Mr Whitcombe bought the block, which sits on the Murrumbidgee River, in 1992 for $400,000 and transformed it into a family home and eventually a wedding and function centre now known as Willowmere.

"It was an amazing piece of land with the most incredible views in the region," Mr Whitcombe said.

"When I bought the property we had to build a road, you couldn't actually drive a normal car here.

"We planted the trees and created our living environment for the family because I had a young family."

Wallaroo is about a 25-minute drive from Canberra's city centre.

The house took two years and $2.2 million to build. He said the gardens and surroundings have been a work in progress.

Mr Whitcombe, who has six children, five of whom have "fled the nest", shares the home with his wife, Aleksandra, and youngest son, Jack. The couple also hosts international visitors under Helpx, a program that invites volunteer helpers to stay with them short-term in exchange for food and accommodation.

The house is about 1865 square metres of living space and has nine bedrooms and bathrooms, seven fireplaces, a games room, sauna, steam room and a gym. It's so big, Mrs Whitcombe said they have to use walkie-talkies to find each other. She said on average she takes about 20,000 steps a day walking around the property.

The house was built with double brick and Hebel, a building material made from autoclave aerated concrete. In 1994 the property was awarded the Master Builders House of the Year.

"I built the house in what is essentially a classic European style," he said.

"Each aspect of the main house reflect a different style including European, traditional Australian, modern and classic facades."

The grounds also have a self-contained two-bedroom cottage, 250 truffle trees, a swimming pool, a tennis court, a wine cellar that can hold 5000 bottles and a marquee for weddings.

An avid pilot, Mr Whitcombe built a sealed runway and hangar which houses an aeroplane, helicopter and a collection of motorbikes and vintage cars.

The property also operates as a working farm with around 50 head of cattle and half a dozen horses.

"We also have two dogs, six chickens, a cat and about two million wild kangaroos that roam the grounds," Mr Whitcomb joked.

Mr Whitcombe joined the real estate industry in 1977 working for Reg Daly Real Estate. A few years later he started his own agency and ran that until 2006 when he set up a residential business at Colliers in Canberra.

Willowmere is now a wedding and function centre that can accommodate up to 300 people.  Mrs Whitcombe runs the business.

"The gardens feature more than 1000 roses and the rose arbour is a popular choice for wedding ceremonies," Mr Whitcombe said.

"We've got plans to lodge with the council to build a chapel up on the hill."

The venue has hosted two weddings so far.

Mr Whitcombe said his favourite part of the house was the balcony in the master bedroom which faces north and overlooks the rose garden and airstrip.

The 115 sqaure metres master bedroom,  has an ensuite, balcony and a 60 square-metre walk-in wardrobe.

"I'll sit on the balcony, have a glass of wine and when the roses are out, the fragrances are pretty amazing," he said.

"We spend most of our time in here, it's our space, it's where Jack can just go wild."

What was originally built as a library has since been turned into a dining room and dance floor overlooking the river.

The kitchen overlooks the garden, pool and Murrumbidgee River. It has an industrial sized fridge and freezer.

"What I love most about this place is its privacy and the stunning views," Mr Whitcombe said.

"It's hard to imagine living anywhere else to be truthful and my family says it's like living in a resort."