OUTWITTING a brown snake determined to move in was just one of the challenges Tom and Nicole Jordan faced in their new country home. Keen to experience rural life, the couple had bought Blairgowrie, a 10ha property just outside Scone, 3.5 hours north-west of Sydney. In their first few months, a flood and that wildlife close encounter made them doubt whether they'd made the right decision. “Not long after the flood, our son William and I looked out the window one day and saw a huge brown snake heading across the patio for the house,” Nicole says. “Then it was trying to get in the French doors and I was running ahead with William in my arms, trying to close them as it pushed its head against the door. “I was stamping my feet and hitting the glass, and finally it slid off. But it had obviously been in the house before – perhaps it even had a nest here. I called Tom and said, “I am leaving! I am not staying here!” Fortunately, things settled down as the couple made the house, and nearby Scone, their own. “It's a nice distance from Sydney – far enough away to offer a real rural experience and still close enough so we could have the city when we needed it,” Nicole says. “We felt the country would offer a sense of community and we believe it takes a community to raise a child.” MAKING PLANS BACK in Sydney, Nicole had worked in the film industry before setting up her own homewares shop, Beach House Collections, at Avalon, on Sydney's northern beaches. “It became a monster business that outgrew its original premises, so I moved it to a larger space and suggested to Tom we do a cafe as well,” Nicole says. Tom had been in hospitality, then worked as an online producer, before joining Nicole to expand Beach House Collections and set up the cafe. They ran the successful business for several years, but sold it after the arrival of William (now aged five). They bought an espresso bar on Sydney's North Shore and began planning the move to the country. When Nicole spotted her dream house, it looked “a million dollars” – online. “But then we arrived and, my god, it was a mess,” she says. The house had been sadly neglected and many semitrailer loads of rubbish had to be removed before they could even move in. “The pool was a swamp, filled with dead turtles and snakes; the verandah had been pulled down by overgrowth; the house needed to be restumped,” Nicole says. “Builders would say, 'It's probably better to bulldoze her and push her down the hill'. It was heartbreaking to hear that, having just spent all this money to buy it.” Nicole took on the job of making the house liveable while Tom travelled to and from Sydney to run the espresso bar. SLOW AND STEADY “WE persisted, and slowly but surely we've bought her back to life,” Nicole says. “They're subtle changes, but she's a dear old girl, so every time we did something to her she came back shining.” The house was something of a rabbit warren, so the couple began by opening up the kitchen space. An Aga stove has been painstakingly restored and now blends with the modern features of their new kitchen. The original buttercup yellow colour scheme has been painted white and carpet has been ripped up. Future plans include sanding the floors and renovating two original… [...]