In Conjunction with Lisa Fowler, Mount Macedon Realty, 0418 557 222
Willowmount is one of the most unusual and interesting properties in Mount Macedon. It has been influenced and moulded by the Clarke family whose home it has been for 99 years. The home is shaped by the family’s love of entertaining, and desire to give their kids magical and adventurous childhoods surrounded by friends and family.
At 1.59 hectares (approx.), it’s one of the larger properties on the main road of Mount Macedon. Willowmount boasts a generous house and a beautiful garden, including a pond, and a pergola, where members of the family have partied and gotten married for generations.
The current Willowmount home was built in the 1980s, designed to be strong and well integrated into the landscape. It was built with reinforced concrete and sandstone-coloured blocks, and has a roof you can walk up on to enjoy the view with a cup of coffee and a book. What makes the home special is its versatility. It is large, enabling it to be a multi-generational family dwelling, to house one family with plenty of space for everyone to stay over at Christmas or during the best kids’ sleep overs, or perfect for a family with adults who work from home but still want somewhere for the kids to play while the parents are busy.
Split across two levels, with several formal and informal living spaces, it’s for families who want enough room to be able to all be together to celebrate and then retreat to their own private spaces when they need a breather, or to get their homework done away from their louder younger siblings. With the sitting room and library/dining room upstairs overlooking the mountain, and spacious downstairs rumpus room enjoying a spectacular view of the garden, every area feels special.
For those who love to cook but hate never having enough bench space, this kitchen is the dream. It has plenty of space for the family to gather, and even more bench space, alongside a double oven, two dishwashers, loads of kitchen cabinets and a large pantry. Off the kitchen is a big courtyard, which is perfect for keen gardeners to tend to garden beds, and for kids who want space for a cubby house, basketball hoop, and trampoline in an enclosed area where parents can keep an eye out while they make dinner.
Then, after dinner, why not head out to the big balcony to have a glass of wine while you watch the sun go down over the trees?
The secret to maintaining a harmonious house is making sure almost no one has to share a bathroom in the morning. With eight bedrooms and five bathrooms (plus two additional toilets), you can live that dream. The main bedroom has an ensuite and huge walk-in wardrobe area. Three further bedrooms also enjoy their own ensuite. If you don’t need eight bedrooms, the other bedrooms can be guest rooms, studies, hobby rooms, or play areas, adapting to the needs of the next lucky family who gets to live there.
To keep things comfortable, the house is fully insulated, and has three split-system heaters/air conditioners, as well as three open fireplaces, one with wood heater.
At approximately 1.59 hectares, the garden is large enough to create almost any kind of green space you can imagine, while still being manageable. Green thumbs will appreciate the existing tall hedges, orchard areas, and rose walk. Kids (and the young at heart) will enjoy the rope swing near the pond, and the endless opportunities for hide and seek.
The garden has many large established trees, including elms, oaks, tulip trees, birches, Japanese maples, and natives (such as red flowering gums). There are also seasonal bulbs and perennials. These features dot the large expanses of lawn which lead through the garden towards the pond and Turritable Creek. There are secluded corners, enclosed courtyards, established orchard plantings and places to sit, wander, or entertain. The garden really does have something to offer in all seasons.
While the home and garden are private and secluded, they’re not isolated, being just a short walk from the Mount Macedon Trading Post, the local pub and Mount Macedon Primary School. It’s also close to everything the Macedon Ranges has to offer, such as the famously beautiful scenery, food, wine and arts. Woodend, Kyneton, Trentham and Malmsbury are not far away, with their restaurants, cafés, galleries, wineries, distilleries, antique stores and markets. Melbourne is readily accessible by road or rail, while Tullamarine Airport is approximately 35 minutes away.
For the first time in nearly 100 years, Willowmount is ready to be shaped and enjoyed by a new custodian. If you’re ready to upgrade to this kind of versatile and generous home, be sure to come and have a look for yourself. Willowmount is a house that needs an inspection to truly appreciate the magnitude of possibilities.
