Property of the week: 185 Morgans Mill Rd, Bearii
The expansive estate is being offered for sale for the first time in 18 years
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Finding the time to hit the fairway isn’t a problem for anyone sporting their own golf course at home. Clarendon Eyre alongside the iconic Murray River in northern Victoria is a rural retreat with a difference — it’s home to five holes, complete with manicured fairways, genuine bunkers and a turquoise ornamental lake.
The Miller family bought the expansive estate as a traditional farm 18 years ago and set about turning the 105ha parcel into an all generations playground. Almost two decades later, Josh Miller and his wife Steph Claire Smith, a fitness influencer who recently appeared on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, got hitched at the picturesque property that holds a special place in their hearts.
“My wife and I first met there after her parents bought a property one paddock across. She was 12, I was 15, and in 2019 we had our wedding at the property so it’s really full of memories for us.”
The project manager and photographer is one of four siblings who grew up at Clarendon Eyre.
“I spent a lot of my life riding motorbikes and playing golf there. When we first bought it, there were a few very basic sand scraped greens. One day our Dad, who’s a retired horticulturist, bought a bag of golf balls off eBay and we started hitting them into the bush, but he had a better idea. One green turned into two, then three, four and five!” Miller adds.
Designed to replicate Augusta National, the rare private course features Santa Ana couch and Mackenzie Bent grass and has been meticulously maintained by a full-time team using top-tier equipment, all negotiable in the sale.
Nathan Verwoert and Robert Fletcher of Forbes Global Properties are marketing the 105ha property with a price guide of $8 million to $8.8 million.
“I’ve been in this job since 2009 and I get to see some pretty beautiful homes, but this just blows your mind. When you arrive, the property just comes out of left field and is such an oasis. It’s certainly one of the most unique properties I’ve ever had the pleasure of selling,” Verwoert says.
“It’s been a real labour of love for this family, who over a couple of decades have improved it and created their own sanctuary over the course of the time.”
Clarendon Eyre’s main residence is a tale of two houses, one is the former Mornington Art Gallery while the other was a weatherboard from Malvern in Melbourne. Both were relocated and connected to create an impressive seven-bedroom, five-bedroom homestead.
To marry the pair of properties, an architectural ‘bridge’ was conceived and now plays host to an expansive formal dining space that caters for up to 18 people and flows out to a shady alfresco area.
Neighbouring the landmark river which separates the two states, the Bearii estate is flanked by grand red gums, palm trees and space for rolling paddocks. Beyond the unique personal golf course, the land also houses an upgraded tennis court, a basketball court, a heated pool, spa and an Olympic built-in trampoline.
Following a recent refurbishment, the house has high-end features including Kustom timber floors, porcelain bench tops, automatic DIY Blinds, Control4 smart technology and Sonos sound system throughout including the home cinema.
The Bearii property is approximately a three-hour drive, or 45 minute helicopter journey, from Melbourne.
Clarendon Eyre is listed via an expressions of interest campaign through Forbes Global Properties with a price guide of $8 million to $8.8 million.
Victorian auction buyers will soon receive a piece of information that has traditionally been withheld until bidding reaches it: the vendor’s reserve price. Under new property-sale and underquoting laws, agents must publish the agreed reserve at least seven days before an auction or fixed-date sale. Most changes begin on 1 October 2026 and apply to …
Continue reading “Victoria’s New Auction Rules Will Force Reserve Prices Into the Open”
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New detached-home sales fell 10% nationally in August, led by a 27% decline in Victoria, raising concerns about construction starts in 2027.
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Australia’s hoped-for recovery in housing construction is losing momentum before it has had time to close the national supply gap.
Sales of new detached homes fell 10 per cent nationally in August, according to the Housing Industry Association’s survey of major volume builders across the five largest mainland states. It was the fourth consecutive monthly decline.
The fall was broad rather than isolated. Victoria recorded the largest retreat, down 27 per cent, followed by Queensland at 20.2 per cent, New South Wales at 17.5 per cent, South Australia at 10.8 per cent and Western Australia at 8.2 per cent.
Across the three months to August, sales were 19.3 per cent below the preceding three-month period and 7.7 per cent lower than the equivalent period a year earlier.
New-home sales matter beyond the immediate fortunes of volume builders. They are an early indicator of future starts: buyers sign contracts, finance is finalised, approvals are secured and construction follows months later. A sustained sales decline during the middle of 2026 is therefore likely to weaken commencements during 2027.
The slowdown reflects the collision of several pressures. Households have absorbed multiple interest-rate rises, reducing borrowing capacity and increasing the repayment cost attached to a new build. Established-home prices have softened in some markets, weakening the relative appeal of waiting through a construction period. Builders continue to face elevated labour and material costs.
The Reserve Bank’s August analysis showed new-dwelling construction prices increased 1.8 per cent during the June quarter and 5.3 per cent over the year. It attributed part of the pressure to oil-derived building products and other conflict-related costs.
Policy uncertainty can also cause buyers and investors to defer large commitments. But the precise contribution of any single tax or regulatory change is difficult to isolate from rates, confidence, land prices and construction costs. The HIA survey should be read as an indicator from large builders rather than a complete count of every dwelling sale.
The figures complicate progress towards the Housing Accord target of 1.2 million homes. The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council reported 308,000 completions since the Accord began and 244,000 dwellings under construction in the March quarter. Approvals and commencements had improved, but falling sales risk undermining the next wave.
For developers and governments, the warning is that planning approvals alone do not create homes. Projects need finance, viable construction pricing and buyers able to settle. If one part fails, approved supply can remain on paper.
Data box
National August new-home sales: Down 10 per cent
Three months to August: Down 19.3 per cent from the preceding three months
Year-on-year three-month comparison: Down 7.7 per cent
Victoria: Down 27 per cent
Queensland: Down 20.2 per cent
New South Wales: Down 17.5 per cent
South Australia: Down 10.8 per cent
Western Australia: Down 8.2 per cent
Records keep falling in 2025 as harbourfront, beachfront and blue-chip estates crowd the top of the market.
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