Chase Your Own Racing Dream

Newcastle Herald

Saturday July 7, 2007

Tahnee Watson

AN interest in breeding racehorses led Raeleen and Brian Russell to sell their suburban Elermore Vale home four years ago and move to a 5.6-acre (2.3-hectare) property at Williamtown.

Mrs Russell said that although the idea may have seemed crazy at first, considering the couple had lived in Elermore Vale for 23 years, it had given them both great satisfaction.

"When we bought here it was just land full of pine trees with a little two-bedroom cottage on it," she said.

"If you first saw it some people would have shied away but it had a return veranda which interested me because I'd always wanted one.

"We had to clear all the land and put the fences in, and renovate and extend the house, but I saw it as an opportunity to build a house exactly as I wanted it."

The house was bricked in, extended and renovated, and had a new roof put on, a task made more simple as Mr Russell is a bricklayer by trade.

It now has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, one with a cast-iron claw-foot bath, a large kitchen, spacious lounge opening onto a tiled patio area, french doors leading to a side return veranda and rear patio, and a garage.

Its grounds have been home to about 12 racehorses during the past four years, including five-year-old bay mare Can't Dance on Ice, who won a race at Muswellbrook in 2005, and soon-to-be-raced three-year-old chestnut filly Acquiescent.

The paddocks are fully fenced and electrified, are on town water and have a spear pump providing underground water for irrigation.

There is also a separate holding yard, a fenced area suitable for riding, and horse and pet barns.

Mrs Russell said it was with sadness that they were selling their 340 Cabbage Tree Road property, but it was time to move back to suburbia to be closer to family.

"It was a challenge that was well worthwhile because we were able to put our own stamp on it," she said.

The property is open today from 12-12.30pm and will go to auction on site next Saturday through Gerry Edser of LJ Hooker Newcastle. Bidding is expected to start at $500,000.

A great place to park

NEIL and Leanne Houston liken their 200-acre (80.9-hectare) Bandon Grove property to living in their very own national park.

Located 15 minutes north of Dungog, it has 2.5 kilometres of Jerusalem Creek frontage, swimming holes, rock pools, walking and riding trails and a huge variety of native flora and fauna.

"Every morning we can hear the koalas, we've got black cockatoos and king parrots flying around most days, wallabies come up to our front and back porch of an afternoon, it's just totally secluded and quiet," Mr Houston said.

"You can take a walk for three or four hours and never hear a car."

The Houstons bought the land in 1998 and moved into the four-bedroom home they built at Christmas, 2000.

"The boys had a passion for riding motorcycles so instead of travelling out here every weekend we decided to build out here," Mr Houston said.

"There's over 20 kilometres of trails for walking, horse-riding or motorbike-riding."

The house is steel-framed with a timber floor, open-plan kitchen, formal lounge and dining, six-metre-square rumpus room, ensuite off the master bedroom and a three-way main bathroom.

Built on a ridge, the house has valley views, large entertaining areas and open fireplaces.

There is a seven-bay Colorbond shed, 15,000-gallon water tank and a dam.

Mr Houston said the house was just a four-minute walk from the creek which the family had spent endless hours enjoying.

"There's one section we call the turbo-tub because it's got constant undulating water just like a spa," he said.

Mr Houston said a change in their children's interests from motorbikes to water sports meant it was time to head back to the coast.

The property is listed for $950,000 through Pamela Munson of Paterson Valley Farms and Acreages.

© 2007 Newcastle Herald

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