Garowie grandeur

There’s no such thing as a small project on a heritage building, according to Ipswich real estate agent June Frank, who has deep knowledge of all property in her hometown, which is Queensland’s oldest provincial city.

Although June has owned Garowie — a high-Victorian mansion in Ipswich’s dress circle on Limestone Hill — since 2003, she has only been living there since 2011. Her children and cousin both lived in the double-storeyed colonial home, with its cast-iron balustrading, scalloped timber-battened façade and gabled portico, before she completed a three-year renovation and took up residence herself.

“Three tradespeople, including heritage builder Ron Lyon, worked on the place full-time,” June explains. “So there was no way I was moving in until they were done. Every task is multiplied in an old building: you start