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The River Bank at Château Destinée
The first glimpse we had of the Château was from the riverbank. We’d asked for the address so we could walk around the outside - and what we found was overgrown, untidy, and utterly captivating. The old stone wall, the broken-down stairs to the water, the rusty metal gate, beautiful despite its neglect. It all added up to us falling completely in love.
When we took ownership, the interior and the entrance were naturally the first priorities. But the riverbank was always there, pulling at us, and we chipped away at it little by little whenever we could.
Where the wall was at its lowest
We started where the wall was at its lowest, where the old metal fencing had mostly vanished and what remained was crumbling away. Tidying that one small stretch - repairing the stonework, clearing the fence line, and retraining the wisteria - gave us such a lift. It was the nudge we needed to keep going.
A tractor with a large mower suspended over the edge transformed what had felt like an endless task almost overnight. For the first time, we could look directly down to the water below. The brambles had taken deep hold in the stonework, along with ivy and even bamboo. Once the wall was finally clear and the bank exposed, the old stairs came properly into view - and they looked very sorry for themselves.
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A model in the workshop
The stairs were perhaps the biggest “I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing” moment Pete had faced since we arrived. He sought advice from friends with landscaping experience, spent long hours researching and watching videos, and then - in a first for him - built a model in his workshop before laying a single stone. He had never gone to so much trouble to prepare for anything.
It was around this time that the production team behind Château DIY Australia approached us about filming a project for the show. For Pete, the timing was character-building, to say the least. He was not only taking on a job he wasn’t entirely sure he had right - he was about to do it on television.
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Tested by a record flood
As it turned out, he had nothing to worry about. The stairs came out beautifully, and they’ve since proven their worth, surviving complete submersion when the Dordogne rose to a record high in February 2026.
Cooper’s favourite spot
Cooper was a constant companion throughout the whole project, stationed in the water from morning to evening, waiting patiently for the occasional stick to be thrown his way. He remains, to this day, the stairs’ most dedicated user - though guests have taken to them warmly too, and neighbours and the odd fisherman can often be spotted making use of the easy river access.
We love the riverbank. We love those stairs. And we love that the river side of the Château now feels every bit as welcoming as the front.
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