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Writer's pictureJon Ruwolt

Historical Homesteads for sale

Updated: Dec 20, 2019

Two grand Federation Style Homesteads are on the market, Mawallok in Victoria, and Highbury in South Australa.

1. Mawallok Homestead and its Estate, near Beaufort in Western Victoria has

been listed for public sale for the first time since being settled in 1847 by the Russell family.

  • The 2349-hectare heritage-listed sheep station is renowned for its stately 10-bedroom homestead, built in 1908 in the Arts and Crafts architectural style by prominent architect Rodney Alsop,

  • Mawallok is also famous for its William Guilfoyle-designed English gardens and 10-hectare lake, designed by Sir John Monash. This has been regularly open in recent years as part of the Open Gardens scheme.

  • Mawallok has been owned and operated by the Mitchell family since 1980, when they bought it privately from renowned grazier Philip Russell, the great grandson of its first owner, Scottish migrant Alexander Russell, ending 133 years of Russell family ownership.

  • Led by Stephen Mitchell, the chairman of ASX-listed Indago Energy and his wife, Serena, the Mitchells have pursued a variety of commercial agricultural pursuits at Mawallok including wool, prime lambs, cattle and cropping under the banner of the Mawallok Pastoral Company.

  • The Mitchells have also impeccably maintained Mawallok, including its sweeping gardens which they have opened up regularly to the public, including most recently in April as part of the Open Gardens Victoria program.

Price expectations are understood to be above $25 million for Mawallok, which has a carrying capacity for 30,000 dry-sheep equivalents (DSE).


In 1907-08 this Arts and Crafts homestead was built to a design prepared by architects Klingender and Alsop, and the garden laid out to a plan prepared by William Guilfoyle, Director of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens in 1909.

  • The large house was constructed in reinforced concrete, an early use of this material for a domestic residence.

  • It has an asymmetrical composition with a dominant steep roof form featuring gables, gabled dormers and tall chimneys.

  • The interior includes notable elements such as the handsome Arts and Crafts inspired timber staircase leading to a timber-balustraded upstairs gallery which overlooks the large living space below.

Read more: Historic Mawallok estate up for sale - Australian Financial Review - OCT 7, 2019

 

2. Historic Highbury homestead, 11 The Promenade, Highbury SA 5089

Owned by the Wicks family for more than a century, this early-1900s stone homestead with beautiful acreage is on the market for the first time ever.

In the early 1900s, South Australian nurseryman Leonard Wicks purchased more than 100 acres of scrubland at Highbury for a few thousand pounds.

  • The land was developed into a nursery and orchard and, in its heyday, the family Wicks employed more than 20 workers.

  • The original farm has since been subdivided, but the original stone homestead at 11 The Promenade, Highbury – and its grounds of more than an acre – have been well-maintained.

  • Nestled in the beautiful Adelaide foothills, this grand two storey homestead (c1900) set on immaculately maintained, botanical grounds of over 4,200sqm approx.

  • Beyond the stained glass entrance, the imposing formal dining room with exquisite views seamlessly connects through double French doors to the generous formal lounge with a built-in bar and where the bay window looks over treetops and foothills;

  • Beyond the stained glass entrance, an imposing family home awaits, complete with a formal dining room, a generous formal lounge with a built-in bar, a cosy sitting room, and a casual living and dining room.

It is listed with LJ Hooker Real Estate and is advertised without a price guide, with expressions of interest closing on Tuesday, December 10 at 4pm.

NEW PAGE:

Check out the new page explaining Heritage classification in Australia: Australian Heritage Defined.

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