{"id":754707,"date":"2026-06-23T08:58:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T08:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/754707\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T08:58:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T08:58:30","slug":"a-termite-ridden-bungalow-turned-rural-sanctuary-in-kangaroo-ground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/754707\/","title":{"rendered":"A Termite-Ridden Bungalow Turned Rural Sanctuary In Kangaroo Ground"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not hard to see why the Simpson family have lived in and around Kangaroo Ground all their lives. Surrounded by undulating hills and mountain views, the Victorian town, situated on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people, feels miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city, despite being less than an hour\u2019s drive from Melbourne.<\/p>\n

David, the managing director of Uni-Pro Painting Equipment, and Eug\u00e9nie Simpson, the owner of a colour analysis business, grew up in nearby Warrandyte<\/a>, but have lived in their Kangaroo Ground home for the past decade.<\/p>\n

\u201cDriving to the property gives me this feeling of serenity,\u201d says Eug\u00e9nie. \u201cSuddenly, the bushland opens up and there are these beautiful views of the mountains in the distance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheDavid and Eug\u00e9nie with daughter Ava and pug Nibbles. Their sons, Halley and Ezra, were not home on the day. (Photography: Marnie Hawson | Styling: Hannah Nowlan)<\/p>\n

The pair, both in their 50s, have a full house with their three children \u2013 Halley 22, Ava 20, and Ezra, 18 \u2013 living at home, as well as their two dogs \u2013 Hudson, a labrador-kelpie cross, and Nibbles the pug. And while their seven hectares offers plenty of space for the outdoorsy family \u2013 Halley and Ezra ride motorbikes, and Ava loves horses \u2013 the Simpsons\u2019 original home, a 1970s brick bungalow, wasn\u2019t weatherproof. \u201cIn the old house, we had issues where we\u2019d get heavy rain and water coming into the house; we had mould. We had a few nightmares with that,\u201d David explains.<\/p>\n

\"OliveOlive trees, camellia, lamb\u2019s ear, roses and prostrate rosemary fill the gardens. (Photography: Marnie Hawson | Styling: Hannah Nowlan)<\/p>\n

Although David and Eug\u00e9nie were prepared for a full knockdown-rebuild, bushfire overlays<\/a> forced the family down the renovation path. \u201cWe had to keep the original footprint as it was a renovation rather than a new build, but we were able to increase it,\u201d says David. \u201cIt was up to fifty per cent we could expand, which wasn\u2019t a lot because it wasn\u2019t a big house to start with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AIn the kitchen, a simple colour palette, chosen to reflect the natural bush surrounds and distant hills, allows mixed textures to take the focus, with clay splashback tiles, a stone benchtop and hardy timber surfaces. The large vase by Natalie Cootes and artwork by Hannah Nowlan were both sourced from Lander-Se. A Hali rug adds warmth in the sitting area. (Photography: Marnie Hawson | Styling: Hannah Nowlan)<\/p>\n

\"BarnOccasional chairs bought on Marketplace sit with a cosy leather sofa from Matt Blatt in their country style living room<\/a>. (Photography: Marnie Hawson | Styling: Hannah Nowlan)<\/p>\n

After enlisting the help of a local draftsperson, Robin Longworth, as well as Melbourne-based builders Sanctum Homes <\/a>and interior designer Erin Fairmaid from H\u00e8 H\u00e8 Design, the couple embarked on the exciting journey of reimagining their long-term family home into something more modern and, most importantly, weatherproof.<\/p>\n

\"SideMoroccan Zellige tiles from Tiento were chosen for the kitchen splashback. Monet\u2019s Jar of Peaches print adorns the wall. (Photography: Marnie Hawson | Styling: Hannah Nowlan)<\/p>\n

Then\u2026 they hit a roadblock in the form of some unwelcome, albeit microscopic, residents. \u201cWe found that the original hardwood frame was termite-ridden,\u201d David explains. \u201cSo, we actually went to the expense of knocking the frame down as well and restarting from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the structural issues were resolved, the new and expanded home began to take shape. With the couple\u2019s love of rustic interiors in mind, the renovation brought together a textural, earthy palette of neutral tones, stonework and reclaimed timber sourced from far and wide.<\/p>\n

