Birregurra open garden property listed as owners eye historic homestead

An enchanting Birregurra property featured in the Victorian Open Garden scheme has hit the market as the owners prepare for a new project transforming Winchelsea’s historic Ingleby Homestead.

Michael Jan and his partner have listed their 3883sq m country retreat after an extensive renovation to its original Victorian-era cottage.

An open-plan rear extension clad in charred timber brings a modern dimension to the four-bedroom house at 7 Strachan St, Birregurra.

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But for most visitors to the property, the sprawling gardens are an even bigger drawcard.

Mr Jan designed and cultivated the grounds over the past five years, despite having limited gardening experience.

The now blossoming garden has attracted more than 300 visitors during that time.

“It is really quite staggering, I can’t believe how quickly it’s grown and at the moment it’s really beautiful because it’s spring,” he said.

The former back paddock, once home only to sheep, a peppercorn and oak tree, now hides a solar-heated swimming pool and a series of lush circular lawns and plantings.

Inside, the extension houses a sleek contemporary kitchen with a designated coffee bar and an open-plan living room with decks to the north and east.

The couple have reinvigorated the original cottage with new Hardi Plank weatherboards, bay windows and two modern bathrooms.

Mr Jan said the experiment to see if they liked having a place in the country had been a great success.

“What was also amazing when we came here people were so friendly, they just embrace you as part of the community and people brought fruit and vegetables around that they had grown,” he said.

“Where we live in South Yarra, you’re lucky to have people say hello to you.”

The project has given them the confidence to take on Ingleby Homestead, a two-storey 1860s bluestone residence on the Barwon River in Winchelsea.

Once part of a larger station founded by the pioneering Armytage family, the homestead sold late year for more than $3m.

The six-bedroom, Georgian-style home comprises billiards, dining and drawing rooms, as well as a coach house and servants’ quarters.

“It has got some absolutely beautiful oak trees and established acorns,” Mr Jan said.

He said it was also believed the property had a Guilfoyle’s Volcano, similar to raised, round water reservoir William Guilfoyle designed at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens in 1876.

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