One of a kind

Heritage-listed ‘Crohamhurst Observatory

To an agent, every property they market, and every seller, deserves the same degree of attention and service.

That said, every now and then something very special comes along that will stay in their mind long after the listing is over, the marketing campaign finished and the sale process come to an end. And being special may have nothing to do with sale price or the value of the marketing campaign.

Here are five such properties.

Scenic rim masterpiece

For Lisa Psaras, RE/MAX Regency, it was a category five-rated, commercially designed hotelstyle grand residence of 1,022m2 , plus caretaker or guest studio and industrial-grade four bay lock up garage, on 18.73ha in the Scenic Rim, Queensland.

The owners had led the construction project from start to finish, and had landmark projects to their name including at Hayman Island, Daydream Island and Kakadu National Park; the Hinze Dam spillway, Darwin power station, Gladstone aluminum smelter, as well as many residential and mixed-use buildings, commercial scale sheds, cinemas, warehouses and medical centers. In addition was a passion for interior finishes and creating environments that showcase their appreciation of their surrounds.

It all came together in a masterpiece of grand design and proportions.

Weathering the years

A heritage-listed property on 1.33 hectares made a lasting impression on Sandra de Jersey, RE/MAX First.

‘Crohamhurst Observatory’, constructed in 1935 for Inigo Owen Jones, who’s said to be Australia’s most famous long-range weather forecaster, sat perfectly positioned in a garden complete with rose bushes, a holly hedge, bunyas and hoop pine. The observatory building, with its three large rooms and a storage room, still had its original benches.

Nearby on the property was a lovely renovated four-bedroom Queenslander relocated from Maryborough about 15 years ago. The property’s just 25 minutes from the beaches of the Sunshine Coast.

Inigo Jones died on November 1954, aged 82, at Crohamhurst Observatory, from where he’d issued his somewhat controversial predictions for many years

The Crohamhurst Observatory was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in November 2008.

Mine host

John Buckley, RE/MAX Capital, had the unusual experience of marketing a property that had originally been the main office for the Lake George Mining Co, and was constructed in the early 1890s. The mine closed somewhere around 1964.

The office was now a magnificent homestead. The property came complete with its mining history and dramatic landscape. It was easy to imagine as a homestay or similar.

There were concrete silos and assorted fortifications and battlements, a dam that offered an Aussie take on the famous Lake Louise with its copper green colours and background of pine trees, and possibly the world’s largest home fire pit.

The 37 hectare property was at Captians Flat, south of Queanbeyan, NSW.

Nuts to you

RE/MAX Precision’s Aaron Thompson had a one-off with a high-yielding Macadamia farm. At a time when there was a lot of positive hype in the market over macadamias, the producing farm was the only one of its size on the market in Australia.

Global demand for macadamia kernel is strong and increasing. The appetite and demand for macadamias in the market place is greatly outstripping supply. Australia contributes more than 30 per cent of the global crop. Each year 70 per cent of the Australian crop is exported to over 40 countries but the biggest market for macadamias is Australia itself.

The Bundaberg region is often referred to as the world macadamia capital.

Fine winery

Ajay Bakshi from RE/MAX A1 in Queensland was delighted with the listing of a winery in the Scenic Rim Region.

The freehold property offered four income streams through an organic winery with a state-ofthe-art distillery, bed & breakfast accommodation, a licensed café and a functions/wedding venue.

A nine-bedroom home with pool would make an enviable owners’ residence. Also on the 32 hectares was a two-bedroom caretaker’s cottage and 22 fully-furnished short-stay residences, each with two large bedrooms, two bathrooms and single car garage.

Original planting of the 40- acre vineyard had begun in 2003/04, and consists of some 21,000 vines. Around 20 tonnes of organic wine are produced each year. Another five acres are planted with citrus.

The property neighbours one of the largest camel farms in Australia. Ajay says the future may hold the world’s best vodka being distilled in the winery – from camel’s milk! That’s memorable!