To walk through this breathtaking Federation Queen Anne is to feel something that can't be designed from scratch - an instantaneous warmth that has been there since it was first built, and more than a century later, nothing about that has changed. Born and extended in the leafy streets of Kew, then relocated to Flinders and finished with painstaking fidelity to every original detail on arrival, it now stands on 1,408 sqm (approx.) of expertly landscaped grounds as both a piece of Melbourne's architectural story and a deeply personal place to belong.
Step inside and the Melbourne nostalgia returns; its original wing unfolding with Baltic pine floors, ceilings of arresting height and detail, and four bedrooms arranged around two sympathetically curated bathrooms. Three of those bedrooms are fireside, gathering a particular intimacy that only an open flame in a heritage room can produce.
The extended wing opens the home to a more contemporary rhythm without foregoing the magic, presenting a significant family and dining space that takes in a beautiful northern aspect across the stunning gardens, anchored by a stone kitchen with a Falcon Professional range cooker and integrated Smeg dishwasher. Two additional rooms sit ready to one side for whatever your chapter of life requires, adaptable in the best possible way as a home office, a guest room, a studio, or a retreat. And while its heart is unmistakably that of a much-loved family home, the property is also fully certified and ready to operate as a rental or B&B, offering a rare versatility that extends well beyond its role as a private residence.
Ducted refrigerated heating/cooling ensures year-round comfort, while outside, the expertly landscaped gardens have been designed to be experienced as much from inside the home as from within them, with the home generously set back from the unsealed laneway to ensure the full grandeur of the Federation facade is always in view. Dressed in its original fretwork and framed by finials, its wide verandah does what those of this era always did, offering a restful place between the repose of the home and the garden, inviting afternoons spent without agenda.
With Flinders Village boutiques and eateries, the iconic Flinders Hotel, the golf course, and the dog beach at the end of the opposing street all within easy reach, and Red Hill's cellar doors and dining a short drive inland, this is a home that offers everything a sea change promises, and then gives you back the piece of Melbourne you were never quite ready to leave, because Melbourne, in all its warmth and character, came with it.
