A Gem In Bushranger Country

Sun Herald

Sunday October 3, 2004

By DENIS GREGORY

THE original owners of the historic Hillcrest property at Canowindra could well have been captive guests of bushranger Ben Hall when he and his gang held up the central NSW town in October 1863.

Most of the townspeople, including the lone police officer, ended up in Hall's custody at Robinson's Inn, now the town's Royal Hotel, after the gang made it their base for three days.

None of the hostages was mistreated. Hall persuaded a woman to play the piano and they all sang. Drinks were on the house, although Hall paid for a box of cigars put on the bar for anyone's use.

A squad of 10 police was sent from Cowra to end the siege but didn't get there, and by the time another party from Bathurst arrived, Hall and his gang had gone.

Even then Canowindra was a thriving community serving the pioneer sheep and cattle farmers.

Hillcrest was one of a number of large sheep properties in the district and its first modest home was built in 1840 from mud, straw and home-made bricks. As is usual with pise construction, the outside walls were about half a metre thick and the inside walls 30 centimetres.

Each time the property has been sold the new owners have made changes, the most significant about 1910 when another home was built to complement the existing house.

Present owners Brad and Yrsa Gawne, who have carried out a full restoration in the past few years, are moving to live in the south of France and have put Hillcrest on the market.

The 242-hectare property and home will be auctioned in Sydney on November 9 by L.J. Hooker Orange and is expected to bring about $2 million.

The home's four bedrooms, two with open fireplaces, all open on to 100 metres of bullnosed veranda.

There is a large lounge with an 18-light chandelier and one of the home's features is the 50-square-metre French provincial kitchen built mostly from recycled oregon.

The stone-style floor is set off by an imported French porcelain sink and mock grain drawers that open to cupboards.

The 3.6-metre pressed metal ceilings feature hand-painted roses. Also hand painted is the full-length frieze along the hallways. The deep colours of a separate library are complemented with dark timbers.

There is a separate cottage built as a small replica of the main home that would be suitable for guest accommodation.

Hillcrest is in some of the most sought-after farming and grazing country in the Belubula Valley, 12 kilometres from Canowindra and 53 kilometres from Orange.

The property is being used for fattening lambs but could be used for most forms of intensive farming or viticultural enterprise. Canowindra is well known for its vineyards as well as hot air ballooning.

© 2004 Sun Herald

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