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For anyone dreaming of a tree change, this regional abode near Daylesford could be the perfect escape.
The combination of the property’s incredible bushland views and its private location was enough to compel the current owners to put in an offer on the first day they saw it, and it wasn’t even on the market at the time!
But writer Susan Hurley and ophthalmologist Jamie La Nauze persuaded the owners to sell the house at 118 Park Avenue about 22 years ago.
‘We felt immersed in nature, even inside the house,’ says Susan. ‘And it was only an hour and a half’s drive from the Melbourne CBD where we lived.’
For about a decade, the couple used the hilltop home as a peaceful weekender before engaging architect Ramon Pleysier (of Pleysier Perkins) to build a more modern iteration of the house that could accommodate their children and grandchildren.
‘The original house was fun. It had a castle-like form, which apparently was the architect’s response to the hill-top location,’ Susan says. ‘But it was a tiny, almost miniature castle, and a draughty one.’
What evolved was a contemporary four-bedroom floorplan, framed around the central living areas and an outdoor deck that makes the most of the sweeping 270-degree views out to the horizon. Inside, Tasmanian oak floorboards are paired with pops of colour, while every room has been designed to showcase the abundant greenery and farmlands enveloping the 20-acre block.
The couple also worked with landscape designer Sam Cox to transform the extensive gardens, featuring rock walls and meandering pathways.
These works have created four inviting outdoor areas, allowing the family to ‘follow the sun, or sit in the shade’ depending on the time of day.
‘There’s the deck off the kitchen, which is cantilevered into the gardens, or the north-facing terrace off the dining room. Or, if we’re having pizza from the wood-fired oven Jamie built, we can eat beneath the adjacent vine-covered pergola. And if it’s super-hot, there’s the dam at the foot of the property,’ Susan adds.
‘We float around on the pontoon or swim, then eat lunch on the deck of the “bathing box” we installed. The bathing box has a striped paint finish — it’s our little nod to [the ones] in Portsea.’
118 Park Avenue, Yandoit, Vic 3461 is for sale with Kim McQueen from McQueen Real Estate.
