Hartog Berkeley's Nooken Farm a $10m trophy buy
Nooken Farm, the trophy rural estate owned by the late Victorian Solicitor-General, Hartog Berkeley has been listed for sale with a price tag of about $10 million.
The 378-hectare property at 1235 Taggerty-Thornton Road near the township of Alexandra in the Yarra Ranges has operated as a renowned Hereford Poll stud farm since the late 1970s. Its modern homestead complex offers panoramic views over the Rubicon Valley and Cathedral Ranges.
Mr Berkeley, QC, was Victorian solicitor general for a decade from 1982 to 1992. He passed away in February 2017, aged 88, with Nooken Farm passing into the hands of his family.
An obituary written by the Victorian Bar described him as a “generous man and colourful character” who was “as proud of the title of Hereford Poll ‘studmaster’ as that of QC”.
The focal point of Nooken Farm is the sprawling homestead situated on an elevated garden site offering spectacular valley views.
It incudes a 20-metre solar-heated swimming pool, two-storey guest accommodation and a three-bedroom manager’s residence.
Farming amenities include two sets of cattle yards, machinery shed and workshops. There’s also extensive Rubicon River frontage and 400 megalitres of dam storage.
Nooken Farm is being offered for sale by the family of the late Mr Berkeley through Nick Myer and John Tossel of Elders.
Mr Myer said Nooken Farm was likely to attract the interest of high-net worth buyers and would be highly sought after.
“It’s one of the best properties in the region,” Mr Myer said.
Nooken Farm is suited to a range of agricultural pursuits including cattle, sheep, cropping and equine.
According to the Victorian Bar’s obituary, Hartog Berkeley came to Melbourne from London in 1947 and was admitted to the NSW Bar in 1958 and then the Victorian Bar in 1959.
He established a large commercial law practice before taking silk in 1959. He returned to the bar after his time as Solicitor-General ended, only retiring in 2005.
