Elizabeth, Archie, 12, and Ikey Turvey, 10, relaxing on the verandah of their home, Twamley Farm in Buckland.

Ten-year-old Ikey Turvey sleeps in the same bed his great-grandfather slept in back in 1915. In fact, his Mum Elizabeth says the bed has been slept in by every boy in the house for the past 100 or so years.

It’s a beautiful birds-eye, Huon pine, three-quarter bed that’s difficult to find linen for. There’s a photo of the bed’s original occupant — Frank — hanging from the wall in the stairwell. He looks almost identical to Ikey’s Uncle Alistair.

Ikey Turvey, 10, on the antique bed.

Ikey and his brother Archie,12, are sixth generation descendents at the East Coast’s Twamley Farm near Buckland on the Tea Tree Rivulet. Their home was convict-crafted in 1842, and is a Georgian-style homestead perched on top of the hill overlooking the valley. The sheep and cattle farm sits on 3000ha — of which 800ha is forest — so there’s plenty of space for the boys to run around and adventure in.

The picturesque setting suits this “out-sidey” family just fine. Even when they are in the house, they usually choose to sit out on the open verandah in the fresh air — it’s by far their favourite spot. From the day bed you can see the comings and goings all over the farm.

Twamley Farm near Buckland, on the East Coast. Picture: Amanda Ducker

Elizabeth believes her home is one of the best examples of sandstone craftsmanship in Tasmania. The beautifully cut sandstone was delivered from Kangaroo Point at Bellerive by horse and cart.

“The way they have cut it and set it is incredible,” she says. “There is barely any gaps or need for mortar.”

In winter, it’s such an ice-box she cooks breakfast in a puffer jacket, but in summer it’s a constant and perfect 20C. On the really hot days the family retreats to a big stone room in the semi-basement which was the original meal preparation area. A few years ago Archie was digging around in the original kitchen and found his grandmother’s wedding ring under the old Lino flooring. She’d thought she’d lost it in a daffodil patch not long after she was wed in 1935, but it turns out it was always just under her feet in the kitchen where she spent so much of her time. It’s now hanging on the wall, in a lovely frame. They call it the lost ring.

The cellar next door was the larder back in the day, and still has bars on the small windows as a bushranger deterrent.

Twamley Farm offers boutique accommodation both on the farm and also in the nearby village of Buckland.

Most of the furniture in the house has been there since the 1870s, and some of the paintings have been as well, but Elizabeth says it’s important to her that more modern pieces are mixed in with the older stuff.

“It’s an eclectic collection, I guess,” she says. “If I see something I like, I will find a place for it in my home. I’ve found that if you mix antique pieces with modern pieces it actually looks quite good.

“I have a huge appreciation for old furniture but I don’t like that feeling necessarily of stepping back in time, and so having those modern pieces mixed in with the antiques really brings you into the present.”

These days Twamley Farm offers boutique accommodation both on the farm and also in the nearby village of Buckland.

Holiday accommodation in the converted 1840s stable.

Guests keep as busy as they choose to by bush walking, trout fishing and wandering around the historic farm.

A guest from the US was swimming in the dam with Elizabeth and the boys the other day and said: “You know what I love about this farm? It’s such a happy place!”

Everywhere she looks, Elizabeth says, both inside the house and out on the farm, are constant reminders of the generations before her. She says having such a strong historical link to their property brings her great comfort.

“It’s a wonderful sense of place that I don’t think a lot of people really get to experience,” she says. “It gives you a sense of belonging.”

The attic bedroom in the converted stable.