Story
Provider House - Saying Goodbye
3 July, 2026
If you're new here, or you've been with us for a while and don't know the story behind Provider House, now seems like the right time to share it with you.
Provider House is, without question, the thing I am most proud of, it is the first place that ever truly felt like home.
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Photographed by Jonathan Wherrett.02
Photographed by Adam Gibson.Tucked away in Lenah Valley, just ten minutes from Hobart's CBD, it feels like you're in the middle of the wilderness while still being close to everything. Every single time I drive up the (notoriously steep) driveway, my whole body exhales.
I found the house in 2021 during one of the hardest chapters of my life: I had been flying back and forth between Sydney and Brisbane to care for my terminally ill mum. During one of those trips, the borders closed and I unexpectedly found myself stranded in Queensland for four months; away from my husband at the time, my dog Pocari and Provider Store.
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Photographed by Adam Gibson.Those months were filled with hospital visits, appointments, uncertainty and grief. We were told mum had six weeks to live, though - of course - she gave us another eight months. As heartbreaking as that time was, it was also a gift, because for the first time in years, I found myself forced to stop. My only job was to be with mum.
So, while sitting beside hospital beds, forever waiting, I found myself dreaming. I had always imagined that one day Provider might have a place where people could stay. A home to reflect everything we built the Provider Store business on: thoughtful design, slow living and beautiful experiences.
One afternoon I was browsing real estate listings all over Australia. Almost as a joke, I typed in "Hobart." And that's when I saw it, a strange, neglected cabin hidden amongst the trees. It was love at first sight. The Queensland and Tasmania border also happened to be open, so I thought, "F**k it. I'm going.
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First visit to Hobart.05
Tara's scrapbook at the time.But I'd never been to Hobart. I'd never bought a house. I didn't come from money, I had no idea what I was doing, and I didn't even have mortgage pre-approval. It didn't matter anyway because someone else bought the house before I could. I was devastated.
Back in Brisbane I walked around wearing a "Discover Tasmania" t-shirt I'd bought at the airport and even made a little scrapbook for the house, hoping, wishing, somehow it would still become mine.
Then, it all changed. A week later, the real estate agent called saying the first buyer had pulled out. So I moved fast, I scrambled, I sorted the mortgage, and it became mine.
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Original kitchen.07
House renovations.Then life - as it's prone to do - fatefully intervened before I could begin. I returned to Sydney, the borders closed again and then mum passed away. It took me a long time before I could make it back to Tasmania; not just physically but emotionally and mentally.
When I did, and the renovations finally began, I flew down constantly trying to find builders and trades. I was stood up more times than I can count. One day Drew Charlton turned up. He reminded me of Bill Murray in The Life Aquatic and I got that instant feeling where I knew he'd be the one. Together with my dear friends Jonnie and Jen from Trias (people I had met simply by serving them at the shop) we somehow turned that strange, neglected cabin amongst the trees into Provider House. I think - no, I know - we created something incredibly special.
This house was never meant to be an investment. It was meant to be a forever home. The place I'd eventually return to one day to retire. It meant I didn't compromise on anything during the renovations.
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House renovations.09
Original bathroom.The bathroom was inspired by a beautiful ryokan I visited in Nara, Japan. My friend Milly Dent handcrafted the basins. The lighting and tiles were all sourced from Japan. The bathtub was ridiculously oversized and ridiculously expensive - but I loved it.
Mum left my sister and I a small amount when she passed. I spent a lot of mine on that bath. She's probably somewhere having a cigarette, shaking her head and laughing at me (or rolling her eyes).
When the house was finally finished, I couldn't believe it. It felt peaceful, safe, like home. Like it had been waiting for me all along.
As the seasons of my life have changed, as I've navigated a separation and more difficult life chapters, Provider House became my sanctuary. I have spent countless days there, quietly pottering around, making coffee, sipping wine, reading books, tending to the garden, imagining the simple life I hoped to have one day.
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Photographed by Nic Gossage.11
Bathtub delivery.When I opened it as accommodation, I wanted every guest to feel what I had felt. To feel the love and emotion and story behind it all. Over the years we've been lucky enough to welcome more than 100 groups of guests through the door. I still get nervous every single time someone checks in, hoping everything is perfect for them. I still read every review - of which many have made me cry.
Knowing that people have created their own memories, celebrated milestones, slowed down, rested, proposed, reconnected or simply found a little sliver of peace in their life... that's been one of the greatest privileges of mine.
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Photographed by Brook James.13
Photographed by Adam Gibson.This all brings me to the hardest part.
Sometimes life asks us to let go of the things we love the most. Not because we want to, but because we have to. As my life and circumstances have changed, and the world has changed with it, I've made the incredibly difficult decision to sell Provider House.
It is, without question, one of the most emotionally difficult decisions I've ever made.
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Photographed by Nick Tsindos.l have explored every possible way to keep it, but sometimes moving forward means saying goodbye to something that helped shape who you became. This is both the blessing and curse of living.
I wanted to share this here with you all because this community has always understood what Provider is about.
So, if you've ever dreamed of owning it, or investing in it, I would love nothing more than to see it find someone who will love and care for it as deeply as I have.
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Photographed by Nic Gossage.16
Photographed by Nic Gossage.To everyone who has stayed there, supported it, recommended it or simply followed its journey... Thank you.
This house gave me hope when I needed it most. It carried me through grief. It was the first place that ever truly felt like home.
With love,
Tara
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Photographed by Jonathan Wherrett.If you want to know more or just want to share your experience with the house please email us at hello@providerstore.com.au. Or you can check it out here.