Historic Newtown mansion sells to new family after seven-month campaign

Newtown Brae, originally listed for upwards of $6.5m, has found a buyer after seven months.

One of Newtown’s most significant heritage mansions has found a new custodian after a seven-month campaign.

Out-of-town buyers are preparing make Newtown Brae their next family home after purchasing the grand Victorian residence for an undisclosed price.

The vendors of 25 years initially listed the prestigious 3400sq m property at 15 Stephen St, Newtown, with a $6.5m-plus guide in April.

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Kay & Burton listing agent Peter Kudelka said they ended up with a “good result”, though he could not disclose the sale price.

He said the new owners saw themselves as custodians of the landmark home, which is considered one of Geelong’s earliest surviving privates residences.

“It was bought by a family to be used as a family home – it was mostly families that were looking at it,” Mr Kudelka said.

“There wasn’t huge numbers through, given the nature of the property, being National Trust and those sorts of things, that’s why it took a little bit longer.

“It was one of those things where you just have to wait and be patient.”

The formal living room features a marble fireplace and chandelier.

The open-plan kitchen has modern appliances and a garden view.

The front cottage was built for former convict turned publican Joseph Lewis.

The modest front cottage at Newtown Brae dates back to 1851, when it was set among a much larger allotment featuring stables, a gig house and 1.6ha acres of gardens with 400 fruit trees and vines.

The substantial two-storey Italianate extension, designed by notable architect Alexander Hamilton to capture sweeping views over Geelong, was added in 1885.

The property has been National Trust registered since the 1970s.

The vendors have sympathetically remodelled the interior over their time there, restoring grand reception rooms and modernising the kitchen and bathrooms to create a comfortable family home.

The back veranda has sweeping views over the neighbourhood.

The wide entrance hall has high ceilings and polished timber floors.

The light-filled formal dining room faces north.

A rustic cellar is among original features that continue to point the home’s history.

Mr Kudelka said there was scope for further internal personalisation if the buyers desired.

“At this stage they are not sure but it’s early days,” he said.

The sprawling grounds – once home to a tennis court and an indoor swimming pool – also captured people’s imagination during the campaign.

The expansive lawn has long been drawcard for the vendor’s extended family and neighbourhood children who congregate for backyard cricket and footy.

Mr Kudelka said there were few homes in Geelong of the calibre of Newtown Brae, though he noted four or five of similar stature had been listed for sale this year.

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