A Tasmanian couple currently living in remote Western Australia has bought one of the state’s oldest heritage properties sight unseen and overhauled it ahead of a sold-out first wedding season.
Chantelle Pears and her husband Matt purchased Stonefield Estate, an 1824 homestead in Brighton, in November last year after it appeared on the market as a deceased estate.
The property had operated as a wedding venue for roughly 30 years under its previous owners.
Despite living around 5,000 kilometres away and working full-time in other careers, the pair decided to take the plunge.
“We purchased it actually sight unseen, which I also think is pretty scary now that I think back of it,” Pears told Pulse.
“We had family and friends attend on our behalf to have a look around and I think all of them were like, ‘What the hell are we doing?'”
Pears works as a director in health strategy while her husband is an engineer.
The couple already runs Flagstaff Estate, a short-stay accommodation property in Lindisfarne they bought a month before the first COVID lockdown in 2020.
That venture, which started as a side project alongside their day jobs, grew busy enough to convince them to look for a second property.
They settled on Stonefield in March this year and immediately began a six-month renovation.
The couple removed an entire level from the homestead to expose original sandstone and heritage features, creating six-metre-high ceilings.
A bridal parlour has been added alongside a fully redesigned reception venue.
“We’ve really brought our vision to life to create a venue unlike anywhere else in Tasmania,” Pears said.
The first wedding is booked for October and Pears said the venue already has 42 weddings locked in across its first two seasons.
Around 70% of bookings are from interstate couples.
“I think Tasmania is just a really attractive destination for weddings,” she said.
“People love the idea of coming down for a destination wedding without having to go overseas.”
Pears said the couple has focused on offering multi-day experiences rather than single-day events, allowing wedding parties to celebrate over an entire weekend.
Both Pears and her husband are originally from Tasmania.
She grew up in Lenah Valley and he grew up in Bellerive.
The couple has documented the renovation journey on Instagram, building a following of more than 10,000 which Pears said has translated directly into bookings.
“People have really followed our journey,” Pears said.
“That’s also meant that many people have seen how much love and care and energy we’ve poured into it.”
Pears described the project as the hardest thing she has done in her life but said she is proud of the work done alongside local Tasmanian tradespeople and small businesses.
She said the couple hopes to eventually move back to Tasmania permanently.
