For almost three years, Thomas Michel has enjoyed living in his eclectic colourful terrace in Broadmeadow with his kids and his little dog, Heidi. The historic home has three bedrooms with a fourth teenage hideaway in the back, and two bathrooms.
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The terrace is one of the four identical row houses that were built in the 1890s.
"Next door when they renovated you could see the old hardwood sleepers and beams they used. This was coal and then agriculture here. The Premier Hotel was built around the 1880s, it must have been the first," Michel says.
The hill behind him was said to be a prominent hunting spot for the local Aboriginal population. The wetlands and grasslands to the south was a place where they could sit and wait for kangaroos.
The rail came through in 1887. Once marshlands, the racecourse was built in 1907. People began building larger estates.
"I talk a fair bit with my kids, how many different stories have come through this house, getting on to 130 years old, how many different families births and deaths and happened under this roof," Michel says.
"There's an old drain hole out the back that has been there since it was built, these functional footprints."
He's lived in Newcastle for eight years. Before that, he lived in both Europe and the Northern Territory. He opted to move back to Newcastle as his parents had settled here.
"It's actually a super functional house," he says. "I always like the idea of urban dwelling in a close community area, walking distance for both kids, that was a big clincher. It's easy walking or cycling distance to work."
It ticked all the boxes. He liked that it didn't have a yard and that it was an older house with character. It reminded him of his childhood home in Calgary, Canada, which had a similar design: older, narrow and high.
He wouldn't describe himself as a minimalist.
"I guess sort of like crazy-pants eclectic. I'm definitely a bit of a collector of curios objects or different artworks that has its own story behind it," he says.
He has artworks by Michelle Robinson, Edwina Richards, Helena Anliot, Ebony Hyde and Jordan Lucky. He has artwork by his friends. He likes timbers, natural colours, brightness and plants. The cow head on the wall is from New York, a gift from his partner. There's a big opshop clock.
The rock climbing holds above the couch could be mistaken for sculptures; Michel explained they're fully decorative from a company in Tamworth called Kaputar, although he does rock climb.
Books are everywhere. He loves to read.
"The living room was the first one to become nice. It definitely wasn't my style to have a big screen TV. In the front hallway, what's now turquoise was lime green," he says.
The large striking blue gum bookshelves in the lounge room are immediately noticeable. He made them himself.
He said the hardwood used for the shelves was difficult to work with, but that he was drawn to its knobs and gnarls as these features paid homage to the tree.
"That was a bit of a project done in stages, reclaimed blue gum from a place out at Black Hill, Newcastle, Newcastle Timber Slabs. It's local blue gum," Michel says.
"I found some beautiful pieces, so I just worked off the slabs. It was really important for me to put my own mark on the place, my own expression. It was off and on but they took a couple months, just working it out,"
Michel picked up a lot of skills from his father, who was a builder. His Dad built a cabin and renovated his home from scratch. Michel learnt from observation, and particularly likes woodworking.
He tries to live as sustainably as possible with solar panels, home composting and keeping a garden. Two thirds of the house run on solar. His next step will be to upgrade the solar with more eco-friendly batteries.
He doesn't see himself moving anytime soon. He's made himself at home, his kids love the area and his neighbours are great.
"For me it's the potential of what Broadmeadow will likely become. It feels like a dynamic changing place," Michel says.
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