Steeple Country Escapes puts New England North West on tourism map

Rhiannon Graham was searching for an escape from the 9 to 5 work lifestyle when she took the leap of faith to buy a run-down church in Limbri.

Growing up in Nemingha, Ms Graham said she knew the purchase would be the perfect opportunity to "showcase the beauty" of the local area and share the village experience.

"To be able to bring something here for people to come and visit Limbri, I think it's nice for the little village," she said.

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After purchasing the church in June last year, Ms Graham, with the help of her partner and family, got stuck into renovating the heritage listed building.

"I wanted to keep the old timbers, and keep a lot of the heritage for the little village of Limbri," she said.

"The people who still live here remember things about it, so I wanted to keep a lot of the old heritage for them."

Admitting that she hasn't had a lot of experience with renovating to to such a large scale, the aspiring hostess-with-the-mostest said she spent a lot of time watching YouTube tutorials and reaching out to local businesses for help.

"The uncertainty of whether people will love the space as much as you do was always scary," Ms Graham said.

"But I just think if I love it, hopefully other people out there will."

Leaving the comfort of the Monday to Friday work week has been "challenging at times", Ms Graham said, but she's "really, really happy" with the decision she made.

Ms Graham said she was able to utilise Tamworth Regional Council's heritage assistance fund to "redo" and "look after" the history of the old church.

The converted church, known as Steeple Country Escapes, offers six guests a chance to escape the hustle and bustle of the city lifestyle and kick back in the country.

The space includes three bedrooms, one bathroom, living spaces, kitchen and dining, a sunroom and outdoor entertainment areas.

Visitors from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane have already made the trip out to soak up the country lifestyle.

In the future, Ms Graham said she was hoping to use the space to host events, workshops and weddings.

"I think it's exciting for people who live in the country to have a space like this for creative people to come out and relax in," she said.

"You have a lot of these sort of spaces in the city, but I think it's important to keep making spaces like this so everyone has the same opportunities."

Steeple Country Escapes is located at 17 Church Street in Limbri, bookings and enquiries can be made via Airbnb, Instagram, Facebook or online.

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