Cobb & Co coachman's NSW farm on the market for more than £14,000 in stolen gold

Cobb & Co coachman's NSW farm on the market for more than £14,000 in stolen gold
Jonathan ChancellorNovember 22, 2011

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The Sear family have listed their 80-hectare Mandurama farm, Sunny Ridge, which comes with an 1880s homestead built for Cobb & Co coachman John Fagan and his publican wife, Annie, in the Central Tablelands in NSW on land between Bathurst and Orange. Fagan was on the coach robbed of £14,000 in gold by Frank Gardiner at Eugowra Rock in 1862, the largest bushranger robbery in history, with the loot never recovered.

The younger of Fagan's two sons, Reg, and his wife, Rita, commissioned architect James Peddle to extend the homestead in the 1920s to include a reception area, living room, dining room, library, sunroom, staff quarters, strongroom and six bedrooms. There's also an original 1930s radio room. The gardens, now with pool and tennis court, were overseen by landscape architect Max Shelley. It remained in the family until 1978.

The farm has 12 paddocks, with flat land rising to undulating slopes and low hills, mostly cleared and arable with productive soils suitable for grazing cattle, sheep and horses. It has town water and Mandurama Ponds Creek frontage with lagoon. The property, with a guest cottage and manager's residence, last traded in 2010 when bought from the accountant Adrian Scarra and his wife, Lorraine. It sold for $1.4 million early last year.

It’s now been listed through David Nolan at Webster Nolan with a $1.4 million asking price.

Orange acts as a major commercial service area for central and western New South Wales, with the local economy underpinned by the primary production of livestock, fruit, grapes, tourism and cereal crops. There are also several large manufacturing operations, including Electrolux Home Products Pty Limited and the head office of the NSW Department of Agriculture. Additional employment is through Newcrest Cadia Mining Operations.

Although primarily used as a private residence, the homestead has been used also as a four star guest house and function centre and is still licensed for those purposes. Currently, occupation is running very at close to full capacity.

“It should be noted Sunny Ridge is being offered for sale as a property and residence and not as an ongoing business,” Nolan says.

"If Australian history, a magnificent rural lifestyle and fertile agricultural country is on your bucket list, then Sunny Ridge has your name on it,” Nolan says.

The present owners have undertaken further extensive refurbishment and redecorating during 2010, which has included replacement of all carpet throughout the residence. All internal board floors have been professionally sanded and varnished with a high-gloss seal. The entire residence has also been repainted internally. The ducted gas central heating is zoned in three areas of the residence.

Jonathan Chancellor

Jonathan Chancellor is one of Australia's most respected property journalists, having been at the top of the game since the early 1980s. Jonathan co-founded the property industry website Property Observer and has written for national and international publications.

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