Where The Past Is Present

Sun Herald

Sunday March 12, 2006

By DENIS GREGORY

HILLCREST, a historic 240-hectare property with a homestead dating back to bushranger days, is set to go under the hammer.

Landmark Orange selling agent Stephen Townsend said Hillcrest was in the heartland of some of the most sought-after farming, grazing and wine-producing country in the Central West. It is in the Belubula Valley, 12 kilometres from Canowindra and 25 kilometres from Cowra.

"Based on comparable sales in the district, land has been selling between $1500 and $2000 an acre [$3700 and $4900 a hectare], plus improvements," Mr Townsend said.

"With the quality renovations on the Hillcrest homestead - and other infrastructure that includes a two-stand woolshed, sheep and cattle yards, machinery shed, haysheds and three silos - the sale should reflect these prices.

"The property has highly productive, rich basalt soil and lush grass that is suitable for grazing and crops. There are well-established pastures of clover and rye and lucerne in some of the property's 17 paddocks.

"Besides a good annual rainfall of around 600millimetres, there is also the security of town water being connected, eight catchment dams, a well and a permanent creek."

Built around 1870, the homestead has had additions through the years, with the most substantial work done around 1910. The present owners carried out a full restoration to bring it back to its original, late-Victorian style.

The homestead has four bedrooms, two with fireplaces and three with plush wool carpets. The fourth has an oiled, cypress pine floor.

The period lounge room has an open fireplace and a five-ball chandelier, while the library has floor-to-ceiling bookcases.

The 50-square-metre French provincial kitchen has been custom designed and has an open fire and 18-light chandelier.

The wide main hallway has a hand-painted stencil dado, corbelled archway and original oiled cypress pine floor.

The homestead has 66 squares under roof, including 100 metres of bullnose verandas and it has views in all directions.

Adjacent to the homestead is a small two-room guest cottage that is a replica of the main building.

Hillcrest will be auctioned on April 26 at the Newstead Bowling Club in Orange.

© 2006 Sun Herald

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