Kirsten Cunningham Photography
Most people probably think that restoring an almost 150-year-old hotel in country NSW would be off the cards. Well, not for Sunrise presenter, Edwina Bartholomew and her husband, journalist and technology executive, Neil Varcoe, lovingly restoring Saltash Farm.
After selling their storybook terrace in Sydney’s inner west in early 2023 for $2.58 million, Edwina and Neil promptly purchased a rundown property in Carcoar, a heritage-protected town roughly three-and-a-half hours drive from Sydney, for just over $1 million.
Not only is the new two-acre country property considerably larger than the corner of land the young family owned in Sydney, but it also used to be the town’s pub (and still has its underground cellar intact and accessible from the street!). They plan to transform the main building into a boutique hotel that feels like home.
“In just under two years time, we will stand on the same spot, in the same configuration with a completely renovated property behind us,” the couple wrote on Instagram. “That’s the plan.” Photo: Kirsten Cunningham via Instagram
And while the couple say in a video they posted to Instagram that they have no clue how to run a hotel, that’s not entirely true. They also own a 42-hectare regenerative farm in Capertee Valley, a large canyon between Lithgow and Mudgee, called Warramba, home to a stunning sandstone farmhouse the couple restored and now regularly rent out.
“It’s essentially an accommodation business and has been my hospitality apprenticeship,” Neil told Homes to Love.
But that’s certainly not to suggest they don’t have a lot of work ahead of them. With Edwina staying in Sydney during the week with their two kids and a busy work schedule, and Neil splitting his time between Warramba and, now, Carcoar, just the thought of adding renovating to the list seems exhausting.
To get the run-down on the reno, we spoke to Neil Varcoe about how he juggles his many hats – from “Chief Farming Officer” at Warramba, to dad – and when we can expect to see the hotel doors flung open.
Saltash Farm renovation
Edwina and Neil had given themselves 12 months to complete the renovations of Saltash Farm in Carcoar, including the hotel, adjacent luxury cabins and spa and pool, collaborating with Howarth Building and architecture firm Studio Esteta, who worked on their home in Sydney.
They’re planning on turning what is currently operating as a café into a dining area, the current dining room will become a reception, and the front room will be used as a library. Each room and the seven accompanying bathrooms will need renovating, and they haven’t quite settled on a plan for the old shed yet. “Maybe a bar for functions or a shop for guests,” Edwina suggests in a video update on their build’s Instagram account, @saltash__farm.
However, they’re running a little behind schedule. A town planner, accessibility expert, and the Council’s Heritage Expert reviewed their proposal and found 15 items, including their septic waste management plans, that needed to be fixed. “We hoped to get started in January — but that was wildly optimistic.”
The development application was also put on exhibition, which is where the proposal is halted and the community is encouraged to provide feedback. This concluded a few weeks ago and received two submissions, both of which Neil said were “mostly reasonable requests with easy fixes.”
“The previous owners invited us to a handover meeting,” continues Neil. “I had expected to be shown which key opens which door and how to use the boiler. As it turns out, there were 40 or 50 people in the café — tables were corralled in the middle of the room, and they’d each bought a plate. There were even speeches.”
“As I worked my way around the room, it became clear that this was not my project — it was ours. The town felt a sense of ownership over the building. Saltash Farm had to be a project they could be proud of — and feel welcome into in some way.”
The first test came a short time later when the name they’d chosen — The Victoria — was contested. “We’d named if after a historical title when it was a pub,” says Neil. “People felt we’d gotten the history wrong, so we changed it. It became the first European name for this lot, Saltash Farm. This involved months of paperwork — but it was important to the town, so it was important to us.”
Grounds of Saltash Farm
As for the exterior of the hotel, due to Carcoar’s unique heritage guidelines, the couple will be limited with what they can do, even down to their colour choices. “The heritage guidelines are designed to preserve and protect significant buildings. We’re aligned in our goals. I love them, and besides, constraints create magic,” says Neil.
“Outside, we’ve been pragmatic — matching the colour scheme to the roof colour to save costs. It will be Dulux Portland Stone and Lime White — with Manor Red accents to tie in with the roof. It’s within heritage guidelines and is designed to blend into the streetscape rather than call attention to itself.”