\"barn(Photography: Marnie Hawson | Styling: Hannah Nowlan)<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a large beam internally that came out of a timber railway bridge in Eltham,\u201d David says. Externally, large pieces of reclaimed timber have travelled all the way from wharves in both Margaret River and Melbourne, as well as a naval base in Sydney\u2019s Garden Island, to now imbue the home with rustic charm.<\/p>\n

\"BathroomA throw from Adairs hangs on the Silkstone bathtub from Faucet Strommen. The artwork by Catherine De Boise is from Lander-Se. (Photography: Marnie Hawson | Styling: Hannah Nowlan)<\/p>\n

\"BrightThe chic ensuite has Pendell Baton Filetti stone tiles, a custom vanity by Skyline Kitchens and an Issy Z1 oval mirror. (Photography: Marnie Hawson | Styling: Hannah Nowlan)<\/p>\n

Compared to the Simpsons\u2019 \u201970s house, the reimagined residence is truly night and day, and not just in terms of aesthetics. Gone are the leaks, the mould and the eight or so split systems struggling to keep the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The new and improved home is incredibly energy efficient<\/a>, thanks to the installation of a heat recovery ventilation system, as well as extensive insulation from the slab up. \u201cWe\u2019ve got solar panels and batteries; we\u2019ve got about 90,000 litres of rainwater that is utilised on the irrigation system on all of the landscaped areas,\u201d David adds.<\/p>\n

\"WhiteTiento herringbone tiles feature in the laundry. (Photography: Marnie Hawson | Styling: Hannah Nowlan)<\/p>\n

Outside, the family can enjoy their new infinity-edge swimming pool, cosy fire pit and surrounding gardens and vegetable patch<\/a> \u2013 all of which are poised to capture those idyllic valley views. \u201cIf it\u2019s barbecue weather, we love having visitors sitting outside,\u201d Eug\u00e9nie says.<\/p>\n

\"Leek,Leek, coriander, chives and parsley flourish in the vegie patch. \u201cI\u2019m not necessarily a good vegie grower, but I like being out there,\u201d Eug\u00e9nie says of the garden. (Photography: Marnie Hawson | Styling: Hannah Nowlan)<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s barbecue weather, we love having visitors sitting outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eug\u00e9nie Simpson, homeowner<\/p>\n

\"KangarooScott Wynd from TLC Pools transformed the outdoor area into a stylish entertaining space. (Photography: Marnie Hawson | Styling: Hannah Nowlan)<\/p>\n

From start to finish, the transformation of the house took around 18 months, and while the process had its share of obstacles, the Simpsons couldn\u2019t be more thrilled with the end result. \u201cNow that we\u2019ve done the renovation, I can\u2019t believe it\u2019s ours,\u201d Eug\u00e9nie says. \u201cIt\u2019s all come together.\u201d<\/p>\n

It seems all that\u2019s left to do now is for the family to sit back and enjoy their refreshed home. That is, until Eug\u00e9nie adds: \u201cOh\u2026 curtains. We still haven\u2019t bought curtains!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Native\u201cWe\u2019re far enough away from Melbourne that we really get good skies and you see a lot of stars,\u201d says David. (Photography: Marnie Hawson | Styling: Hannah Nowlan)<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Profile\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWriter
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGrace Flynn\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Grace is a digital content producer for Homes To Love, writing across leading homes titles, Australian House & Garden, Country Style, Belle and Inside Out. Hailing from Perth, Grace got her bachelor in Media and Communication at Edith Cowan University and has written lifestyle content for The Market Herald, Perth is OK! and Fashion Journal. Grace\u2019s love for homes dates back to her early teen years when she would ride her bike to check out local home opens and her passion endures not only in the form of her work but also in her obsession with scouring Facebook Marketplace for vintage finds and weird knick-knacks. \n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s not hard to see why the Simpson family have lived in and around Kangaroo Ground all their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":754708,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134],"class_list":["post-754707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=754707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/754708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=754707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=754707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=754707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}