Your host Will fell in love with Burra when he stopped off for a night’s rest on a trip to the Flinders Ranges some years back. Since that night he dreamt of living in a Cornish Miner’s cottage surrounded by a garden.

In 2021 his wish was granted and for the next two years he devoted time, love, and a goodly sum of money to its restoration, particularly its extraordinary garden, and the large shed and sleep out in the middle of the property which became the Gardenhouse on George.

Taking design cues from the site’s 1860s stone cottage, Will worked closely with local master craftsmen and carpenters to carefully repurpose the old shed and turn it into a comfortable and harmonious retreat with 19th century design features such as pressed tin ceilings, exposed beams, French doors, slate floors, and old timey lighting, giving you shed loads of South Australian country charm.

The property was initially restored in the 1980s by Mary Van Gills (1936-2021), a migrant from the Netherlands and pillar of the local community, who was famed for her gardening acumen. She was a design genius behind the garden and many of the period features found in the cottage that were carried over into the gardenhouse.

As a Scandinavian-American with deep ties to friends and family in Europe, Will has a deep sense of being a custodian for Mary’s legacy garden, one she lovingly tended and maintained with her partner Will (yes, there was another Will in the story!) for many decades. Hopefully you will feel the love that went into the making of this place.