Second Chances

Matthew Fleming’s forebears had previously owned this old farmhouse. So, when it came up for sale, he snapped it up and set about giving it a new lease on life.

- Georgia Madden

Not often does a person get the opportunity to recapture the magic of their childhood. However, in 2015 Matthew Fleming managed to do just that with Jaspers Run, a charming heritage house set on a 40-hectare dairy farm just outside the historic town of Berry, NSW. It had long been in his family as a holiday home.

“I recall spending hours with the dairy farmers as a child,” says Matthew, “helping move the cattle and even riding on their backs across the creek as an eight-year-old.” His family sold the property in the early 1990s, but he always thought he’d love to buy it back if ever the opportunity arose.

Matthew’s wife Romayne takes up the story: “Matt’s mum, Terry, decided to drop into the dairy farm for old time’s sake in 2015,” she says. “When Terry arrived, the owners told her they had just decided to sell. The marketing campaign hadn’t even started yet. Matt had always spoken so fondly of the farm. It was like the stars had aligned and we made an offer.”

The couple, along with their daughter Miya, nine, and son Toby, seven, now spend as much time as they can at Jaspers Run when it’s not rented out as luxury accommodation through their business, Contemporary Hotels.

“This house is so special,” says Romayne. “It’s a place where our friends and family have always gathered. We hosted Matt’s brother’s wedding here in 2017, and it’s where our children learnt to ride bikes and horses. It is quite something to wake up in the morning and look out to the paddocks of cows or watch the chickens explore the grounds. It’s good for the soul.”