Rosemount Estate, established by wine pioneer Robert Oatley, listed in Hunter Valley
A landmark property established by Australian wine pioneer Robert Oatley is back on the market for the first time in 15 years.
Rosemount Estate at Denman, in the Hunter Valley, is jointly listed with Colliers Newcastle, Knight Frank Newcastle and McGrath Upper Hunter via an expressions of interest campaign.
The 568-acre site comprises large-scale infrastructure, fertile farmland and hospitality facilities.
Matt Shaw, a partner at Knight Frank Newcastle, said the property's mix of assets makes it suitable for industries such as transport and logistics, agriculture, tourism, events and boutique manufacturing.
"Properties of this scale and diversity rarely come to market in the Hunter Valley," Mr Shaw said.
"516 Rosemount Road offers a rare chance to combine industrial, agricultural and tourism opportunities on a highly versatile site."
Mr Shaw said the site offers "exceptional" scope for commercial operations with multiple large-scale warehouses with temperature control and significant power capacity.
The property also has a private airstrip.
"We have had initial interest from hemp operators," he said.
"The other types of parties interested could be include mining, green energy, waste and recycling groups, and larger agri businesses, which have expressed interest in the past.
"The site offers a diverse range of uses because of the significant industrial infrastructure."
Additionally, a function centre, wedding and event facilities, a cellar door and three dwellings on-site are ideal for tourism and hospitality ventures.
Mr Shaw said the property's fertile rural land, with irrigation infrastructure and extensive Goulburn River frontage, adds further value to agricultural operations.
Sydney-based private investor Bob Wheeldon has owned the property since 2010.
"The winery itself hasn't been operational for quite some time," Mr Shaw said.
"The current owner has tenanted the property in the past and maintained the asset well.
"It is very well-kept and has undergone improvements with the cellar door, and the venue has recently been used for weddings."
Mr Shaw said pricing is being guided by the market.
"We are running a genuine expressions of interest campaign given the scale of the property and the type of users and buyers we are targeting," he said.
Expressions of interest close on October 3.
The history of Rosemount Estate
In 1969, Robert Oatley bought 607 hectares of Denman grazing land that, between 1860 and 1920, contained the Rosemount vineyard planted by German immigrant Carl Brecht.
Mr Oatley aimed to use the land to raise cattle and thoroughbred horses and grow grapes to sell to Hunter wineries.
Instead, he went on to make and market wine under his own Rosemount label.
Rosemount grew into Australia's biggest family-owned wine producer, credited with helping lead an Australian wine boom in the US in the 1990s.
In 2001, the Oatley family company sold Rosemount to Southcorp Wines Ltd for around $1.5 billion, which later merged with Foster's.
The merger led to the winery, restaurant, and cellar door closure at Rosemount Estate.
In 2010, Foster's sold the site at Denman to the company UHI, owned by Mr Wheeldon.
Mr Oatley, a billionaire businessman, vigneron and Wild Oats yachtsman, was named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "distinguished service to the Australian wine and tourism industries [and] to the sport of yacht racing" in 2014.
