GREEN PEACE

This contemporary house in regional NSW treads lightly on the landscape while making the most of its magnificent setting.

- Jackie Brygel

LOWER GARDEN Border collie Bickie (left) and Milo the kelpie cross have plenty of room to roam on the grounds of this property near Orange, in the Central Tablelands region of NSW. The house is clad in Cemintel ‘Barestone’ (ground floor) and Lysaght ‘Longline 305’.

Embraced by vineyards and orchards at the foothills of Mount Canobolas, near Orange in NSW’s Central Tablelands, a magical hideaway awaits. Casting a seductive spell, the award-winning home is supremely comfortable and delivers unrivalled vistas of the glorious and ever-changing landscape.

Owners Alex and Evan, who made the tree-change from Sydney a decade ago with their now-teenage children Hannah and Ben, say the setting instantly stole their hearts.

Architect Sara Pearson, director of Pearson Architecture, isn’t at all surprised. “The location is just remarkable. It makes an immediate impression,” she says. “The property is located a short drive out of Orange, on the rise of the hill with expansive views of farms and orchards to the east. The surrounding countryside is incredibly beautiful and changes from season to season.”

When Alex and Evan first invited Sara to the 16-hectare (40 acre) property six years ago, all three felt the existing home was unworthy of its site. “We’d been living here for a few years by then so had time to work out exactly what we wanted in a new house,” says Evan. “The most important thing was to have better access to the garden.”