purchased the property from Mitch’s father in 2023 – and today, Mitch’s young son Arlo shares his childhood bedroom. Their daughter, Lucy sleeps right next door in this rustic and inviting seaside sanctuary: complete with exposed pine and warren-like floor plan. Originally from California, Emily has spent her time here tending to a growing family and interior design practice, The Simple Collective. Her talents have even extended to a neighbouring guesthouse, The Wattle – a place for visitors to stay and fall in love with the area, just as she has. 

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Tabitha Stoodley & Oliver Hammerton, South Bowenfels

Creative couple Tabitha & Oliver discovered a 1970’s time capsule in their South Bowenfels home: ‘brick, timber, vintage tiles, vaulted ceilings, and windows everywhere’. Its angular design, in keeping with architecture of the day, offers views of their 26 acres: a respite they return to after splitting their time between the mountains and the city. Living in a space layered in history has taught Tabitha the virtue of patience, adding to their collection of furniture, artwork and music (now a creative director, Oli used to work for EMI Records) over time. This week, we talk to the multidisciplinary artist about the joy of both rural & urban living, and her love for the textile craft of tufting: art you can feel.  

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Phoebe Golden, Northern Rivers

Copywriter Phoebe Golden and her young family reside in an asymmetrical A-frame — formerly a holiday chalet — where they awake to birdsong and drift off to the rumbling ocean: a setting that feels plucked from the pages of a children's book. Captured by Amelia Rushforth and described (as you would imagine) in pitch perfect detail by the talented wordsmith, it needs little more introduction. Just in time for Mother’s Day, enjoy this vignette of family life with Phoebe, her husband Jochen, son Walter, twins Otto & Mathilda, and cat Strudel at their beloved bush cabin. 

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Jeremy Anderson, Jan Juc 

The home of architect Jeremy Anderson is a lesson in quiet restraint. Located in Jan Juc, along the rugged Victorian coastline it rises from the bushland; perfectly and purposefully designed. On a blustery morning, we pay a visit to Jeremy’s most prized project in the Eldridge Anderson portfolio, the family home he shares with wife, Claire and their daughter Elki. Here, we learn how their home has shifted with the seasons (both by life, and the elements) - and his current projects: each one beginning ‘as a conversation with the land’.

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