Photo credit: Ricky French

The ability to understand the varied latching mechanisms of any farm gate has long been the measure of a city slicker’s rural prowess. An effortless unlocking and a considerate closing of the gate behind you shows you truly speak the language of the land. But this flimsy, post-less gap in the fence with a galvanised pipe to hold it together truly has us stumped.

Opening it – and thus securing our passage for a morning stroll – was easy. You free the pipe from a loop of chicken wire and the fence springs apart with an alarming “Ka-pow!” But putting it back together was beyond us. We knew the trick was in resetting the tension…but how?

Tension-related problems would not be a common issue for guests staying at this immaculate farmhouse in Victoria’s Pyrenees region, where everything is geared towards relaxation. The Glut Farm was built just over five years by Larry and Sally Watson, artistic visionaries who’ve never been shy about tackling a project. After decades spent buying, renovating and selling homes in Melbourne and Adelaide, this stunning, modern country home is their magnum opus, perhaps their last hurrah. It’s also their first big build from scratch, taking an empty sheep paddock and carving an open-plan home, terraced gardens, boutique vineyard and ornamental lake into the elevated, 37ha block, 15 minutes north of Beaufort…

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