The Crooked House. Cygnet Bay, Tasmania
Someone said, “Something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to” are keys to happiness. Who? I don’t remember (Memory. Another Covid casualty). Perhaps what I’m proposing now won’t address the first two, but something to look forward to: maybe I can create that. A bit. Until June this year I lived in Tasmania, in the South, on a farm. And I’m a writer. Mid last year we too were locked down, and so many of my friends were deeply stressed. Especially the writers. Especially the writers with children where the mother in the house got elected to keep everyone else sane. So what did I do? I decided to move back to NSW, but held on to the Crooked House in the peerless Huon Valley. In 2020 the plan for this 1880s wooden house with Gothic gables was to become a place for writers to finish, or start, or continue a piece of work. When the borders closed and Tasmanian restrictions lifted, I lent the house to Tasmanian writers who needed space and quiet. Then Christmas came, with more chaos, and no more writers. I absolutely refuse to sell the Crooked House, as she is my writer’s dream come true, so she still sits there, on the shores of Cygnet Bay. This year, through a friend I’ve never met, Kinchem heard about the house and ran away there for two months to finish her current book. Next year, you can too (plague willing) though there’s a weekly charge now. The house works just as well for two if you’re collaborating on something. Water glints beyond the garden, she’s light-filled and fully furnished, is cosy and pretty and has an exquisite self-contained studio. Plus you can walk to Cygnet – though you’ll need a car for getting around – and it’s quiet. A perfect place to work. 1 to 2 months minimum stay. Let me know if I can tell you more. Call Posie on 0412 413 557.
