The Ark Coolamon

06/02/2025

lovingly restored to seamlessly merge the best of historical and unique aesthetics

31/01/2025

heritage, beauty stories

29/01/2025

23/12/2024

From this to this…. Our sincere gratitude to all who have followed, supported and shared The Ark with us this year. May your Christmas be full of cheer, good will and rest.

18/12/2024

Enjoy the fruits of summer with a slow start to your day..

11/12/2024

Behind the scenes, personal loves and pursuits that find their place inside The Ark, because I can, because it enhances an eclectic and meaningful experience for guests.

06/11/2024

Capitalising on the joys of spring, enjoying the fruits of labour in the garden, arranging and finding their place inside to enhance guests stay.

09/10/2024

To continue… cycles, influences and a few adages in the mix, such as ‘less is more’, ‘what goes round, comes round’ and ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ encapsulate my personal history. To elaborate, a childhood in a quite remote and isolated part of New Guinea as a young child, watching, and helping indigenous women with their various crafts, and indigenous men being introduced to new agricultural practices. Two generations of women in my family hugely influential with their eye for design, love of needle and thread, an epiphany at 14 to teach Visual Arts, and simultaneously with that epiphany a conversation with my secondary school’s drama teacher who encouraged me to design and construct costumes for annual school plays. Collaboration , budgets and creativity have been key to my formative years. To complete tonight’s story, my parents as active gardeners and a father with a small aircraft and veterinary background who I flew with to isolated properties in northern parts of Queensland during my secondary school holidays, because I love the land, the soil and simplicity. All of the aforementioned have contributed to where I am now.

02/10/2024

It is overdue! Not being one to feel comfortable before the lens!! A little insight. Part One. A serendipitous purchase of two deconsecrated churches on one title almost two decades ago. The older of the two, our residence, the other, now The Ark, was conceived as of late 2019. Prior to The Ark’s ‘conception’, the building experienced many roles during our custodianship, these including a dance studio, hosting niche music concerts, my dressmaking and couture studio, private dinners and weddings. A desire to convert and curate a unique space to serve a very different role evolved. A leap of faith, courage and a marriage of skillsets enabled our doors to open to guests early 2022.

25/09/2024

As both gardener and visual artist, my garden is my playground and palette. This morning’s pick.
As host and owner of The Ark, Annie Falk’s phrase ‘When a guest sits down there should be something beautiful and inspiring to look at’, and the words of William Morris ‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful’ resonate.

12/09/2024

September is the month to TOUR the picturesque .Undulating landscapes with vistas of luminescent yellow as far as your eyes can see!… Regional towns, rich in heritage and charm, slow travel, extraordinary stays, artisan producers and makers….PAUSE in Coolamon, start your day with breakfast on the heritage listed platform of .station.collective…..Visit and to fill your hamper for a lunch time roadside stop to see the canola up close…For some local and regional history, check out the amazing collection .fire.museum and discover insights into agricultural practices of yesteryear at The Up To Date Store, where you can also see Coolamon’s annual exhibition and .coolamon.shire photography exhibition…
To elevate your TOUR to another level, book a hot air balloon ride over the canola fields with

11/09/2024

Pause here for your slow stay…

26/08/2024

A road trip along the ..Take your time to experience extraordinary stays. Explore the gems, throughout . Savour the artisan producers and makers @ gruntpork, … discover local history… wander the forests’ tracks ..pack your picnic and pause for a coffee in one of our beautiful parks…

19/08/2024

Small gestures that leave their mark. Although a little early, spring is making its presence. Stocks and violets from our garden find their place.

14/08/2024

Turning space into place. The intersection of beauty and utility. The poetry of light. Creating a space that tells stories. Creating a space that uplifts.

29/07/2024

A late afternoon photograph as I walked through the front garden noting the colours emerging at ground level. I could not forgo the Manchurian Pear’s stark bones shadowing The Ark’s northern wall and clear, vivid blue sky, after weeks of cloudy, cold days.

22/07/2024

‘Given the personal significance of the church, it is an amazing gift how it has been so tastefully adapted to this beautiful accommodation’. eloquent, and atmospheric capture, together with a recent guest’s words fill our cup

17/07/2024

Layers of home grown and handmade. Points of difference and small gestures that can add to the experience and memory.