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Our friends, Bev and Steve Paech, met us.  We hadn’t  met them before, but Marilyn’s parents knew Steve’s parents (Gordon and Stephanie Paech), from an Alaskan cruise in the early 1980’s.  Her family kept in touch with the Paech family for years and they visited her parents in Pittsburgh in the early ’90’s.  When we were planning our trip to Australia, we called Bev and she invited us to stay with themThe Paech’s raise cattle on the family farm near Wistow / Mt. Barker in the Adelaide Hills.  Steve’s grandfather  purchased the property in 1908.  For years, it was a dairy farm, but times have changed and now the best use of the farm is for breeding cattle.They own a wonderful home with several outbuildings which Bev & Steve have turned into a museum, “Paech’s Farm”.Steve collects farm machinery, machines, implements, vintage magazines, machines used on the railroad, and other tools and gadgets used by workers in the Adelaide region.

Bev has turned her home into a museum displaying costumes (wedding dresses, other dresses, lingerie, riding clothes), jewelry, furniture, musical instruments, china, cookware, baby clothes, and other items to remind us what life was like through the years in the Mt. Barker region.

The home itself is 2 homes – the first was built for Fred Paech and his wife, and when their son, Gordon, got married, they built another 3 bedroom home attached to the original home.  After the grandparents died and Gordon’s son, Steve, married, Steve and Bev moved into the older part of the house and raised 3 children there.

Bev is a fabulous cook, and served great meals for us, and for neighbors and family. especially the roast lamb dinner when joined by her children and their families.  It was great to meet everyone and share stories.