More than just collections of timber, bricks and mortar, our houses stand as witnesses to our lives. They carry the weight of our footsteps, hear our laughter and our tears and protect us while we sleep.
As our memories and experiences infuse into their walls, our houses become our homes – places to which we will always feel a connection, even after we move on.
Nowhere is that more true than at Natalie’s Cottage, a three bedroom character home in East Toowoomba that now stands as a mother’s loving tribute to her daughter.
On 2 May 2015, one year to the day after 24-year-old Natalie Barnard died from a rare cancer, her home, Natalie’s Cottage was opened to the public as a short-term accommodation rental.
Natalie’s Cottage
Natalie’s mother Kim, who runs the cottage, says she hopes to offer people who need to visit Toowoomba a warm, family-friendly alternative to a motel.
“When Natalie died the house came back to me, and I really wanted to do something positive with the place,” Kim says. “Because Toowoomba is quite a hub for people coming in from out-of-town to go to the hospitals or people from the country who need to come in for specialist appointments I wanted to make this place available primarily for people needing to do that.
“If there’s a few of you and you’ve got children you don’t necessarily want to be staying in a motel. You don’t have as much space; you can’t cook meals. If somebody is flown in here and the family needs somewhere to stay, how much nicer is it for them to have somewhere like this.”
Dating back to 1912, the cottage surely has many stories to tell. But Natalie’s starts when she and Kim moved there in 2007 from Melbourne.
They lived there for several years before Kim sold it to a doctor who worked at St Vincent’s, which is only 750m away from the cottage. They moved on – Kim to Highfields and Natalie to Brisbane, and thought no more of the home.
After studying environmental management at UQ Natalie started working at Thiess as an environmental officer, a job that perfectly reflected her beliefs in sustainable living.
It was in 2012, at age 22, only a few months into her new job that Natalie was diagnosed with cancer. Adrenocortical carcinoma is so rare it affects only one in two million people. Natalie needed a major operation to remove a tumour. She needed to be looked after, to return home.
But most of all, Kim says, she needed to retain her independence. So in 2013, when the house came on the market again Natalie bought it back.
“It was a gorgeous place for her to have a base that was her own place, but we were still close by so we could help her,” says Kim. “She could spend time here with her friends and her fiancé and she just loved being here.”
This painting of ballerinas hangs in one of the bedrooms. Kim found it in an op shop in England that raises money for people with cancer. Natalie loved and performed ballet.
Kim says Natalie lived with cancer for two years and she chose to live as actively and positively as she could. She blogged about her diagnosis. She travelled as much as possible – to Malta, England, Italy, Bali, and to San Francisco to visit her brother Nicholas. And she married the love of her life Timothy Barnard in a beautiful garden wedding, under a marquee in Highfields.
“She just really made the most of her time,” says Kim. “She never really thought that…I suppose she didn’t face the idea of dying. She absolutely didn’t. We all prayed she would make it. You always hope for the best.”
After Natalie died in May 2014, Kim sought some comfort in travelling and retracing Natalie’s footsteps across the world. She returned to Malta and England and then spent time trekking in Nepal. It was there that the idea for Natalie’s Cottage was sparked.
“I was invited to go trekking in Nepal,” Kim says. “And I thought ‘yes I need to have something to focus on, I need a challenge’, so we did a walk up to Annapurna base camp. That was something to aim towards. That was a real challenge.
“Walking in Nepal, I had lots of time to think, it was quite a spiritual experience. I thought, ‘what could I do that’s going to bring some kind of meaning to Natalie’s death’ and I suppose keep her spirit alive as well, because she loved doing nice things for people.
“She’d be so delighted that lots of people were coming through this place, because she loved it so much, and that lots of people were enjoying it as well.”
Kim says getting the cottage ready for guests has been a positive way to channel her energy over the past few months. And walking through the cottage the love, care and attention Kim has paid to refurbishing the home is evident everywhere.
