Take a step back in time when the only travel into the alpine area of Omeo was by horse, bullock team or by foot, and the high-country town was in the grips of a gold frenzy which saw the township flourish with thousands of people living and working in the district, and enjoying the busy atmosphere of Day Avenue were free spending miners keeping the trade of hotels and cafes buoyant; it was circa 1878.
This is the year that Thomas Easton built the "house high on the hill" and it was considered a mansion at the time and was used as his personal residence until the Roman Catholic Church purchased it around the turn of the nineteenth century. The property again changed ownership circa 1925 when the Presbyterian Church purchased it and called it "The Manse", serving the church for approximately twenty-seven years.
In the nineteen fifties the ownership changed and reverted to a private residence again with several consecutive ownerships since that time with one such owner completing a major restoration undertaken during the nineteen eighties bringing the home back to its former glory, and the now current owners extending the home with a generous kitchen and family room circa two thousand and seven.
The history is strong, but now it is the future of Omeo that is looking stronger, where the township could once again swell with "free spending miners" in the form of bike riding adventurers and tourists with the pending, and much anticipated, mountain bike trail bringing a different rush back to mountains.
There is now an opportunity to purchase this iconic property and take it through another chapter in time. "The Manse" is set on approximately three acres of land in five lots with access off Day Avenue and Easton Street. The residence is positioned on Lot Four and boasts five bedrooms all with ensuites and the main bedroom having the luxury of a retreat. The grand hallway divides the bedrooms from the formal dining and formal lounge with open fireplace and library. The most recent addition to the home was the upgraded kitchen and generous family room with wood heater.
Outside the home the large veranda takes advantage of the North Easterly aspect of the property and a rear veranda has a more private back yard setting. The grounds have seen some very thoughtful landscaping with concrete brick retaining walls and some ponds, a variety of established trees and manicured lawns. There is a double garage with a workshop at the rear and two older outbuildings out the back being an old laundry and woodshed.
The property represents a multitude of opportunities for future development, or be it just for a personal residence, and as for the location in the Omeo township, it cannot be replicated. A short walking distance to the many businesses, there is an IGA supermarket, two local pubs for meals and a cold one, a bakery, a café, the Omeo Hospital, primary school, service station and post office, the new activities pump bike track, football and netball club, and a golf course further out the road.
The area boasts a variety of outdoor activities for the keen, such as hunting, four-wheel driving, motor bike or mountain bike riding, trout fishing, and other recreational pursuits. Omeo is approximately one hour and twenty minutes from the major regional center of Bairnsdale, and approximately 35 to 45 minutes to the snowfields around Dinner Plain and Mount Hotham.
Inspections are strictly by appointment only for qualified buyers.
Contact Michael Enever, 0458 272 797
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