This rare, historic, and unique Australian rural property has been tightly held in the same family for five generations.
Located approximately 22km north-west of Young in the Thuddungra locality, "Greenbank" is a 1,333.5 acre (540ha) picturesque, mixed farming property for sale for the first time since the 1860s. Steel Caldwell an early pioneer of the Bland region west of the Weddin Mountains, purchased "Greenbank" in 1861. Steel's daughter, Agnes Barbara Murray Caldwell married John Carlton Watson in 1877, and the Watson family have held Greenbank for four generations since.
Young is a thriving town in the South Western Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, and the largest town in the Hilltops Region. Young is a two-hour drive from Canberra, four hours from Sydney.
The Thuddungra locality is known for its reliability of rainfall, and strong red soils, making it one of the most productive farming areas in NSW. "Greenbank", which is currently leased by a family member, has been run as part of a larger cropping and livestock operation. Crops grown over the years include canola, wheat and barley along side a merino livestock enterprise . The country is flat to gently undulating, and the timber is predominately yellow box. The property is sub-divided into 13 main paddocks, and would be an ideal location for a sheep or cattle stud, with main road frontage, good shade for livestock, and reliable water.
The current homestead on "Greenbank" was built and completed in 1888. It is of Victorian Georgian era, Australian style architecture. It is constructed of pisé (rammed earth) walls with lime plaster rendering, imported and local hard and soft timbers, and locally manufactured corrugated iron roofing sheets. It features high ornate timber ceilings, timber flooring, imported Italian marble and hand-painted tile fireplaces, hard timber doors and window frames, high timber picture rails, and a covered verandah encircling the entire building. Other features include:
• Five generously sized bedrooms, two with open fireplaces
• Formal dining room with open fireplace
• Formal lounge room with open fireplace
• Second and separate lounge room with open fireplace
• Hard timber (likely cedar) double front entrance doors, surrounded by decorative hand-painted, window panes, etched with the words "Greenbank 1888"
• Wide hallway running the entire length of the homestead
• Pantry and internal and external storerooms
• Kitchen and laundry (updated in the 1950s)
• External bathroom and toilet
The homestead is in the process of being lovingly restored to its original glory, and in keeping with the historic significance of its time. There is huge potential for this original homestead to be fully restored or modernised.
Recent improvements to the homestead include:
• Entire electrical upgrade, including power boxes, wiring and internal and external fixtures in keeping with the period
• Corrugated iron roofing sheets restored and resprayed and the roof internally repaired.
• Upgraded guttering and downpipes
• Timber verandah flooring partially repaired and replaced, with the wrought iron verandah posts around the front half of the homestead fully repaired and powder coated
• External walls fully repaired and replastered, and internal walls partially repaired and replastered
• Various other repairs to roofing, flooring, walls and verandahs
A separate weatherboard building, which originally featured a maid's bedroom, store / box room, milk room, meat room, and office, is now a partially renovated and repaired self-contained cottage, with two adjoining but separate bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, lounge / sitting room.
Other infrastructure on "Greenbank" includes:
• Three timber garages and one steel garage
• Large, historic, 16-stand wool shed converted from a hay shed in the early 1900s, of timber and corrugated iron
• Two hay / machinery sheds, of steel and corrugated iron
• Original stables, comprising workshops and other storage areas (likely built in the 1880s-1890s), of timber and corrugated iron
• Original small slab hut used as a workers' cottage, partially repaired, and able to be fully restored (likely built in the 1880s-1890s), of timber and corrugated iron
• Original shearer's quarters (likely built in the 1880s), partially collapsed, of pisé wall and timber and corrugated iron, and a separate shearer's quarters accommodation building in need of repair
• Well-maintained fencing and access roads across the property
• Upgraded front and rear entrances to the property
• Upgraded underground electricity supply to the homestead and other buildings
Water Infrastructure:
• Large underground concrete tank that supplies water to the homestead
• Multiple dams with good, natural catchment
• Bore
• Bribbaree Creek runs through the property
Agent's Comments:
The term "tightly held" is thrown around from time to time when marketing rural properties. However, in the case of "Greenbank", which has been held by the vendor's family for 163 years, surely this phrase is appropriate. The sale of "Greenbank" offers the opportunity for the successful purchaser/s to buy a piece of Australian history,
Sales Process:
"Greenbank" is being offered for sale through a two-stage Expression of Interest process. The first stage will run until 10:00 am on Wednesday 16th October, and will seek non-binding offers from interested parties. Stage two will be a period of price discovery and negotiation between the vendor and interested parties, with the aim of acceptance of a fully binding offer by the vendor. The vendor reserves the right to accept an early offer.
