Former ACT opposition leader Alistair Coe and his wife, Yasmin, have paid more than $1.7 million for Robyn Rowe's renowned chocolate shop just outside the territory.
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The couple won the auction for the property near Murrumbateman on Sunday morning.
Mr Coe confirmed the purchase to The Canberra Times on Tuesday.
Ms Rowe announced in April she was hanging up her apron, ahead of her 80th birthday in November. She had bought the property, at 1153 Nanima Road, in 1998.
The current business will operate until at least the middle of the year.
Mrs Coe runs a "boutique chocolatier and gifting studio", Sweet Pea & Poppy, in Canberra, which she established with her mother.
Mr Coe last year led the Canberra Liberals to the party's sixth electoral defeat, and quit politics a few months later after a 12-year career in the ACT's legislative assembly.
The purchase is the first major signal of what direction Mr Coe's life will take after his political career, and a possible move over the border suggests he will not return to ACT politics anytime soon.
Mr Coe, announcing his resignation in January, said election defeats "really do take the wind out of your sails".
"The election result was tough and the aftermath has been tough as well - there is no denying that," Mr Coe said at the time.
"As I regularly said, nobody gets into politics to be in opposition. You run to win and you run to govern.
"It is a regret that I never served in a Liberal government. I'm sure that is going to be a frustration that I live with for the rest of my life."
The Murrumbateman property, roughly a 30-minute drive from Canberra, includes a business, shopfront and a separate four-bedroom cottage on more than 9 hectares of land. It had a price guide of about $1.5 million.
"Established gardens keep the property's home hidden from the business and the road, enabling the new owner's complete privacy when enjoying the views from the north-facing verandah that wraps around one side of the home," a listing for the property said.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
