The Castle Retreat

Bringing back a local favourite to its former glory. A newly wed couples’ big adventure. 2019 seemed an ominous year for Aretha. The end of her marriage, the eventual sale of the business she had devoted the past few years to, a search for a meaningful new career and the near impossible task of finding a new home for her and her three girls to rebuild their lives.

After a rough start in the real estate market and numerous purchase offers rejected, divine intervention seemed to lead her to the infamous “La Bella Vista”, a Castle and a Fernvale icon which now lay dormant and in desperate need of repair. “It really was love at first sight,” said Aretha. “I’ve always possessed the skill to see the potential in property, and this place had it in spades!”.

“A home that can be shared with others. A place where everyone, both humans and animals feel welcome.”

Despite concerns raised by onlooking family and friends, Aretha was determined. A quick settlement, relocation of animals and the completion of initial renovations – all seemed well; however, something was still missing. Along came her “knight in shining armour”, delivered in the form of ex South African farm boy Joe. Almost instantly, the pair knew they had found their new forever. Their shared passion for renovation, coupled with country living, ignited their newfound purpose.

Like Joe and Aretha’s romance, improvements to the property moved swiftly. Plans to add ecofriendly accommodation to the property were made easier as several council approvals were already in place. They settled on the idea of converting shipping containers into tiny homes – Joe always having had a natural ability for building. “This new life gave me the motivation to finally step out of the corporate rat race. Being with Aretha at “The Castle” quickly became the dream.” said Joe.

Their ethos is to create something new, while honouring the vision of La Bella Vista’s original owners. Examples of this includes the authentic 60-year-old-stained glass windows - reclaimed from a hotel in Ipswich - to a repurposed tennis court that was converted into animal enclosures and vegetable gardens. “The Castle Retreat is truly something that we love to share with others, and we try to reclaim, recycle and reuse as much as possible”. A home that can be shared with others. A place where everyone, both humans and animals feel welcome. “We have rescued swans, mistreated ponies, goats and calves - even the donkeys are treated like family”.

As seen from the super host rating on Airbnb and 5-star rating on Facebook, Joe and Aretha’s passion can be seen in what they are creating, from the care packages included on arrival to the one-on-one welcome tours given to meet the animals.

Even though they changed the name to The Castle Retreat the original name La Bella Vista – translating to ‘beautiful view’ - stills rings true. Come and enjoy a campfire, bathe under the stars or just be amazed at how much space you actually have in a tiny home. Their home is truly your home for the entirety of your stay.

Instagram - @thecastle_retreat | Facebook - The Castle Retreat | Airbnb - thecastleretreat

👉  This story excerpt is from Issue #15 of Kickin Up Dust magazine: March 2023