TALK about an amazing home.
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Some people only dream of living under the ground, but Deirdre Stuebe’s living that dream.
She resides in one of the Bathurst region’s special places, “Boonderoo”.
Her late husband, Walter, was the driving force behind the earth-covered home on Pine Ridge Road at Rock Forest.
The totally self sufficient premises on 100 acres was completed in 1997.
It features solar power and water as well as a natural air conditioning system and unique engineering skills very rarely seen in this day and age.
Although Mr Stuebe died of cancer in 2003, Deirdre says his legacy lives on in “Boonderoo”.
Her story of this amazing home is one of the special features in the latest Western Advocate special publication, Bathurst’s Amazing Homes.
It will be included in Saturday’s bumper edition of your local daily newspaper.
According to Deirdre, her husband was a bit different.
“He could see what was happening with global warming and climate change and set about building a very natural home that wouldn’t be affected by interruptions to the power supply or water shortages,” she said.
“We purchased the block about 34 years ago and had a weekender shack out there, but we didn’t move into the earth-covered house until 1997.”
“Boonderoo” is covered by two metres of earth with only the north-facing front of the house showing.
The entrance to the home offers a glimpse of just how different and special the residence is.
“We call it the breezeway,” Deirdre said.
“It’s light and airy, but it is covered. There’s a barbecue, storage space, a room for the solar batteries ... even a bath and outdoor shower which is a bit out of the ordinary.”