Eliza and Rob Di Francesco have found a deep connection on Tasmania’s East Coast.
Pretty well all of Rob and Eliza Di Francesco’s significant moments as a couple have taken place in Tasmania. Rob proposed on Flinders Island, they honeymooned in Tassie and bought their first property in Bicheno on the east coast just days after their daughter, Matilda, was born in 2018.
“We were living and working in Sydney, but we’d actually been looking for a Tassie holiday place since 2010,” Eliza says. “So, although the timing wasn’t great, when Harveys Farm came on the market, Rob and my father came down to check it out.” With five acres (two hectares) at the aptly named Paradise Point just south of the seaside town, the visit confirmed Rob and Eliza’s instincts that it was the place they had been dreaming about. Baby Matilda was introduced to her soon-to-be new home when she was just six weeks old.
Rob, who has experience in property development as well as a stint in the military on his CV, initially studied sports science before becoming a personal trainer. Eliza’s background is in marketing and events management and she met Rob when she turned up at one of his bootcamps. The couple bonded over their passion for competing in triathlons and the rest is history. While they could see the potential of Harvey’s Farm, it needed work before they could move in. Fortunately, Rob was able to persuade a builder to come down and update the house, which now has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and expansive bushland framing views of the granite boulders leading down to the ocean. It was after spending one of the COVID lockdowns at Harveys Farm that the Di Francescos decided to make Bicheno their permanent home and put their Sydney place on the market.
Eliza and Rob say they were surprised by how quickly they slotted into village life. “You quickly learn that life doesn’t revolve around coffee shops being open at 4pm,” Rob says. “Besides, we’ve learnt to make our own.” “Being a bit out of town means you learn to stock the pantry,” Eliza adds. “But it’s only minutes to town and the IGA [supermarket] is open until 6pm.” It doubtless helps that Bicheno is a growing tourist destination and punches above its weight when it comes to places to eat and drink. Top watering holes include Waubs Harbour Whisky Distillery and not one but two boutique breweries in the form of the Bicheno Beer Co and Bicheno Brewery, better known as Bich, located at the Farm Shed. Bicheno also boasts the outstanding Peggy’s Cafe, Little Bay Patisserie, Le Coq bistro and the Lobster Shack, home to some of the best seafood to be had on the east coast. “I’d never moved beyond Sydney’s lower north shore and northern beaches,” Eliza says. “Our family is very close and my parents still live in Sydney. But they love to visit and I’d say we now spend more quality time with them than we did when we lived two kilometres away from them.” “It’s the same with our Sydney friends,” Rob adds. “We have plenty of space and there’s always the choice of doing everything or absolutely nothing. A lot of stressed people arrive but Bicheno just sparkles on you and makes all your concerns less important. You only have to look out the window to feel better.”
Since Matilda has started primary school, Rob and Eliza have bought another house closer to town. “She can walk to school and visit friends for play dates,” Eliza says. “But we will always keep Harveys Farm, because that’s our holiday house and it’s where we host our visitors.” They’ve also put the farm on the B&B rental market and find they attract a lot of multi-generational family groups. Mindful of their neighbours — whom they can’t see through the native bushland — they also host small events including weddings and parties for up to 25 guests. “Some guests race around visiting all the wineries in the region, doing all the wilderness walks in the Freycinet Peninsula and swimming and surfing at the beaches,” Rob says. “Others do nothing more strenuous than watch the whales cruise past on their migration to and from Antarctica, toast marshmallows in the firepit, hopefully spot the odd penguin that nests on the foreshore and meet George our resident wombat.
While the Di Francescos always keep a stocked pantry so their guests don’t have to head out for provisions the moment they arrive, a highlight of any stay at the farm is lunch or dinner prepared by chef Chris Lucas of What Grows catering business. Chris is another refugee from the mainland and has a long CV of hatted restaurants in Brisbane and stints at fine diners in Europe and the UK. His menu is firmly focused on local produce, much of which he grows on his own property at Coles Bay. He can tailor a menu to suit allergies and aversions, but rest assured that it will revolve around ingredients sourced from growers he has hand-picked for their dedication to quality. “We have such abundance here that it just makes sense to share it,” Rob says. “We consider ourselves lucky to have found this property and we’ve found ourselves very firmly rooted in a community that shares our values and appreciates the beauty of simplicity.
