Property of the week: 185 Morgans Mill Rd, Bearii
The expansive estate is being offered for sale for the first time in 18 years
2 min
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.
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The 2026 McGrath Report warns that without urgent reforms to planning, infrastructure and construction, housing affordability will continue to slip beyond reach for most Australians.
3 min
Australia’s housing market has reached a critical juncture, with home ownership and rental affordability deteriorating to their worst levels in decades, according to the McGrath Report 2026.
The annual analysis from real estate entrepreneur John McGrath paints a sobering picture of a nation where even the “lucky country” has run out of luck — or at least, out of homes.
New borrowers are now spending half their household income servicing loans, while renters are devoting one-third of their earnings to rent.
The time needed to save a 20 per cent deposit has stretched beyond ten years, and the home price-to-income ratio has climbed to eight times. “These aren’t just statistics,” McGrath writes. “They represent real people and real pain.”
McGrath argues that the root cause of Australia’s housing crisis is not a shortage of land, but a shortage of accessibility and deliverable stock.
“Over half our population has squeezed into just three cities, creating price pressure and rising density in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane while vast developable land sits disconnected from essential infrastructure,” he says.
The report identifies three faltering pillars — supply, affordability and construction viability — as the drivers of instability in the current market.
Developers across the country, McGrath notes, are “unable to make the numbers work” due to labour shortages and soaring construction costs.
In many trades, shortages have doubled or tripled, and build costs have surged by more than 30 per cent, stalling thousands of projects.
Need for systemic reform
McGrath’s prescription is clear: the only real solution lies in increasing supply through systemic reform. “We need to streamline development processes, reduce approval timeframes and provide better infrastructure to free up the options and provide more choice for everyone on where they live,” he says.
The 2026 edition of the report also points to promising trends in policy and innovation. Across several states, governments are prioritising higher-density development near transport hubs and repurposing government-owned land with existing infrastructure.
Build-to-rent models are expanding, and planning reforms are gaining traction. McGrath notes that while these steps are encouraging, they must be accelerated and supported by new construction methods if Australia is to meet demand.
One of the report’s key opportunities lies in prefabrication and modular design. “Prefabricated homes can be completed in 10–12 weeks compared to 18 months for a traditional house, saving time and money for everyone involved,” McGrath says.
The report suggests that modular and 3D-printed housing could play a significant role in addressing shortages while setting a new global benchmark for speed, cost and quality in residential construction.
Intelligent homes
In a section titled Weathering the Future: The Power of Smart Design, the report emphasises that sustainable and intelligent home design is no longer aspirational but essential.
It highlights new technologies that reduce energy use, improve thermal efficiency, and make homes more resilient to climate risks.
“There’s no reason why Australia shouldn’t be a world leader in innovative design and construction — and many reasons why we should be,” McGrath writes.
Despite the challenges, the tone of the 2026 McGrath Report is one of cautious optimism. Demand is expected to stabilise at around 175,000 households per year from 2026, and construction cost growth is finally slowing. Governments are also showing a greater willingness to reform outdated planning frameworks.
McGrath concludes that the path forward requires bold decisions and collaboration between all levels of government and industry.
“Australia has the land, demand and capability,” he says. “What we need now is the will to implement supply-focused solutions that address root causes rather than symptoms.”
“Only then,” he adds, “can we turn the dream of home ownership back into something more than a dream.”
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