Snowy Mountains lodge developed by ex-Citibank exec hits the market

Nimbo Fork Lodge, which includes a Three Blue Ducks restaurant and six guest suites within the main lodge building as well as six separate riverside cottages, opened in 2007 after being developed by former Citibank executive and fishing enthusiast Chris Fehon.

The three-level lodge, which overlooks the junction of the Tumut River and Nimbo Creek on a 38-hectare site, took its design inspiration from New England and Cape Cod architectural styles. It brought in annual income of $1.5 million in FY24.

The Three Blue Ducks restaurant at Nimbo Fork is one of five operated in Australia by the popular sustainability focused restaurant group.

Mr Stoney paid about $5.5 million for Nimbo Fork Lodge in May 2022 and $6.4 million for Nimbo Fork Station in May 2021.

They are being marketed by Inglis Rural Property and JLL with price guides of $5.5 million to $6 million for the lodge and $7.5 million to $8 million for the station.

As Nimbo Fork hits the market, a number of other country estates have found buyers, including the historic Waverley Estate near Port Elliot on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula.

Dating back to 1856, Waverley Estate had been run for 20 years as a wedding, conference and events venue by local businessman Campbell Haig.

Records show it was purchased for $3.05 million by Adelaide businessman Robert Cameron, the founder of bookkeeping automation platform Dovetail (which was purchased by MYOB in 2014) and cloud bookkeeping application FYI.

Waverley Estate offers luxury accommodation for up to 22 guests and features a traditional lawn tennis court, a central courtyard with fire pit, and a solar-heated swimming pool. There is also a vineyard and cellar door on the 1.2-hectare property.

It was originally built out of local bluestone as a simple three-roomed cottage with a separate barn. In the 1860s, it was expanded and became the George Anstey Academy for Young Gentlemen. Over the decades it was owned by the Inglis, Brakenridge and Hornsby families before falling into disrepair until its renovation in early 1990.

Another country lodge to change hands is the Fox & Hounds Hotel, a Tudor-style, seafront resort just a one-minute drive from the Port Arthur village and historic site in southern Tasmania.

The hotel has 27 motel rooms, 11 apartments and an English-style tavern, restaurant and drive-through bottle shop. It was offered for $6.7 million by Vision Hotels led by brothers Brendon Deeley and Mark Deeley.

Vision Hotels, which operates eight properties including the Allurity Hotel in Hobart, The Grand Hotel Launceston and the Wine Vine Hotel in the Barossa Valley, refurbished the Fox & Hound Hotel last year having paid $2.37 million in February that year.

Records show it was purchased by a Sydney-based company directed by Jack Zhong Min Qin, whose family has investments in petrol stations, property development and childcare. Elders Hobart’s John Blacklow brokered the sale.

Other historic country estates to sell this year include the Griffiths family’s Rhyanna Park in the NSW Southern Tablelands. It sold for about $11 million to a Sydney buyer.

However, Wombat Hollow, the Southern Highlands retreat that was the family home of former NSW state politician and Liberal Party treasurer Michael Yabsley and his ex-wife Susie Yabsley, is still on the market after being re-listed in March with a discounted $8 million asking price.