Wondai Chose Us | Our Story of Faith, Land & Craft in the South Burnett

 

Wondai Chose Us

It was 2020, when COVID hit and life felt like it was being pulled out from under us. We were facing the very real possibility of losing our home due to going bankrupt eight years earlier. The trustees wanted to exercise their power to sell, and everything felt uncertain.

We had employed a solicitor and were in negotiations with the trustees, but it was becoming increasingly clear that we were in a genuine fight to keep the home we had lived in for ten years — what we believed would be our forever home.

I turned 50 on the 8th of February 2021. It was a Monday. That day, my brother messaged me with a simple suggestion:
“Google farms for rent… one with a shed.”

I remember thinking, yeah right. With so many people struggling for housing, how on earth were we going to find a farm with a shed available?

Wednesday night — still my birthday week — while Dave was away working as a driller, I typed into Google:
“Farm for rent with a shed.”

The very first result that appeared was a 125-acre property with a 100-year-old home, cattle yards, and full use of the land.

I looked.
Then I looked again.

I copied the link and sent it to our eldest daughter with the message, “I am moving.”
She replied, “Why not.”

I did something I had never done before and filled out the enquiry form, asking if the property was available and whether it could be a long-term rental.

The following morning, a friend took me out for breakfast in Hervey Bay for my birthday. I shared with her the situation we were in. She encouraged me to keep fighting for our house, but deep down I felt it was time to take my hands off it. I also told her about the farm enquiry.

We were enjoying a swim when my phone started ringing. I raced out of the water to answer it — only to hear a real estate agent asking if I was serious about the farm. She said if I was, I needed to submit an application that day, as many others were interested.

I was in disbelief. Could this really be happening?

Dave was still travelling home from working away, so I rang him to tell him what I had done. Poor bloke — he had to catch up fast.

Driving home, my mind was in a whirl. A move ninety minutes away. Leaving our daughter, grandchildren, and my parents behind. Could we really do this?

We filled out the application, trusting that if it was meant to be, it would be.

That Saturday, I held myself a 50th birthday party to remember — a full-blown Mamma Mia celebration. Thankfully, we weren’t in lockdown. We danced, laughed, and celebrated with family and friends, determined to enjoy the moment while quietly tucking away what the future might hold.

On Monday, I asked Dave a hard question:
“If the real estate calls and asks us to view the farm, are you ready to walk away from our home?”

He said he’d go and look — and see.

I told him very clearly: if we went to look, he had to be prepared to walk away from our home, no matter the outcome.

The next day, the real estate agent called. We were to be in Wondai at 8am the following morning.

Driving out, I said to Dave that I couldn’t remember Wondai. I knew Murgon, Kilkivan, Goomeri — but Wondai had slipped my mind.

As we drove into town, Dave said, “Well, we’re here.”
I looked up from my book and tears started to fall.

“This is Wondai?” I asked.

He laughed and asked why I was emotional.

You see, years earlier, I used to drive through Wondai and quietly dream about what it would be like to live here. Somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten that dream — but God hadn’t.

When we arrived at the farm, I remember thinking, there is no way this could be ours.

The real estate agent arrived and apologised — she didn’t have the keys, thinking we’d cancelled. As it turned out, this was a blessing. The owner had to come with the keys, and we were able to meet her in person. She enthusiastically showed us the house, the paddocks, the cattle yards, and where we could keep the horses.

I could see Dave getting more excited by the minute, while I tried to stay calm and ask the practical questions.

When I asked how long it might take to hear an outcome, the agent said by the end of the week.

We drove home deep in thought. Could we really make this work?

That afternoon, I returned to work. Dave went down to the shed to work on saddles. Around 3pm, an email came through offering us the farm — and asking when we could move.

I rang Dave and asked, “What do you think?”

His answer was simple:
“We’re taking it.”

Four weeks later, we were packed and moved.
And the rest is history.

That moment marked the beginning of everything that followed:
The land.
The shop.
The community.
And the customers who now come through our doors from all over Australia.

We truly believe this wasn’t coincidence.
It was divine intervention.

Wondai didn’t just become our home — it became part of our calling. And through our business, our craft, and our commitment to this town, we hope to honour that by shining a light on what makes the South Burnett so special.

Sometimes you don’t choose the place.
Sometimes the place chooses you.

And we are deeply grateful that Wondai chose us.

 

Authored by Tania Earle