Photography: Nicola Sevitt
A good traveller has no fixed plans – or so the saying goes. But for Jason Mowen, travel writer, blogger and tour guide, returning home is all part of the adventure.
“Sometimes people come to the house for the first time and tell me they feel like they are somewhere else,” he says.
Home for Jason, 52, is the charming town of Murrurundi in the NSW Upper Hunter region, about an hour’s drive south of Tamworth. A few shops and art galleries dot the main street, with the ridges of the Liverpool Range a serene backdrop to the quiet town. For seasoned traveller Jason, Murrurundi was just what he was looking for.
In 2016, after living in places such as Sydney, Spain and the UK, collecting treasures all the while, Jason decided it was time to find his forever home. “I remember thinking that the hills around Murrurundi reminded me of Spain. I’d never owned my own home and it felt really good to put down roots in such a lovely place,” he explains.
On top of that, Jason had nostalgic ties to Murrurundi, having visited as a child and again later as a university student in Armidale, driving down its picturesque highway on trips to Sydney.
Dovecot, an Edwardian-era cottage set amid a bucolic landscape, immediately captured Jason’s attention. Built in 1905 by George Dove (for whom the home is named), the four-bedroom weatherboard cottage had remained in the same family, gracefully withstanding time.
Jason bought Dovecot from George’s granddaughter – and, like its previous owners, he’s poured love, care and time into the property’s upkeep.
With a rustic iron roof, tongue-and-groove walls and pressed metal decorative ceilings, the home’s heritage features remain unchanged. Any renovations are carefully considered, with Jason’s earlier career as an interior designer guiding his decisions.
“Working in design, I got so turned off by everyone’s desire to renovate as quickly as possible – usually overrenovating and destroying the soul and character of the home. I never want this place to feel ‘renovated’,” he says.
Jason adds that Dovecot’s potential was always in its “elegant proportions”, which provide a perfect canvas for his global adventures. Each room is a rich tapestry of family history, travel mementos and beautiful artworks.
About the house
- Jason has filled his home with artworks by Eduardo Santos, Robert Doble, Lajos Kassák, Sue Neale and James Drinkwater. “I love mixing old engravings, drawings, oil paintings in ornate gesso frames and punchy contemporary art,” he says.
- The living room holds a varied collection of furniture, including a Catherine Memmi sofa and a glass coffee table found in Madrid in the 1990s.
- Jason painted the house interiors – with help from artist friend Eduardo Santos – in Resene shades Harp, Gold Coast and Yucca.
- The house exterior boasts original features such as a hipped, corrugated iron roof, weatherboard cladding, and a full-width verandah – one of Jason’s favourite spaces in his home.
Many items proudly on display once belonged to Jason’s great-grandfather, who was also struck by wanderlust, leaving Australia in the 1950s to live in New York, London and the South of France. “There are so many different layers of travel here,” muses Jason. “Spaces that have the power to transport are everything.”
In the living room, an heirloom silk lampshade, Nigerian sculptures, and stacks of books and artworks tell a well-lived story, while the connecting verandah provides a glorious garden perspective.
“I love my living room and the gauzed-in verandah,” says Jason. “From this vantage point, I can watch the bowerbirds and – most recently – a beautiful white deer that comes to spend time in the garden. I love seeing the deer there, grazing and sleeping and meandering, so mystical and otherworldly.”
Eye-catching antiques have also found a home at Dovecot, such as the 19th-century desk used by Sigourney Weaver’s character in TV series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart – it was purchased from local antique dealer Darcy and the Fox. It’s just one of the superb hubs for art and homewares in Murrurundi alongside Michael Reid Murrurundi, an art gallery owned by Jason’s close friend.
“In many ways, it was Michael Reid who gave me the courage to put down roots here,” Jason reflects. “Most of my friends thought I was nuts, but I thought, ‘Hang on, here’s this gallerist who has spaces in Sydney, Murrurundi and Berlin. If he can make it work here, so can I.’”
Michael was also onboard when Jason hatched the idea for his travel company, The Pursuit Of, for which he creates and hosts small boutique travel tours that combine elements of art, design and culture. “Life, wherever possible, should be beautiful and inspiring. It has nothing to do with spending a lot of money – the world’s most fabulous art can be accessed for the price of a museum ticket,” Jason says.
So far, Jason’s touring destinations include far-flung locales such as Morocco, Malaysia and Italy, with each trip planned at a leisurely pace to absorb the local sights and delights. But when it’s time to come home, Dovecot will be there, patiently waiting.
“My ideal situation would be semi-nomadic: six months in Murrurundi, surrounded by memories, and then six months gallivanting around the world, making new ones,” says Jason. “Nothing beats returning home with your heart and mind expanded, and I personally find this mix extremely fulfilling.”
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