Ericsville has stood on McGrath Street since circa 1860. This solid brick Victorian home sits behind a picket fence and a garden tended for decades. The allotment is approximately 1890sqm, and central Castlemaine is 1.7km away. History and space come together here. High ceilings, open fireplaces, and period detail give the house its character, with room for family life to spread out inside and out. Children can roam the lawn, and friends can gather on the verandah. It is a home to settle into and grow with.
The house was built by Eric Finlason, Castlemaine's first librarian, and it still carries his name. A 1980s extension added three bedrooms at the rear, while the original rooms keep their period character.
The entry sets the tone. Etched glass frames the front door, and timber-lined ceilings and pine floors run through a wide central hall. The lounge is 4.3 x 6.4m, with high ceilings, an open fireplace in a period decorative surround and a bay window looking onto the garden. The main bedroom faces the front and is generous in size. It has large double hung windows, an open fireplace and double doors that open to a walk in wardrobe. A barn style door opens to a private study, part of the original home, with solid brick walls and 6 x 6 frame windows. At the rear, a quiet wing of three further bedrooms, each with built-in robes and timber-clad walls, with the garden beyond the windows.
The kitchen is the heart of the house. Solid brick walls, timber blackwood benchtops, a butler's sink, and a Falcon gas cooktop and oven set into a timber fireplace surround give it a country-kitchen feel. A walk-in pantry and a dishwasher keep it practical. The dining area opens through a glazed door to the rear courtyard. The bathroom has the original freestanding, over 100-year-old restored claw-foot bath, white tiling, a tessellated tiled Paddington-designed floor and a period dresser vanity. Ducted heating and ducted evaporative cooling keep the home comfortable in every season.
Land of this size so close to town is hard to come by. Here the garden is park-like and pretty. It holds blossom trees, a Japanese maple, an old mulberry, and roses underplanted with violets and hellebores, with a north-facing lawn that opens out behind the house. Clipped hedges, smoke bush and flax screen the home from the street. Inside the gate, the pace slows.
A verandah wraps around the house, with lace detail and tuck-pointed brickwork at the front. On the rear verandah, built-in bench seating makes a covered place for long lunches and slow evenings, and old wisteria shades the terrace beyond. A lemon tree, a chicken pen and open lawn make the garden easy to live in. A brick driveway leads to a double carport, a garage and two sheds, and water tanks are on site.
The location suits the way people want to live now. On Saturday mornings, the Wesley Hill Market is a short walk away, with coffee and a wander. The Wesley Hill Bake House and Green Folly Nursery are close by, and the Leanganook Track is a short stroll from the gate. Sporting facilities are within easy reach. Central Castlemaine, with its cafes, restaurants, Theatre Royal and Botanic Gardens, is 1.7km, an easy walk or a short ride.
Ericsville is a home of history and substance, close to everything Castlemaine offers.
