One of Canberra's oldest homes, once leased by the CSIRO, is for sale after being in private hands for seven years.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The historic Westridge House in Yarralumla was built in 1928 for Charles Lane-Poole, then inspector-general of forests.
The estate is a 19,210 square metre block, the largest privately owned residential block in the inner south. It has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, an elevator and space for eight cars. There are also three vehicle-sized workshops.
In 1975, the CSIRO became the new tenant and used it as a forestry and bushfire research facility. The CSIRO left the building in 2009. The National Capital Authority changed the planning from "community facility" to residential, but specified that it must remain single residential only. And in 2010, the estate was put under the hammer.
It was bought for $3.2 million by the heir to the Tattersalls gambling fortune, Vincent John Adams Flynn, who died in 2016.
Fairfax Media understands the estate was inherited by a third party who was not related to Dr Flynn in May 2016. The title lists the current owner as Timothy Eakin.
Sales executive, Mario Sanfrancesco from Peter Blackshaw Manuka said the previous owners had maintained and bettered the property.
"They have done extensive work to the gardens and they're starting to show the benefit of all that hard work," Mr Sanfrancesco said.
"It's a genuine sale and an incredible once in a life time offering for the right buyer."
He said the property was a unique opportunity for a family estate.
"It's had an extension quite sometime ago, while it was in the hands of the government and in the last decade there was a future extension, predominantly just adding car accommodation and general overall maintenance of the home to bring it back to the quality in the condition it is in today," Mr Sanfrancesco said.
"It's a heritage home and it's a really important home when it comes to Canberra and Australia's heritage."
The ACT Heritage Council said the property has been nominated to the heritage register and is yet to be looked at.
Mr Sanfrancesco said the new buyers could not knock down the property, but can make improvements and extensions.
"Whoever buys this is likely to keep it for a generation or two. It really is unique."
Mr Sanfrancesco did not give a price estimate, but said last year a property in Yarralumla sold for $5.5 million and Westridge would go for more.
The National Capital Authority said the Westridge house and gardens were listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List and were subject to a heritage management plan. Future changes to the house and gardens would be assessed according to that plan and major changes might also need the approval of the Department of the Environment and Energy
The auction is on November 26.