He died at 87 in January 2016.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
40 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Aussies fear Sydney restaurant's auto-tip is now our ‘new normal'
A new Sydney restaurant that adds a 'removable upon request' tip to all of its bills has angered diners, with some arguing the 'uncomfortable' charge is a sign of things to come. Island Radio, a Southeast Asian restaurant and noodle bar located in the new $50 million dining precinct in Redfern, automatically adds a 3 per cent gratuity to bills that is 'removable upon request'. For groups of 8 or more, the gratuity is replaced by a 10 per cent service charge. The fee, which is in addition to a 10 per cent Sunday surcharge and a 15 per cent surcharge on public holidays, is advertised on the restaurant's website as well as on the menu. There is also a small note at the end of individual bills that reads: 'A gratuity has been added to the bill to thank our team, it is happily removed upon request'. For Australia's best lifestyle coverage — download the app direct to your phone. However, some diners have described the practice as 'sneaky', claiming that it leaves those eating there with 'no choice' but to pay up, or face an 'awkward' encounter with staff. One Sydney local recently dined at the venue with 10 others to celebrate a birthday, and said the charge wasn't picked up by anyone in the party until after the $1406.02 bill had been paid. 'I've no issue at all with leaving a tip when receiving great service,' the disappointed diner said. 'The problem is that it leaves you with little to no choice in the matter. 'If you do see the sign, or spot it on the receipt – where it is hard to see as it is printed in a small font between the 'subtotal' and the 'total' – you have to actively seek for it to be removed. 'For a lot of consumers, especially in the current climate, that leaves you in an uncomfortable and vulnerable position.' The bill, which totalled $1278.20 before the 10 per cent fee of $127.82 was added, also included a Sunday Surcharge of $106.70. Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association CEO Wes Lambert said that, while Australians are rejecting the practice, it is completely legal and increasingly commonplace within the hospitality industry. 'The ACCC requires restaurants and cafes to inform diners and consumers about any mandatory fees, such as weekend and public holiday surcharges, on top of standard menu prices before they order,' Mr Lambert told 'Every business has a different revenue and cost structure, certainly when you go to hire a solicitor and the fee is $600-an-hour plus expenses, those expenses are variable but they let you know it exists. It's just like this and becoming more commonplace. 'So in practice, that is how it is supposed to work, but often times consumers might not read the fine print, and can certainly be surprised when it is added to the bill.' Island Radio, which is owned by House Made Hospitality, the team behind Tilda, Grana, and Etheus in Bondi's Promenade, defended its tipping practice. 'The optional 3 per cent gratuity at Island Radio, communicated at multiple stages during the booking process (on our website, in the booking widget, in the confirmation email), written on the menus, and verbalised again when the bill is presented, is designed to reward our team for their dedication and hard work,' a spokesperson for the restaurant told 'It also serves to incentivise exceptional service and support increased tenure within our industry – at a time when experience is hard to find, and living costs are increasing. 'This surcharge is not mandatory and can be removed at any point, no questions asked nor judgement given, should a guest request it.' The spokersperson added that gratuities are managed through a third-party software program to 'ensure transparency', noting that 'every dollar goes directly to the team working during that shift, including the kitchen'. Many of House Made Hospitality's other restaurants follow the same practice, with Tilda adding an auto 7 per cent fee to bills, while Etheus charges 5 per cent. Others in the group add the same 3 per cent as Island Radio. As a result, Aussies have shared fears auto-tips are 'becoming the new norm', subsequently making eating out a luxury many now can't afford. 'Please don't let opt-out tipping become a thing,' said one on Reddit. 'Let's keep this kind of sneaky 'gratuity' out. Our servers are paid fairly and companies should be held accountable for keeping their wages fair, not the customers,' said another. As one asked: 'If a diner didn't read the disclaimer, would they technically have been scammed?' Others said Australia's tipping culture was in danger of teetering on the edge of expectation, with some even comparing it to the mandatory system used in the US. Zeller, a financial services company, recently published data gleaned from the 85,000 Australian businesses using its EFTPOS machines, revealing that as a nation we are 'tipping more than ever'. According to its tipping report, the average tip value in 2024 increased to $25.20, a dramatic 25 per cent year-over-year (YoY) rise. 'This growth highlights an increasing willingness among Australians to reward exceptional service, even in a challenging economic environment,' the report stated. It's believed the shift in attitudes towards tipping has arisen from the rise in electronic payment technology, which Zeller said is 'helping to enable an increased level of gratuity within the local customer service industry'. Mr Lambert said the 'discomfort' about Island Radio's 'removable upon request' tip lies in the way it is done, rather than the fee itself, with diners used to adding a tip of their choosing at the end of the experience, if they felt the service and food was worth it. One diner said that while it was 'awkward' to ask for the fee to be removed, the food was 'phenomenal'.
