Custodian of "Stanton" heads north

For Lisa West, her 11 years in the Derwent Valley has proved hugely productive, enabled her to immerse herself in art and ceramics, contribute significantly to the visitor industry… and not least, enjoy one of the area’s original homes. 

The move brought both her daughter and son in her wake – away from the heat of northern Australia – and they’ve also established local lives for themselves. 

But time has moved on, and her daughter is to shift back to Queensland and new opportunities in large-scale electrical project management there.

Which leaves Lisa with the small matter of two Derwent Valley - raised grandchildren, now – 4 years old and 18 months – to think about. 

“It’s been a wonderful experience, but I’m going back to Brisbane, to be close to my grandkids,” she told the Gazette. “But I’ll be leaving some very fond memories.”

She says she still recalls finding for sale the two-century ‘Stanton’ on Back River Road at Magra. “It was perfect,” she says, “big enough for a family, and for the ceramics studio I had in mind.”

The 5.5 ha property – 16 acres, now 14 and a separate two acre block – was originally built in 1817, even includes a brush with history and bushranger Martin Cash back in the 1840s.

Lisa has deeply involved herself in the life of New Norfolk and the broader visitor economy. She’s currently working on the next Tasmanian Autumn Festival. 

“We created a new life here,  and I’ll be leaving much of that behind , perhaps focussed on painting in the future rather than ceramics and the workshops we’ve been doing,” she says.

“But I think it will go to someone who loves the place as much as we do. It’s wonderful for someone with a creative bent,” she says, “especially with its extra living quarters to suit parents or a teenager needing their own space.”