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39 Koala Court, Meredith, is on the market for the first time in almost four decades.
A semi-self-sufficient Meredith property featuring a split-level mud brick house and a sprawling garden full of Australian native plants is ready for a new owner.
The 10.12ha bushland landholding at
One of the owners said that he and his wife had raised their three children at the home, since buying in 1987.
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He recalled travelling down the driveway that winds through a valley and past one of the dams.
“I remember turning to my wife and saying that I had fallen in love with it already and knew it was the one for us,” he said.
An existing building made of mud bricks was standing on the land at the time, but its poorly made mud bricks had to be replaced.
The owners removed the old mud bricks and took the home back to a post and beam structure, before adding new mud bricks themselves.
A priority was to change the house’s orientation, installing windows where doors and walls had previously been, to take advantage of views looking down the valley.
“Because we put a lot of glass in the property and established a native garden, you can look across 180 degrees and have views of the garden and birds who come in, in the morning,” the owner said.
Two reverse cycle split systems help to keep the home temperate, along with its solar passive design.
The owner’s children and their friends had plenty of fun times swimming in the dam, which has a jetty and pontoon.
The four-bedroom house showcases timber-lined cathedral ceilings, polished brick and concrete flooring and bi-fold concertina glass doors connecting the indoor and outdoor living spaces.
“The house itself has a passive solar design, it is oriented to the north with a pergola designed to capture as much winter sun as possible and block out summer sun,” the owner said.
In the kitchen, there’s a 900mm freestanding oven, stainless-steel benchtop, walk-in pantry with a second sink and plenty of storage space.
A wood heater warms the downstairs living area, while the upper storey – that has been integrated into the natural hillside – has three out of four bedrooms with doors that open to the outside.
The main bedroom boasts its own landing with a deck, walk-in wardrobe and dressing room.
A family bathroom is fitted with a shower, freestanding bath, timber cabinetry and mud brick feature wall.
Cook up a storm in the kitchen, using ingredients grown in the garden.
There’s an impressive vegetable garden set-up.
About 15 years ago, the owners added a straw bale extension onto the house that consists of the main bedroom and an additional living room, that opens to a courtyard with a straw bale wall protecting it.
There’s also a 6.4kW solar system, water filtration system, Starlink satellite internet connection, carport and workshop.
The owner credited his wife for transforming the garden with about 180 different varieties of native trees and plants.
“She established an amazing garden over a period of time,” he said.
A section behind the house has been dubbed the The Hakea Grove, after the hakea plants that flourish there.
A feature mud brick wall in one of the bathrooms.
The house is close to Meredith’s town centre, about 45km from Geelong and 40km to Ballarat.
The owners have also planted manna gums, which the local koalas enjoy.
Along with many different varieties of birdlife, wallabies and kangaroos are among the garden’s visitors.
The owner built a cubby house for his children to enjoy, plus there’s a fully enclosed dog run and an enclosed paddock for pets.
“Our children had a wonderful time here making bush cubbies and swimming in the dam which has a jetty and pontoon,” the owner said.
A sloped roof in one of the four bedrooms.
The owner made a cubby house for his children, which is still standing today.
He that the vegie garden and orchard was great for providing produce to incorporate into home cooking.
“The vegie garden has never had a chemical in it, it’s always been organic,” he added.
Anthony Stevens Real Estate agent Julie Ryan said the property was incredibly private, peaceful and ideal for nature lovers.
“The vegie gardens and garden they have got is second-to-none,” she said.
The home will be auctioned online with $980,000-$1.08m price hopes at 11am on April 9.