Property of the week: 205 Wahring Murchison East Rd, Wahring
An architectural jewel of Victoria’s Goulburn Valley, the Noorilim Estate stands as one of Australia’s most extraordinary Italianate mansions.
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Legend has it that opera icon Dame Nellie Melba performed in the minstrels’ gallery and current-day hitmaker Tones and I filmed a music video at Noorilim estate. The high profile property has even been the breeding ground for multiple Melbourne Cup winners including 1910 champion, Comedy King, who was laid to rest within the grounds.
In 1998, prominent art dealer and entrepreneur behind Menzies International, the late Rod Menzies and his wife Carolyn, bought Noorilim for $3.325 million and set about restoring the Italianate mansion to its former glory.
Today, the 65ha property in the heart of the Goulburn Valley is on the market for only the third time in the past 50 years via Sean Cussell of Christie’s International Real Estate with a price guide of $15m.
During the Menzies’ ownership, the glamorous country estate was a venue for weddings, concerts, and private events, welcoming a long list of international guests. Chart-topping artist Tones and I filmed the video for her song Bad Child at the estate, and the period property has played its part in numerous films and television series. Singer and actor Ted Hamilton, known for roles in Division 4, Homicide, The Love Boat, M*A*S*H and Hawaii Five-O, was also a regular performer at the address.
Given its stately grandeur, Noorilim was even a successful auction centre for fine art with works by Brett Whiteley, Sidney Nolan and Jeffrey Smart sold under the hammer at the property.
Built in 1879 by celebrated architect James Gall for parliamentarian William Winter-Irving, Noorilim is a prime example of post-Gold Rush prosperity in Victoria. At the time of its construction in the mid to late-1800s, Australia had been labelled one of the richest nations on earth and Melbourne’s monied elite were spilling out of the city looking to build country estates to rival those in Great Britain. The nouveau riche began commissioning lavish ornamental houses shadowing the Gothic, Italianate and Queen Anne designs of Europe.
Noorilim’s facade is a striking example of this “boom style” architecture featuring an asymmetrical tower, ornate balustrades and grand arched loggias that frame sweeping views of the estate’s manicured grounds.
Inside, the vast 1022sq m residence has 5m ceilings and lavish period features, including 15 fireplaces, seven staircases, and intricate Corinthian columns.
At the heart of the mansion its grand hall has Minton tiles imported from England and laid by Italian artisans who were shipped out specifically for the job. There is a turret lookout, a billiard room, 10 bedrooms, four bathrooms, an office and grand formal rooms such as a lounge, library and dining room all with expansive windows showcasing views of the gardens and vineyard.
Noorilim’s name is derived from the Indigenous Yorta Yorta language and means “place of many reeds” reflecting the estate’s connection to its natural surroundings. Complementing Gall’s vision, renowned landscape designer William Guilfoyle — who worked on Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens — crafted Noorilim’s standout gardens.
The grounds are home to echidnas, kangaroos and koalas, more than 300 mature trees including ancient Moreton Bay figs, a rose garden with a central fountain, an ornamental lake, a boathouse, and even a private beach on the banks of Goulburn River. There is also an extensive wine cellar, numerous outbuildings and barns, as well as a heritage-listed water tower. The working vineyard produces Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet, and Merlot grape varieties.
Noorilim, near Nagambie, is 150kms north east of Melbourne at 205 Wahring Murchison East Rd, Wahring. The property is listed with Sean Cussell from Christie’s International Real
A Sydney couple has paid $15.5 million for the Grand Penthouse at Marquee’s $285 million La Belle Residences beachfront development which is nearing completion at Palm Beach, eclipsing the record for an off-the-plan apartment sale on the southern Gold Coast. The sprawling single level 640 sqm beachfront residence, with sweeping views of the Gold Coast …
Continue reading “$15.5m La Belle Penthouse eclipses southern Gold Coast record”
On the owner’s deck, a 20-metre swimming pool incorporates Feadship’s patented ContraWave technology and extends indoors as a suspended, glass-bottomed infinity pool.
