Latest news with #AndrewRice
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Gnarwarre farm selling with 18-seat cinema in working woolshed
An 18-seat cinema housed in a working woolshed could be an unlikely magnet for film buffs at a Surf Coast hinterland farm. The purpose-built home theatre, known as Waterlands Cinema, celebrates the owners' passion for movies in true country style. They were well-known for hosting screenings for local community groups at the venue, often followed by a cuppa and afternoon tea. Catholic Church selling Winchelsea presbytery Charles Stewart, Geelong agent Andrew Rice is selling the theatre as part of a 65ha working farm at 1285 Barrabool Rd, Gnarwarre. Hidden inside what looks like any other rustic woolshed, the modern tiered cinema, lined with vintage movie posters, still takes visitors by surprise. After decades at 'Waterlands', the vendors are selling the property via an expressions of interest campaign closing on August 21. Price hopes are $5m to $5.5m. Primarily used for sheep, the farm includes a four-bedroom, circa 1857 stone and weatherboard cottage and second three-bedroom, brick veneer house. Both residences have been updated over the years, with the historic residence currently rented out. The charming cottage retains rustic original features, including vaulted timber ceilings, exposed stonework and leadlight windows, alongside a modern kitchen with marble benchtops. Scenic rural views are a highlight of the nearby main residence, which has a large deck off the main open-plan living area and a separate sitting room. Farming infrastructure includes extensive shedding, a workshop, two dams and eight paddocks with well-drained loamy soil suitable for grazing, cropping and hay production. The property is less than 15 minutes drive from Highton Village and five minutes from Ceres Primary School. The popularity of lifestyle properties in Gnarwarre has skyrocketed over the past decade, aided by easy access to Melbourne via the Geelong Ring Road.
News.com.au
24-04-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Renovated rural paradise sells with Moorabool River frontage
A renovated house on a 7.7ha riverside lifestyle property at Batesford has found new owners in a circa-$3m sale. Geelong region buyers secured the five-bedroom house on the property overlooking the Moorabool River in a deal finalised last week. Charles Stewart Geelong agent Andrew Rice, who acted as conjunctional agent with Elders Geelong's Peter Lindeman, said the property at 60 Cross St, dubbed Moorabool, was first auctioned last October when there was an air of uncertainty surrounding the rural market. But with conditions finally improving with the lifting of interest rates, a result was locked in. 'We got a good result there,' Mr Rice said after confirming the property sold within the $2.95m to $3.2m guide. 'They were very much into horses, that was the appeal.' There were a lot of pluses at the property, he said. 'I mean, the fact you have mains water, the fact you've got a river frontage, which is a beautiful stretch of the river, and you're 15 minutes out of town. 'There's a lot of pluses with this place – two acres of gardens, an assured water supply, a lovely home.' The property is privately accessed via two no-through roads and has 11 paddocks with electric fencing and a laneway system; a 24m round yard with an all-weather surface; a 30m by 8m shed complex incorporating two stables, a horse wash, and a tack room. There is also an 18m by 3m skillion attached with a high roofline; a three-car garage with loft and workshop area and an original dairy, mower shed and stockyard. At the heart of it all is the beautiful character home with a striking foyer entrance and stately formal dining and sitting room with French doors to access the expansive return veranda. The adjoining open-plan kitchen and living area features hardwood floors and a central open fireplace with a brick chimney that adds to the charm. Mr Rice said conditions were improving for the rural market, especially after the interest rate cut in February, with another widely tipped in May. While many buyers in the rural market weren't reliant on finance to purchase (they often have already sold other properties prior to purchasing), the sector's prospects did rely on a healthy traditional housing market, Mr Rice said. 'I'm not saying it's off the chart, but we've had a lot of headwinds when you think about it,' he said. 'I mean interest rates jumping, jumping and jumping. Not they're sort of on a downward trajectory.' Mr Rice said water, or the lack of rainfall, was still a topic of conversation for buyers. 'Wherever you go in Victoria, it's very dry,' he said. 'And we always anticipate an autumn break about Anzac Day and I think they are predicting a bit of rain over the weekend.' The number of rural properties close to Geelong with access to town water gave more confidence to buyers, he said.
