TasWeekend: Talented Tasmanian couple transforms Historic Stanley hotel the Ship Inn
A seachange to the rugged North-West Coast has delivered Tasmania some charming historic accommodation in a historic former hotel.
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A SEACHANGE to the North-West Coast has delivered Tasmania some charming historic accommodation — the Ship Inn at Stanley
When former Hobartians Kerry and Alastair Houston stumbled across the remote fishing village of Stanley during a family holiday they knew they’d found somewhere they could call home. However, it wasn’t until a historic hotel came on the market about a year ago that they were able to make the decision to pack up their young family and make a seachange to the North-West Coast.
Fast forward to today and the Houstons operate the Ship Inn, a stylish seven-suite boutique guesthouse nestled snugly at the foot of the town’s huge volcanic headland, The Nut, on one of Stanley’s terraced streets.
Kerry, 51, says funnily enough she and Alastair, 46, first discovered Stanley after their first family holiday together at a tropical resort turned out to be a bit of a disaster.
“Look the resort was fine but after a while we decided that sort of holiday just wasn’t for us, so the next time we had a break we toured around Tasmania and we loved it … we went everywhere from Tarraleah to Strahan and finally ended up in Stanley,” Kerry says. “As soon as we arrived in Stanley we, and particularly Alastair felt right at home, as it reminded him of Scotland where he’d holidayed as a child at his mum Prim’s parents’ home at this beautiful place called Talisker Bay, on the Isle of Skye. Stanley’s beautiful old buildings made of the local bluestone, the portside township, friendly bars and people all rekindled such fond memories for Alastair of those trips with his Mum to Skye, and we all loved it as well, so we just kept coming back.”
Kerry says about three years ago they bought a small holiday cottage down the road from the Ship Inn, they called “Little Talisker”, and so began their first renovation project.
“When we first bought the cottage it was in a pretty sad state of repair … I remember there was even electric fencing strung across the front of property,” Kerry says.
The more time the Houstons spent there the more embedded they became in the community and the more determined they became about how they’d love to make it their home.
So when the Ship Inn, then known as the Bay View Guest House came on the market about a year ago, the couple jumped at the chance to buy a property that would allow them to move permanently to the North-West.
As Alastair is also a skilled stonemason it’s no wonder the 1800s property with its thick stone walls, constructed partly from basalt ballast from visiting colonial ships as well as the naturally occurring stone from the site, was so appealing.
The couple then spent a year transforming it into the classy accommodation offering it is today.
“Thanks to our team of talented local tradies we totally rewired and replumbed the entire building … basically taking it back to a blank canvas,” she says.
And although the renovation project was not without its challenges, with Alastair having to frequently return to Hobart for a big stone cladding job, Kerry says the restoration was made so much easier thanks to the friendly Circular Head locals.
“While we were renovating, people knew I was cooking on a single-plate induction cook top in a temporary kitchen and they’d often just come by and drop meals off. Buck our painter, who’s just turned 70, bought us a whole crayfish one night and our tradies often bought us fresh fish, where else would that happen? Everyone has been so welcoming.”
Then with the help of Victorian interior design duo Lynda Gardener and Belle Hemming Bright, as well as branding, marketing and creative direction from Sandy Bay based Georgie Rayner, the Ship Inn was reborn.
Kerry says they decided to rename the guesthouse the Ship Inn, as this was one of the property’s earlier incarnations, and best reflected the days when the establishment was a favourite among sailors who would stay in one of the hotel’s 40 rooms.
“We were very conscious to honour the history of the building and wanted to keep it as original and authentic as we could,” she says.
It is also for this reason each of the suites are named after something significant in Stanley’s past. This helps it retain its sense of history, encouraging guests to journey back 170 years to imagine life in one of the remotest outposts of the British Empire.
The accommodation my husband and I stayed in, The Wild Wave, is named after a ship that was wrecked off the coast of Stanley in 1923, in Bass Strait’s treacherous waters. After the ship became stranded on Tatlow Beach a human chain of townspeople then rescued the crew of 10 men, but sadly the Wild Wave ended up being slowly demolished by man and sea over the decades that followed.
The Lyons suite honours the first licensee of the premises Michael Lyons who was the grandfather of Tasmania’s first and only prime minister Joseph Lyons. Joseph Lyons was born in the cottage next door to the Ship Inn and local legend has it that Joe may have even drunk his first beer at the hotel’s bar.
The interiors of the freshly renovated suites themselves are modern and luxurious but retain their historic feel. Original features such as dormer windows, attic roofs, with the addition of maritime antiquities and vintage artworks all help recall the building’s character. These timeless touches are balanced beautifully with modern comforts such as quality, plush furnishings, rich bed linens, feather and down pillows and contemporary en suites and kitchenettes.
The property also includes former stables converted into a gym and yoga studio and there are plans to renovate the circa 1903 billiards room next door into a function room or shared space for guests. So if your idea of a great break is to escape to a relaxing haven where you can also experience one of the state’s best examples of living history definitely put the Ship Inn on your Tasmanian must-visit list.
The author was a guest of the Ship Inn Stanley.
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