“We have also decided to add a verandah to the shed on the advice of the heritage expert at the front to ensure it blends in with the streetscape,” Edwina told Realestate.com.au.
Plus, the home will boast a seven star energy efficiency rating, with water tanks on every building and solar panels on the new structures.
Next on the list is cracking into the surrounding gardens, for which they’re working with Richard Unsworth and Beck Colechin’s landscape design studio, Studio UC. They have plans for an established heritage garden, orchard, organic kitchen garden, outdoor fireplace, paths, a chook shed with rare breed chickens, cubby house and even sheep.
“We had a significant clean-up over spring and summer and then walked around Carcoar to chose the same trees or species that complement what’s there — and even mirrored an adjoining neighbour’s garden so they could see plants they love,” says Neil.
“We’ll extend the gardens significantly to be roughly double what they are now. The hotel will have over an acre of gardens wrapped around it where we’ll run Australian White sheep on the hill below the historic Carcoar Train Station. It will look and feel like a guest house of old — updated for today.”
Interiors of Saltash Farm
Inside, they’ve started clearing out all of the furniture (and ghosts!) that had been left behind by previous owners, and had a garage sale to make sure it didn’t all end up in landfill. Neil shared on his Instagram that they even had to bring in crime scene cleaners to help purge the property and remove food that had expired over eight years ago.
“We want every room to be a different colour and feel really different. It’s a hotel and not a home so can be a bit more avant-garde with our design,” Edwina told realestate.com.au of their eclectic palette, which favours “darker heritage colours”.
The walls will feature all Australian artists and, with some works commissioned, Neil joked that their budget might be running on empty. “Edwina and I had a discussion yesterday about how much of the budget has already been spent on art — so much so that we may not have the cash to build the walls to hang them on!”
For Neil, a key highlight will be an original piece by Brisbane artist Kate Pittas, an Australian mural which will sit in the reception room. “It will be inspired by the drawing and dining rooms of the Victorian era and will be unique to Saltash Farm. It’s one of my favourite design choices so far.”
Saltash Farm’s inspiration…
Neil takes his inspiration from the iconic country projects surrounding him in regional NSW, including Wilga Station in Bathurst to The Tourist Hotel in Narrabri and the eponymous Nyngan Hotel. “We also recently visited Heatherbrae — it is a magnificent restoration of one of Melbourne’s first mansions.”
“The hotel that has provided the deepest inspiration has been Ett Hem Stockholm. With Warramba, we wanted it to feel like home. We peeled back anything that made it look or feel like a holiday rental, so people could imagine that this was their country life for the weekend.”
“We imagined the same feeling at Saltash — an open kitchen with a large table where you could grab a bowl of cereal or a glass of wine; shared meals and nooks to sit. Ett Hem showed us that this was possible.”
The couple reportedly raised thousands of dollars from their garage sale, which they donated to various community groups including Carcoar Public School and Stoke Stable Museum. Photo: Instagram
“There was a time when you had to move to the city to pursue your dreams — now, the opposite seems true,” says Neil. “A wide array of smart, creative people are moving to the country — and that brings a host of benefits and opportunities.”
“Life in Carcoar is like stepping into a picture book. It is the third-oldest settlement west of the Blue Mountains. It’s a village frozen in time.”
“Church bells invite you to get serious about the day at 9 am and call you to dinner at 6 pm. News is delivered by mouth over picket fences, and everyone has time for a chat. It doesn’t just feel like a simpler time. It is.”
“Near me, there’s Parlour O — a Paddington hairdresser with a satellite salon in Orange — Sydney-quality coffee at The Village Grocer Carcoar and Milthorpe Providore, and excellent schools, shopping, and entertainment. My favourite restaurant in the world — Antica Australis — is four minutes walk from my house. Living regionally, I don’t feel like I’m missing out.”
Life in Carcoar…
When will Saltash Farm open?
“We still expect to be open in Autumn 2025, although it will take as long as it takes to get it right. It’s a special building in an extraordinary town. It’s important that we do it right,” says Neil
“We’ll have a schedule of events — including cooking classes and creative workshops. There’ll also be a spa with massage therapists. These are examples of the kinds of experiences that residents will be able to enjoy.”
We’ll be keeping a close eye on what comes next. For more, you can follow along on Instagram at @saltash__farm.
