Before this gold rush era weatherboard was a beautiful family homestead, it was a pub, a post-office and a general store. Local history upholds that it was even a sports ground at one point; remnants of the cricket pitch can be detected around the garden!
But that was all before it was purchased by landscape architect Natasha Morgan and her family in 2013, after which they promptly turned it into a gorgeous family home dubbed ‘Oak + Monkey Puzzle’, after the centuries-old trees that remained on the property.
‘With its original timber lath and earthen walls (complete with finger prints of its 1800s builder) and exposed mortise and tenon timber construction in the early sections of the homestead, it is embedded with a rich sense of history,’ says Natasha.
Despite the glorious, one-of-a-kind nature of the building, the real hero here is the stunning garden. Natasha’s thumbprints (real and stylistic!) are all across the property, which has been transformed from a derelict, horse-trampled paddock into a veritable wonderland of veggie patches, ornamental flower beds and functional terraces.
‘I designed the gardens to be inhabited, lived in and with, and enjoyed as they change and offer new experiences with every season,’ says Natasha. Including a kitchen garden, berry terrace, picking garden, orchard, meadow space and birch forest, the garden is sprawling and intimate at once – offering different perspectives in every corner. Buried in its depths is a workshop and studio space made from a converted shipping container. And a chicken house to boot!
This brilliant home is the perfect combination of local history, architectural merit, breathtaking landscape and unique personality. Whoever snaps this incredible property up is one lucky new owner!
Expressions of interest for 1333 Ballan Daylesford Road Spargo Creek close at midday on March 25th via Belle Property Daylesford. See the full listing and book an inspection here.
