It was 112 years old and owned by one family – and then opportunity knocked for the Geary family
The Gearys have spent the past two years breathing new life into the character-listed Queenslander but now they are looking for its third owner in more than a century.
From the back deck of their home in Brisbane’s Hawthorne, the Geary family would admire the 112-year-old Queenslander over the fence.
It had been in the same family from the day it was built in 1911 and passed down from one generation to the next. But when the woman living there died and had no direct family to take on the grand old property, distant relatives were found and handed the deed. They put the home up for sale in 2021.
As a young family of five, the Gearys were not in the market and had only just undertaken a mammoth renovation of their own old home.
But, when they walked inside their neighbour’s house, Tegun and Tim Geary knew they wanted to be the next custodians.
“Once it did come on the market, Tim and I were like ‘oh my god, we've got to do something about it’,” Tegun says.
“We walked through the house; I know this sounds so lame, but I actually started crying for this poor old lady. There was money left on the floor, her walking stick was there, it was terrible.
The auction was huge, but their bid won the family quickly began to breathe new life into the tired, old home.
“It was a big love project basically because I just felt so hot, like so awful about the lady that lived there,” Tegun says.
While Tegun is a nurse by trade, she originally trained as an interior designer. She knew she wanted this home to be modern and contemporary, utilising natural light, natural tones and textures. “We’ve kept a lot of the essential Queensland elements,” Tegun says.
“It's a character-listed home being built in 1911, so we’ve had to keep the whole front facade.
“We had to tie that in. I think we blended it in as best as possible, because most people when they see it don’t realise it’s actually a renovation.”
They ended up with a boldly designed home covered in greenery. Inside, curves dominate all the corners and Venetian plastered walls are complemented by polished concrete flooring and timber throughout. High 3.2m ceilings on the lower level and the use of voids on the second floor also create a great sense of openness.
It was also designed to be sturdy to withstand a stampede of little feet, so there’s plenty of space inside and outside on the 930 sqm block for them to play in the pool, wreak havoc on the grass, or hang out in the media room
However, the Gearys hope a new family will become the third owners of the historic home at 42 Stewart St, Hawthorne, when it is put to auction on September 9 by Ray White Collective Agents’ Brandon Wortley and Matt Lancashire.
They are taking advantage in the strong conditions at the top end of the Brisbane market, and hope to do another renovation like it.
“Going into this one, my husband said we’re never doing this again,” Tegun laughs.
“We did actually build this for us so our kids can live here for a long time and grow up in the backyard. But we've realised that these types of houses just don’t exist … that’s why we decided to sell it because we’ve kind of seen an opportunity.
“We’ve created something pretty amazing; hopefully someone else thinks the same way.”
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