Property Steered In Right Direction

Newcastle Herald

Saturday September 15, 2007

TAHNEE WATSON

WAKEFIELD couple Sharne and Brett Pennell are selling their 10.5-hectare (26-acre) property after four years of renovating an on-site cottage and making improvements to the land.

When the couple purchased the property in 2003, the cottage was just a shell.

"The lady that lived there prior to us lived there from when she was born and didn't even have a toilet," Mr Pennell said.

"There wasn't a kitchen, there wasn't a toilet, there wasn't a garage."

The cottage now tells a different story, with three bedrooms, a fresh coat of paint, new floorboards, a stylish kitchen and bathroom, waste-water system, double garage and carport, and a new deck overlooking the paddocks.

The Pennells have run seven steers on the property for the past few years and say water is one of their greatest assets across the five paddocks.

"We've got a permanent creek and three dams, so for anybody with horses or looking to run alpacas or something like that, water won't be an issue," Mr Pennell said.

"Since we've had the property we've given it all new fencing, all the paddocks have troughs off water-points so the dams or the creek don't get fouled up with manure, and we've planted 2500 trees as wind-breaks and corridors."

There are also three water tanks totalling 20,000 litres, air-conditioning, three-phase power, new electric fencing around the perimeter of the block, a cattle yard at the back of the block and dual access through McCanns Road.

The home is at 23 Wakefield Road and will go to auction through agent Brad Thornton, of Ray White Toronto, on October 4 at 6.30pm at The Brighton Apartments, Toronto.

Bidding is expected from $580,000.

The property is open for inspection today at 1pm.

Homestead at Duns Creek

STEVE and Lana Young are regretfully selling their four-bedroom Duns Creek homestead to move to Queensland, and have listed it for sale for $599,000 with Shayne McHenry, of Tony Cant Real Estate, Maitland.

The home is on 3.12 hectares (eight acres) and has high ceilings, cypress pine flooring, a leadlight entry, and a country-style kitchen with a walk-in pantry, among many features.

There is a large informal dining area off the kitchen as well as a separate formal dining area, both of which open onto the wraparound veranda. There are two hot water systems, a double garage, two dams, and DA-approved plans for a shed.

The property is at 13 Forest Road.

Environment to the fore

FLORAVILLE conservationists Dick and Marion Armstrong have dropped the asking price of their eight-hectare (21-acre) protected bush parcel at 62 Park Royal Drive from $995,000 to $880,000.

Mrs Armstrong said she and her husband were still hoping to find a conservation-minded person who would appreciate the value of the property.

The Armstrongs bought the original cottage in 1986, which was built in the late 1880s by Henry Marks the brother of Charles Marks after whom Marks Point is named and later signed a voluntary conservation agreement with the State Government preventing subdivision and redevelopment.

"We placed 17 acres under a conservation agreement because it contains threatened flora and fauna, and the house sits on a separate four acres," Mrs Armstrong said.

An architect-designed brick, glass and red-cedar extension was added to the two-room cottage in 1990 and it now has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living areas and a separate dining room off the kitchen.

The cottage overlooks the dam and established grounds and there are rainforest and ocean views from an escarpment.

The property is listed with Paul Johns, of Century 21 Carkeet Johns Smith.

© 2007 Newcastle Herald

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