Black Springs, situated in the historic Malmsbury village yet secluded in a woodland of its own, is a seriously special one acre property, remarkably private, as though you were in a world of your own. The land once was the Malmsbury Chinese market garden of the Gold Rush, signifying its good soil, and it sits just below the historic St John’s Church amongst bluestone buildings and history.
On two sides are unmade treed road reserves which add an expansive sense of space, and all of the adjoining property brings borrowed landscaped garden. The Black Springs Creek meanders through.
The house, designed by Elise Zouck, who has a background of architectural and passive solar design in New England, USA, functions beautifully in both aesthetics as well as in thermal properties. Further aesthetic judgement comes from George Lianos, partner and sculptor. A solid rock is central to the house and provides thermal mass. Timbers like reclaimed Jarrah, Red gum, Elm, Carri, and Blackwood have been sensitively chosen to give a rich natural beauty in both the cabinetry and structure of the house. The entire floor area uses black limestone for its beauty, thermal properties and natural finish upon which to show off beautiful rugs. A collection of fine art can be shown effectively in this sophisticated space.
A generous cathedral entry space opens into the living and dining areas which in turn takes your eye right out to the expansive landscaped garden and creek. Each of the bedrooms and master is amply sized, as are the bathrooms, with rich wood cabinetry, and separate WCs. The library, portico, and every room on the south takes in a prime view of the historic bluestone church. Oriented to north with double glazed windows throughout, solar hot water, excellent insulation and correctly positioned eaves make living here a complete pleasure and sustainable endeavour. One enters from the feature portico with huge Jarrah posts and custom designed glass large entry door. All sides of the house are made with oversized sliding double glazed doors to capture the full beauty of each of the garden views and to exit wherever one is called. A graceful corten steel pergola of ornamental grape and clematis oriented for every season is most likely where one can
be found at any time of year. Stone feature paving winds its way around the house and garden with multiple sitting areas, punctuated with sculptural rocks.
The garden has great structure (see “Malmsbury Masterpiece”) Gardening Australia - youtube) while maintaining a low maintenance, low water requirements landscape, and the creek provides much desired deep moisture retention as well as great wildlife habitat. A large volume of water storage augments the mains water, and there is plenty of scope for future garden development or for simply enjoying the land as is, with a great deal of pleasure, not much work. A wallaby population enjoys the creek habitat, and joeys are a joyful addition in spring along with a great array of bird life, all of whom come right up to the house and garden ponds.
This land is an extremely rare find and will be tightly held for the future. With Malmsbury’s secret getting out to the wider world, its train station 1 hour from Melbourne and its proximity to the city and the airport by car or minibus, 5 minutes from Kyneton in the cultural heart of Central Victoria, this property is gold. Malmsbury is continually growing in quality whilst its new residents are warmly welcomed and enjoy a lifestyle second to none in a global and local sense. The talent and scope of residents of all ages in the arts and intellectual pursuits as well as in practical knowledge is remarkable. These aspects as well as the burgeoning farmers market and new initiatives in sustainability make this village a perfect place to live, and Black Springs is right in the prime spot.
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