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The Sydney developer-builder, which typically retains its projects, is offering 54 residences off the plan on Spencer Street, with prices starting at $3.9 million.
HSN Property Group has launched Maison Jolene in Rose Bay, giving buyers a rare opportunity to purchase off the plan from a developer-builder that has spent more than two decades building a predominantly build-to-hold portfolio in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. HSN values that portfolio at $4 billion.
Located at 2–16 Spencer Street, Maison Jolene comprises 54 residences, including house-sized two- and three-bedroom apartments, sub-penthouses and penthouses. Prices start at $3.9 million, according to HSN, with many residences designed to capture views across Rose Bay, Sydney Harbour and the city skyline.
James Nixon, head of projects at The Rubinstein Group, is handling the sales campaign alongside agency founder Gavin Rubinstein. He says the launch is an unusual opportunity for buyers who have followed the developer’s work.
“HSN is renowned for building entire projects and rarely selling a single apartment to the open market, so Maison Jolene really is a first for potential buyers who have been following the brand across previous projects,” Nixon says.
HSN worked with architecture practice MHN Design Union and interiors studio The Unlisted Collective on the development. A rhythm of arches and deep-set openings gives the building its presence on Spencer Street, while the residences are positioned to make the most of natural light, privacy and outlook. Landscaping frames the arrival and carries through to the shared outdoor spaces.
“Maison Jolene was conceived to bring a touch of European elegance to Rose Bay, drawing on the understated charm of Mayfair and the romance of Paris while remaining grounded in the relaxed character of Sydney’s eastern suburbs,” says Rafi Assouline, founder and director of HSN Property Group.
The apartments were designed with established Rose Bay downsizers in mind. Large kitchens, generous storage and flexible living areas are intended to ease the move from a family home, with layouts that can also accommodate families and professionals looking for more space in an apartment.
The shared amenities are designed as an extension of those homes. Residents will have access to a lounge, private dining room and landscaped alfresco entertaining area. A wellness retreat brings together a magnesium pool, cold plunge, sauna, steam room and heated stone recovery bench, alongside a gym and dedicated space for Pilates and yoga.
Inside the apartments, the curves of the façade recur in the cabinetry and balustrades. Custom wall sconces, tapware and patterned parquetry sit alongside carved marble basins, hammered-glass shower screens and recessed stone niches. Timber veneer wardrobes have leather-clad drawers, while an Art Deco-inspired motif appears in the raised ceiling detail, joinery and built-in velvet bedheads.
“Maison Jolene is at once contemporary and old world, with custom-designed parquetry flooring and an art deco-inspired motif juxtaposing with the curvature of the arched facade, balustrade and internal cabinetry,” Assouline says.
The kitchens bring several of those ideas together in a sculptural, bubble-shaped island. Assouline helped design and engineer the curved form and personally selected the marble, which is bookmatched so the veining mirrors across adjoining pieces.
“With each of our projects, I look for symmetry in design,” he says. “Crafting the apartments is like solving a puzzle of one thousand pieces; one little detail wrong could mean the picture doesn’t translate correctly once it’s finished.”
HSN will develop and build Maison Jolene, overseeing the project from design through to construction. The family-owned company says it has delivered more than 270 homes, has 200 apartments under construction and has a 100 per cent completion record.
“As a private, integrated developer-builder, we maintain close control over every stage of a project,” Assouline says. “We see our projects as collaborative partnerships with our architects, interior designers and specialist trades with whom we have refined a very unique aesthetic, to ensure every detail is considered for those who will live there.”
For Nixon, the developer’s involvement in both design and construction is part of the pitch to buyers. “The attention to design excellence, combined with HSN’s proven track record in delivering ultra-high-end developments, ensures a level of rarity and enduring quality seldom seen in today’s market,” he says.
“To purchase an HSN property is to acquire a property that will not just hold its value but stand the test of time as a timeless piece of Sydney real estate.”
The Spencer Street address puts residents close to Rose Bay’s village cafés and restaurants, foreshore walks and ferry service, with beaches, golf courses and schools nearby. Maison Jolene is now selling off the plan through James Nixon and Gavin Rubinstein.
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