Private from the street, this late 1970s brick four-bedroom home sits on 1505sqm (approx.) and has been thoughtfully brought forward without losing the details that made it distinctive in the first place. Brick arches and the original tiled verandah set the tone for what's inside: a home that trusts its own character and builds on it, rather than erasing it.
Step through, and the layout opens into easy, open-plan living. The kitchen has been reworked with stone benchtops, a casual dining bench, and a line-up of Miele appliances including a gas cooktop, a wall-mounted oven and a dishwasher. Windows frame the deck, the garden and the pool beyond. The north-facing dining area takes a sliding door straight out to the deck, and a Nectre wood heater sits between dining and living for the cooler months. The living room runs a split system for the rest of the year, with large picture windows looking back out to the front verandah, the arches offering glimpses of the garden beyond.
Four bedrooms make up the private end of the house. Two front-facing rooms come with built-in robes, and of the remaining two, one is set up as a home office with a built-in desk. The bathroom has been updated with a bath, a walk-in shower, a vanity and a separate toilet, and a separate laundry with storage. Ducted heating, Inverter AC Heating/Cooling and ceiling fans keep the whole home comfortable year-round.
From the living areas, glass doors lead straight out to the deck, which runs the width of the house and steps down to an alfresco area finished in original breeze block, a covered lounge room that opens straight onto the pool deck and stays usable whatever the weather. A vine grown over the adjoining deck turns that space into an extra room through the warmer months, shading a long table set up for lazy lunches. The concrete, tiled and heated above-ground pool is the clear centrepiece, framed by lawn and hedge, and made for long summers.
Outside is where this property does its best work. The large, north-facing backyard has been established over time with an editor's eye: olive hedging, fruit trees, raised veggie beds on irrigation, garden rooms, sitting areas, a chicken pen and a composting area, all threaded and framed by ornamental trees. It is a garden that rewards slow mornings and long weekends in equal measure.
A carport leads through to a separate double garage, a studio and shed complex at the rear of the block, offering a six-by-seven-metre garage, a six-by-4.4-metre lined studio ready to be a workshop, art room or teenage retreat, and further shed storage beyond that. The home itself runs on an integrated solar system with solar hot water, keeping running costs sensible without any compromise on comfort.
Central Castlemaine is an easy walk away, as are primary schools, the local secondary college and the train station, with services to Melbourne and Bendigo, and within reach of the specialty coffee, wine bars, galleries and live music that give the town its creative pulse. Kalimna Park and its walking tracks sit just as close.
This is a home that has been lived in, loved and looked after in equal measure.
