At the time, they were looking to their future here, not expecting to be immersing themselves in the history of the region.

But when they learned the historic Gunpowder Trading Post in Wolumla was to be listed for sale, the young couple found themselves considering it.

"Next minute, we're having a conversation about buying it," Beth said, laughing.

"We didn't necessarily move and intend to stop forever. But everything started falling into place."

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The couple first met in Melbourne at the Victorian College of Arts where they studied dancing. As professional dancers and educators, they have worked overseas and across Australia, traveling regularly for work.

Now, they have settled into life on the Far South Coast, working as dance development officers at Fling Physical Theatre and spending their spare time lovingly refurbishing the old trading post.

"Pretty quickly, particularly when the Gunpowder Trading Post came into our lives, it made sense that this is where we are," Beth said.

With a passion for uncovering the building's history, Beth wanted to discover more of the stories hidden within the worn timber boards and aged beams.

"The trading post has had so many lives," said Beth.

"I've always been fascinated by history and archival processes, so the trading posts being a hub for local storytelling and understanding the history of the building and the region, that feels like an important part of what the space can be moving forward."

At one point, the building was used as a boarding house, which left a maze of 15 rooms that open out to the deck that wraps around the building.

Currently, a central atrium houses the main living area and also doubles as a dance space.

For Beth and Paddy, the restoration isn't about getting the building back to its original condition, but uncovering its history and finding a sustainable way to reflect this past.

With the help of the Bega Valley Genealogy Society in Pambula, the couple has started finding what they can about Gunpowder Trading Post and its place in the region from the archives.

But it was in the details of the restoration that they have already discovered so much.

"We move one thing, you know, a tiny thing. And then notice a new structure or a new beam, that means there was a hallway there. Or you'll make sense of why a door or window is in a certain place.

"You just kind of start to uncover the history of the site and how it was being used. I'm a sucker for you know, historical evidence. I love the nitty gritty of that.

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"So even markings on the floorboards, where you can see the treads in a certain pathway over the years on some of these original boards, and just all this amazing evidence of the people who have been here before us.

"Often you wake up, and you'll see something or realise something about the building that you didn't know before."

The old building could become a creative space for people, possibly as studios. But for now, the couple's focus was on making it a home and completing the renovations.

"We hope that long term, it can become a creative space for people. We're quite a way off that being fully possible, there's a lot to do in the building and in the restoration," said Beth.

"And what do we want to do with it creatively might shift. We might have a conversation in a year when the building is in a quite a different place.

"For now, it's about throwing open the doors and collecting stories, and bringing it back to life."

Beth hopes anyone who knows part of the building's history or stories from its past will get in touch.

"I hope more people will knock on the door and tell us a story or might have some information about it that we can't access.

"We'd love to hear those narratives to start to get a clearer picture of how it's been used in the past."

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