Burnima Homestead is a Victorian gothic masterpiece. Photos: Supplied.
The mansion of a homestead at Lot 10 Burnima Road near Bombala is an absolute masterpiece of red brick Victorian Gothic architecture.
The architect of the home was Frederick Young, the builder and architect of the Governor-General’s residence at Yarralumla. The home has 10 bedrooms and two bathrooms, and a grand staircase befitting the style and grandeur of the building.
It is set on 12.4 hectares, considerably downsized from the original land ownership that went with the station of 16,000 acres of grazing land, owned by Henry Tollemache Edwards, an original pioneering pastoralist of the Monaro who built the home with his parents in 1896. The homestead stayed in the Edwards family until 1953 when it was sold with its contents.
The former stables, now a garage.
Until now, the homestead has been run as a residence and a living museum, and the option still exists to continue to do so, with all period furniture and fittings available for sale with the home, including old machinery, vehicles and horse-drawn carriages. The history of the station is enshrined in a Readers Room at the National Library of Australia, with family photographs, station records, letter books, deposit books and account books, station ledgers and business correspondence.
There are over thirty different rooms in the ‘Burnima’ homestead, including a formal dining room, a library, servants quarters and a servants staircase, a billiards room, a smoking room and an attic.
There is also the ‘withdrawing room’, where visitors may be entertained (which is a historical term for what would now usually be called a living room), and a morning room, one filled with light, which is a living room historically used during the morning. There are fifteen separate fireplaces throughout the home and a servant’s mess hall. The original kitchen is still in place, with the original kitchen fireplace and combustion stove.
The original kitchen is still in place.
The home has a magnificent presentation, with a grand staircase greeting the homeowner and visitor upon entering the building. A vast double ceiling height reception room with a stained-glass skylight sets the gothic tone of the interior, and the quiet presence of a large building with many rooms, and possibly some Victorian secrets adds to the mystique.
“It’s definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Menchin Property Marketing’s Don Menchin.
“It’s not often you have the chance to buy a piece of living history.
“The mansion, outbuildings and garden would be perfect as a wedding venue, conference centre, health retreat, B&B or a unique family home,” said Mr Menchin.
“The gardens have plenty of landscaped areas perfect for wedding photography, and Burnima is only two hours from Canberra, the NSW Far South Coast and the snow, five minutes out of Bombala, and 50 minutes from Cooma.”
The property will be auctioned on 14 November.
You can view this extraordinary Victorian Gothic opportunity and living museum online. For further information or to book an inspection, contact Menchin Property Marketing‘s Don Menchin on 0413 028 795.
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