Vaucluse on Tasmania's Midlands still for sale

Vaucluse, the historic 1830s Georgian homestead at Conara, south of Launceston, remains offered for sale, just three years after its last sale.

Now Vaucluse sits on 38 hectares which feature gardens with a pool and a gazebo overlooking the South Esk River.

The Midlands residence previously sat on a 2654 hectares, but the trophy home parcel has been subdivided since its $20 million sale in 2015.

The Conara farm was bought by US food and agricultural conglomerate Cargill, whose Australian rural interests include Billabong Station in the NSW Eurongilly Valley, the Temora aggregation in Southern NSW and the sugar cane Marwood Farm at Mackay, Queensland.

Now under the control of Proterra Investment Partners after a corporate break up, the company initially considered converting the Conara homestead into visitor accommodation to help pay for the upkeep.

The rustic set of stables has been restored as accommodation too.

Vaucluse comprises 10 bedrooms, each with ensuite.

There's a commercial kitchen, formal dining room and a number of living and entertaining areas.

CBRE Agribusiness agents James Beer, Duncan McCulloch and Danny Thomas are marketing the property.

The imposing trophy home with slate room was possibly built in the 1830s to a design by Robert Bostock, adding to an earlier two storey section erected in 1820.

In 1847 John Bayles bought Vaucluse from the trustees of Robert Bostock’s estate for £9,000. Bayles was a magistrate for the district.

Longtime owners of the Georgian home were the McKinnon family from 1918 to the mid-1990s when they were caught in the insurer Lloyd's of London collapse which affected a number of wealthy Tasmanians.

Before Vaucluse's last sale, Michael and Susie Warner ran around 14,000 merino sheep and 400 Angus cattle. They also grew potatoes, poppies, grass seeds, canola and cereals.

It featured in their daughter, Georgina's book, Country Houses of Tasmania. 

Author Georgia Warner and photographer Alice Bennett on the private colonial estates was published by Allen and Unwin in 2009.

At the time the Tasmanian Heritage Council chairman Michael Lynch noted Tasmania had more colonial heritage per capita than anywhere in Australia as historic buildings in Victoria and NSW were knocked down in prosperous times 

Georgian homes in Tasmania have enduring popularity.

The Lake House, arguably Tasmania's finest Georgian home, sold last year for $9.3 million, a state record.

It sits amid the six sales of Georgian homes in Tasmania that have transacted for over $1 million.

This article was first published in the Weekend Australian.