Flowers on the table in Natalie’s Cottage
Staying true to the home’s 1912 character, it retains the original windows and doors, and features calming neutral tones, timber floors, tongue and groove panelling, and a fireplace and split system air conditioning to handle Toowoomba’s chilly winters. With a back garden that looks directly out onto Ipswich Park, and its location on a wide, tree-lined street, the cottage is a quiet and peaceful retreat.
Kim and her husband Rick have thought smart about how to best use the space in the small, but cosy, home. They’ve removed old built in wardrobes to allow for bigger beds, added new light fittings, painted inside and restumped the back area.
Natalie’s Cottage – the bright and cheery dining area
And Natalie’s style has been beautifully incorporated into the home, right down to the smallest touches. Curtain material was bought in Natalie’s birth country England, where Kim also sourced lamps and paintings; the vintage plates that hang on the wall were used at Natalie’s wedding, and a solid iron coat rack spells out the name Natty. There are fresh flowers adorning the table to honour Natalie’s love for flowers, and a skilfully drawn sketch of the Empire Theatre by Natalie’s grandfather hanging on the wall.
The main bedroom
Curtains in the main bedroom made by Kim with material from England
The Natty coat rack
“The way I’ve styled it is to make it so people walk in and feel at home,” says Kim. “Especially if they’ve driven miles from out west somewhere.
“It has actually been a great process for me in really taking great care in choosing the furniture. A lot of it is second hand antique-y stuff and that would really fit in with Natalie’s ethos because she was really into recycling and up-cycling. And loved going into antique shops and loved high teas and things like that.”
Creating a homely atmosphere for her guests is something Kim says she loves to do. She explains that she’s looking forward to arranging a flower arrangement for a guest who is coming from Augathella to have a baby, and preparing champagne and chocolates for a bridal party.
“Somebody is getting married at Gabbinbar and is coming here with her bridesmaids the night before,” she says. “I was so honoured. I said to Rick ‘right that’s it we’re going all out. Champagne, chocolates, DVDs’.
“I remember the night before my daughter got married she stayed with her bridesmaids in a little cottages in Highfields and they had champagne, chocolates and they wanted to watch all these bride related DVDs. So I thought I’m going to get DVDs and I’m going to make it special for them.
“I love the interaction with the people, I love getting the house ready, there’s nothing about it I don’t like,” she says. “I want people to enjoy their stay, I want them to feel comfortable; I don’t want them to be walking on eggshells. One lot of people you wouldn’t have known anybody had been staying in the house they were so clean. But you know they don’t have to be like that.
“Colleagues from Sydney came for a meeting in Toowoomba and they flew in for one night. The place sort of told a story when we walked in and it was a nice story because they’d obviously been sitting out the back, because there was a wine glass on the table. The dining room chairs were all pushed back, the pack of cards was on the table, the fire had been lit and I thought ‘they’ve had a nice time together, they’ve been playing cards, fire going, drinking wine’.
“That’s a good story. You want them to enjoy themselves and if they want to walk out and leave it exactly as it is, I’m happy to walk in and think they enjoyed themselves. I’m delighted.”
Toowoomba Tips
Kim recommends her guests try Q’Lin, Thai Royal, and she loves the Repertory Theatre for quality theatre and its art gallery.
With a backyard that backs directly onto Ipswich Park and a port-a-cot and high chair available, Natalie’s Cottage is ideal for families. Discounts are offered for genuine medical reasons and bookings can be made directly through the Natalie’s Cottage website, on Airbnb or on Stayz. You can also read more of Natalie’s story on the Natalie’s Cottage website and her blog www.nataliechadwick.com. Thank you to Kim Robinson for welcoming me into Natalie’s Cottage and telling me her story.
This is a most fitting and beautiful tribute to Natty.
Thank you, I feel very honoured to have been able to speak with Kim and learn about who Natalie was.
Such an inspiring story, beautiful home and written with compassion and empathy. Well done Lynda Crawford
Thanks!