It’s been three and a half years since Annie and Mike Dowd bought this 15-hectare farm and started putting their mark on it. Madstone Farm sits high on Main Ridge in Victoria’s beautiful Mornington Peninsula.
Madstone Farm is a place where Annie and Mike’s large respective families can come together, including Annie’s daughter Sophie and grandson Woody (pictured).
“We like staying home — Annie’s a very good cook and we never go out at night by choice,” says Mike, who retired from the fashion industry in Melbourne about a decade ago.
The previous owner lived in the property’s guest bungalow, rather than the original weatherboard farmhouse. “The house was unloved,” says Annie. “Instead, she’d concentrated on the garden.”
The pair moved into the guest bungalow while they planned and then renovated the old farmhouse. Mike contributed wood craftsmanship, including the coffee table (above) and a bar.
“There were odd angles and the floors were a terrible yellow; in a lot of rooms, there was particle board. We’ve re-floored and then limewashed it,” says Mike.
Inside, they painted spaces white and opened up areas to bring more light in. However, one of Annie’s two daughters, Sophie Gunnersen, who co-owns interior design and styling consultancy Studio Stamp, contributed to the final look. “I’m a bit like a bowerbird, always hunting around for things,” says Sophie.
On a clear day, there’s a view over the hills to the sea.
A hectare of the grounds is divided into different landscaped areas, including a Japanese garden complete with ginkgo and cherry trees, a pond full of koi fish and an oriental tea house.
There is also an enclosed kitchen and picking garden — and a secret garden with drystone walls.
“This house is as eclectic as the garden,” Annie says. “It has taken so much of our time, and now we’re at the garden each day continuously — that’s what we do.”
