The NSW country estate to rival Elizabeth Bennet's family home

Bowled over by Bridgerton? Delighted by Downtown Abbey? Or still pining for Pride and Prejudice?

If you’ve always dreamed of living in a bygone era where formal introductions were de rigueur and ladies danced with gentlemen at country balls, chances are opportunities have been scarce. The number of well-maintained historic country estates still standing in Australia is low and even fewer come onto the property market. Which makes the sale of 4 Ranelagh Road, Burradoo all the more special.

Set on 4.54ha in the NSW Southern Highlands, Knoyle Estate was designed by London architect Maurice Adams and built in the 1880s as a country retreat for Charles B Fairfax and his wife Florence.

Offering one of the largest landholdings and oldest gardens in the area, the property has four residences, all self contained. The main house has 1155sqm internal space with 14 bedrooms, seven bathrooms and five living spaces. The other three residences are of varying sizes, with one offering eight bedrooms, another five bedrooms and the smallest with four bedrooms.The park-like gardens include rare specimens and century-old trees as well as a seven-level private labyrinth.

While it is indeed perfect for stepping back in time, the property has been put to various uses over the years, including as a boarding school. Agent Andrew Blake from Knight Frank notes that it sits on three titles, with the possibility of subdivision and dual occupancy.

“The property could be used in its current form as a grand home, but there is also the opportunity to repurpose the residence, as well as to develop, subject to council approval and hence for it to instead be a commercial acquisition,” he said.

“Other possible uses include a bed and breakfast or a country hotel with the demand for premium accommodation in the area, a luxury wellness retreat, a wedding or events venue, a cooking school, an art gallery or even as a retail outlet for antique dealers.

“There is also the potential for group homes and seniors’ living.”

A stunning property in the Queen Anne style with Arts and Crafts and Gothic Revival influences, it’s the stuff dreams are made of.

Address: 4 Ranelagh Road, Burradoo

Price guide: $12 million

Agents: Nathan Berlyn Nathan.berlyn@au.knightfrank.com 0449 157 773.

Andrew Blake Andrew.blake@au.knightfrank.com 0434 770 307

Inspection: By appointment

Dubai’s property market has become too large to describe with a single number.

On one side sits the city’s vast off-plan machine: new launches, staged payment plans and buyers committing capital years before handover. On the other is the ready market, where completed apartments and villas can be occupied, leased and valued against a visible trading history.

Both are moving. They are not necessarily moving in the same way.

Gulf Today reported on July 24 that Dubai recorded 87,800 real-estate transactions worth AED291.7 billion during the first half of 2026. Citing analysis released by developer MERED, it said off-plan property represented 71 per cent of transactions, while average property prices increased 9 per cent over the half.

Those figures present the familiar Dubai story: buyers remain prepared to enter early, developers continue to bring major projects to market and confidence in the city’s longer-term growth has not disappeared.

Yet a daily market review published the same day by Wakhan Properties provides a useful counterweight.

Using Dubai Land Department data for transactions registered on July 23, Wakhan reported AED913.72 million in total deal value. Ready property accounted for AED505.13 million, or 55.3 per cent, while off-plan sales contributed AED408.59 million, or 44.7 per cent.

One day does not overturn a half-year trend. It does, however, show why transaction count and transaction value should not be treated as interchangeable.

Off-plan apartments can generate enormous volume because the entry price is lower, payment is spread across construction and developers release inventory in concentrated campaigns. Completed homes can produce fewer transactions but greater value, particularly when larger apartments and villas change hands.

The strongest common thread is the apartment market. Wakhan said apartments generated AED740.11 million across the ready and off-plan segments on July 23, equal to 81 per cent of total value. Villas were a secondary contributor, while commercial property and hotel apartments represented relatively modest shares.

For investors, that concentration matters. A market can be liquid in aggregate while behaving very differently by location, developer, completion status and price bracket.

There is also a discrepancy worth acknowledging. Other recent analyses based on Dubai Land Department records have produced different first-half totals, depending on whether they count all real estate, residential sales only, registrations or completed transactions. Projectory, for example, reported 79,698 residential sales worth AED227.1 billion, while other market summaries have placed total sales closer to 86,000 transactions and AED286 billion.

That does not make the market story less compelling. It makes definitions more important.

The more useful conclusion is that Dubai is not choosing between off-plan and ready property. It is supporting two sizeable markets at once.

Off-plan remains the engine of transaction volume and the clearest expression of confidence in future supply. Ready property provides immediate utility, visible rental evidence and a clearer basis for comparison. In a mature market, buyers need to understand the difference before being impressed by the headline.

The NSW country estate to rival Elizabeth Bennet’s family home

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