In April 2005, I was canoeing along an uninhabited stretch of north Bruny Island shoreline following a heron when I came around a headland and saw a humble wooden house overlooking a stunning bay. A hand-made For Sale sign was nailed to a tree. The place somehow spoke to me, and as my son had married and I just had sold our English family home, I impulsively found the owner of 'Blackstone' and shook hands on the purchase of the house. It was on 55 acres of land and had three sheds that I turned into art studios. Living remotely and reclusively immersed in sublime natural beauty with remarkable wildlife brought dramatic changes to my life and artwork. Within a few years I was making more sculpture than paintings, and writing books of illustrated poetry. I lived simply, relied solely on wind and solar power that I installed, collected rainwater from the roof, had composting toilets, and made a vegetable garden that wildlife adored. When I bought the land most of the 55 acres were over-grazed paddocks. I began an ecological restoration project, and with the help of volunteers planted over 4000 native trees and understory plants. I left Blackstone in 2018 and had fulfilled my ambition to create a wildlife sanctuary for the rare and endangered species on the land, but my heart will always be there.

'Blackstone', Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia

© Photographs and text copyright Dr. Victoria King 2024.

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