3 August 2018

Four-bedroom Captains Flat home comes with mature pines, mountain air and its own rehabilitated mine site

| Glynis Quinlan
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This one-of-a-kind Captains Flat property to be auctioned on September 1 comes with a four-bedroom home and a rehabilitated mine site. All photos supplied by Remax Capital.

A four-bedroom home for sale in Captains Flat comes with the attractions of crisp mountain air, mature pine trees, a village lifestyle – and its own rehabilitated mine site.

With a price guide of between $600,000 and $650,000, ‘Mikulov’ is a former mines office for the Lake George Mining Company and is truly a one-of-a-kind property steeped in local mining history.

Listing agent John Buckley from Remax Capital said the homestead is nestled between a magnificent stand of mature pines and “what can only be described as a jaw-dropping landscape of concrete ramparts and relics of the bygone era.”

“I’ve never seen another property like it. Out and out it’s just so different,” Mr Buckley said.

“It’s eerily surrealistic. With all the remedial work that’s there, you can walk around and look at it and it’s all quite accessible.”

The home, which is to be auctioned on September 1, was originally constructed in or around the early 1890s and has only been for sale once before, in the mid-1960s.

Elevated above the village of Captains Flat, the family home at 5 Old Mines Road sits on 37 hectares of native bushland and features lofty ceilings, an open fireplace and a parents retreat.

On the more unusual side, it also has a built-in strongroom, a smelting kiln and several science laboratories.

However, it is when you move outside to the former mine site that the true uniqueness of this property hits you.

It’s here you’ll find giant ore bins, a range of historic structures and a substantial area that could potentially be turned into a massive home firepit.

Mr Buckley said “the mind only boggles” at what you could do with the ore bins.

“Would they become a climbing wall, would you empty them out, would they become silos?” he queried.

Then there is the “amazingly large tank that could be turned into a yurt, a storage area, it could be the world’s biggest firepit.”

“All around you’ve got the options for amazing facilities such as your four-wheel drive park, a paintball zone…What could you do with this – the options are endless.”

Other potential uses mooted for the property include an earthworks depot, a homestay, a bed and breakfast, an adventure playground, a movie set, an artist’s residence…and the list goes on.

The unusual sci-fi landscape on one side of the home is coupled with a more traditional landscape on the other which encompasses “snow gums and rocky outcrops, a magnificent view and crisp clear mountain air.”

The property is only 45 minutes’ drive from Canberra and Mr Buckley said it offers the benefit of a village lifestyle and the attraction of being part of the Captains Flat area which he said is currently in its heyday with a growing population.

The mine employed around 500 people at its peak but was closed quite suddenly in the early 1960s when ore supplies were depleted.

Miners working underground when the Lake George Mining Company was operating the mine. Photo: Supplied.

A science laboratory operating when the mine was running. The homestead still has laboratories. Photo: Supplied.

The home and property were sold to the Mikula family and Mr Buckley said the family lived there at some stages but mainly used it as a weekender. After the original owners passed away, their children have had charge of the property.

Their son, Honza Mikula, a former quiz show champion, is looking after the sale along with his wife Catherine and is keen to pass on to the new owner a solid collection of research carried out about the history of the mine.

Mr Buckley said there has been strong interest in the unusual property including from people who are just curious, people who have previously worked in the mine, and potential buyers.

A view of the mine site when it was operating. Photo: Supplied.

He said five people have viewed the property who said they worked there in the 50s and 60s and who have enjoyed the trip down memory lane. One or two have been amazed about how the house looked so similar to the way it did back then.

“Because the owners have really never changed the house, it’s really a time capsule. You would struggle to find such an example elsewhere,” Mr Buckley said.

Due to the strong interest in the property, the original auction planned for tomorrow (August 5) has been postponed to Saturday, September 1 at 12 noon. The next inspection is planned for tomorrow (Sunday, August 5) from 11.30 am to 1 pm.

For more details please click here or contact Mr Buckley on 0429 843 777.

Alternatively, another Captains Flat property up for auction tomorrow (August 5) at 2 pm gives you the appeal of two houses on 32 acres without a rehabilitated mine. Click here for details of this property at 8 Copper Creek Road.

Below is a video supplied by Remax Capital which takes you on a tour of the special features of the rehabilitated mining site.

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John Buckley11:10 am 04 Aug 18

Prospective purchases of this property are advised that we can offer a substantial volume of documentation in regards to the rehabilitation of the Minesite. Appointments can be made at RE/MAX Capital to view these documents. The successful purchaser will take ownership of the information and documentation at settlement.

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