Sydneysiders love this Central West town - and they're prepared to pay

The house might not be much to look at, but the property in this popular NSW Central West town has everything treechangers are chasing – and they’re prepared to pay top dollar for it.

On offer for the first time in 100 years, ‘Womera’ and ‘Springville’ in Orange, sold for $11.4 million last week – $1.4 million above the reserve.

With 966ha to work with, ‘Womera’ enjoys a reliable 710mm annual rainfall and boasts rich volcanic basalt soils. As well as the four-bedroom brick home, there’s the old manager’s cottage, a bore, five stand shearing shed, two machinery sheds, five silos, steel cattle yards, sheep yards, grain storage shed, 24 paddocks and a double frontage to Weandre Creek.

Next door, ‘Springville’ offers a further 450ha with five paddocks, steel cattle or sheep yards, a shearing shed, machinery shed and Nubrygyn Creek frontage, as well as building entitlement.

While three buyers registered – two locals and another from WA – the eventual buyer was a neighbour from the Euchareena District.

While larger properties such as these are still the outliers in terms of price, Orange has experienced a 30 percent rise in prices for houses in the past 12 months.

McGrath Real Estate Orange and Molong principal Scott Petersen said COVID had accelerated interest in the area, which is about 250km west of Sydney, as more people embraced remote working.

“Orange is an easy drive from Sydney – between three and 3.5 hours or a 40-minute flight – and we get four very distinct seasons here in Orange – Sydneysiders appreciate that,” Mr Petersen said. “Sydney people also love what this region offers – the food, wine and events, the employment from the mining sector, good schools.”

The events calendar is a major drawcard for food and wine lovers, with more than 60 wineries in the region.

Emptynesters and retirees are also drawn by the reliable health services in the region.

“We have the best hospital this side of the Blue Mountains,” he said. “It has all the specialists and a really good oncology unit. The hospital is a very important factor for retirees coming to Orange.”

A breathtaking view and a lush quarter-acre block are high up the wish list with any lifestyle property, but this contemporary Buderim residence takes things to another level.

Designed and built by owners Stu and Nat Faid, the Sunshine Coast home reflects their vision and incredible attention to detail.

As an architect and designer, Nat believes a prime position deserves an incredible project.

“The heart of the house is undoubtedly the living area and expansive deck. At over 100sq m and elevated more than 6m above the ground, you literally feel like you’re floating. We love how the views stretch from the Glass House Mountains along the coastline to Mooloolaba. Across the ocean, you can even see the sandbanks on Moreton Island,” she says.

While the views and the 1024sq m land parcel make their mark, it’s the suspended 12m heated shipping container swimming pool that’s making waves locally.

“When people arrive, the first thing they do is look up,” Nat adds.

After purchasing the property in 2021, the pair knew the existing house wouldn’t live up to their family of four, but they fell in love with the location and outlook so decided to adapt.

Initially, the pool’s unique design was simply a reaction to an everyday Queensland problem, but ultimately became a feature.

“The pool was at first a product of practicality. We wanted to be able to watch the kids in the pool from the house, but to do that required elevating the pool more than six meters off the ground,” Stu says.

“When we looked at the engineering required, it conflicted with our minimal-touch ethos in preserving the land and the visual aesthetic of the finished design. What followed was a lot of searching for a solution, and as luck would have it, the answer was almost on our doorstep.”

Shipping Container Pools seemed like a no-brainer answer to the pool problem. Having moved internationally multiple times, the couple saw an opportunity to weave their personal story into the fabric of their new home.

“The opportunity to incorporate a nod to that chapter of our life into the build was too good to miss,” he says.

“It also unashamedly reinforces the origins of the pool construction, which ties into the rest of the design in the house. Throughout the home, we have embraced where the old meets the new, we have not tried to blend, cover or hide the origins of the home, we have chosen instead to make sure the evolution of the house is clear to see.”

The Faids’ global family journey is evident throughout the home, from the grand Middle Eastern entry doors sourced from Dubai where the couple once lived, to the remarkable views from the Glass House Mountains to Mooloolaba.

Created to enjoy every season, the house has a space for all eventualities with an open plan living area spilling out to the full-width deck and pool, a sleek kitchen with an Ilve integrated fridge and freezer, Bosch ovens, an induction cooktop, built-in coffee machine and microwave, two dishwashers, filtered water and a butler’s pantry.

Four spacious bedrooms each have built-ins, the main features a large ensuite with twin vanities and two more bedrooms share a“Jack and Jill” style bathroom. There is also a third full bathroom.

The Buderim home is 12.5kms from Mooloolaba and the Mooloolaba River National Park with the Sunshine Coast Airport 13.5kms to the north, however Stu adds that there is rarely a reason to leave.

“It would be fair to say that apart from popping down the hill to go to the beach, we often go days without ever leaving the village. It’s really is a wonderful spot.”

Packed with mod cons, the Buderim home also features six-zone ducted air-conditioning, engineered oak floors and a double-sided Stuv wood-burning fireplace, a mudroom, heated floors and sensor lights in the bathrooms. There is also a private elevator, solar power and battery, as well as landscaped gardens and a large lock up garage and shed.

The property at 10 Orient Court, Buderim is listed with Zoe Byrne and Greg Ward from Ray White Buderim and will go to auction on September 22 at 9am at Mercedes-Benz Sunshine Coast, 65 Maroochy Blvd, Maroochydore.

Sydneysiders love this Central West town – and they’re prepared to pay

This sky-high home on the Sunshine Coast with iconic shipping container pool is a testament to modern design and engineering.