7NEWS
2 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Empty nest crisis: 61 per cent of Australian households have just one or two occupants
While many may have the vision of the Great Australian Dream being a family house filled with mum, dad and the kids, new analysis paints a very different picture. A total of 61 per cent of Australian households are made up of just one or two people, yet the bulk of our housing stock is built for families, according to new analysis from Cotality. Eliza Owen, Head of Research at Cotality, who undertook the research, said the findings were a shock to her. "It was a big surprise," said Ms Owen. "I think when we talk about housing we think a lot of the Great Australian Dream being a big family home with kids in the yard." Home alone In fact, only around 30 per cent of Australian households are families with children. A further 31 per cent are couples with children or dependents. Meanwhile, 27 per cent are people living alone, according to the research based on ABS data. The data also revealed that of those living alone, 40 per cent are aged 65 and over. Ms Owen said that household size was a mismatch to the size and type of housing in Australia today. "The highest share of households is two people, but the highest share of housing has three bedrooms according to Cotality data, " Ms Owen said. "The next-highest share is of one-person households at 27 per cent, but one-bedroom and studio homes together make up just 6 per cent of Australia's housing stock." Why won't we move on from large houses? There are a number of reasons why we are wedded to the large detached family house as our Great Australian Dream. As housing is seen as an investment vehicle, along with being a shelter in Australia today, people are unwilling to stray away from the value of a house. "Bedrooms are one of the main variables that influence the value of a property," said Ms Owen. "So having more bedrooms means a more expensive price point, and there are also prospects for more capital growth, and that could be adding to the demand for larger dwellings as well." As the growth in house prices has continued to outperform units, there has been more incentive to stay put in the family house. "Houses reliably attract higher rates of capital growth over time," said Ms Owen. "The annualised five-year rate of growth for a four-bedroom home was almost 9 per cent a year compared to less than four per cent for a one-bedroom apartment. "So the more we view housing through that lens of asset and wealth accumulation, the more it stacks up for larger housing, even if we don't need all those bedrooms." The way forward The answer to this problem is for governments to make it more expensive to have more housing than you need and cheaper to live in smaller housing, according to Ms Owen. "This leads many to advocate for tax reform like abolishing stamp duty, which makes it cheaper to move housing,and replacing it with a broad-based land tax, which raises costs the more land you own. "These options are both politically difficult as they would involve moving from a tax that applies to a small number of voters each year who purchase property to one that will tax two-thirds of voters (property owners). "This would, however, potentially introduce an incentive for older Australians who own their home outright to downsize." She said that reforming pension asset tests to include the value of the family home would also help the numbers stack. Building better There were encouraging signs on the new type of housing that was being developed across Australia too. "There has been a slight uplift in the portion of new homes that are units," Ms Owen said. "And I think as well, developers are starting to see that good, well-built units are attractive for families as well.
SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Most Australian houses are designed for bigger families. But that's not who's in them
Sixty-one per cent of households are singles or couples, but housing is dominated by three to four-bedroom homes. Economists propose reforms like land taxes and scrapping stamp duty to encourage downsizing. Older Australians hold much of the larger housing stock, leaving scope to free homes for younger families. Australian households are mostly one or two people, but analysis shows the housing stock is dominated by three-and four-bedroom properties. Couples without kids and people living alone make up 61 per cent of households, raising the question of how well a housing market focused on bigger families is serving real demand. A comparison between the number of people in a household and data on housing by number of bedrooms shows a stark mismatch, according to the latest analysis from property research firm Cotality. Research head Eliza Owen said a potential solution could lie in government housing reform. Governments could make it more expensive to have more housing than needed, and cheaper for those who opt to live in smaller properties. Abolishing taxes such as stamp duty could make it cheaper for those to move across different housing, and the introduction of a broad-based land tax would raise costs for those who own more land. "It's politically unpopular but has broad consensus among economists that it would help us achieve a more efficient housing market," she told the Australian Associated Press. The data also highlights the high number of empty-nest households of people aged 65 and over. "There's a lot of scope for older Australians to leave their homes to free up homes for younger generations," Owen added. "But it's really hard to implement taxes to encourage people to downsize. "Things like broad-based land taxes are an incentive for income-poor but asset-rich Australians to downsize." Strides are already being taken on the supply side to establish well-located apartments in larger cities to accommodate smaller households, but shifting demand through tax reform could help the take-up of these homes. "It's a tough transition to make," Owen said. "But it's also a really hard ask to young families to pay a million dollars to own a house in one of our major cities."
