Inside Colebrook’s Courthouse conversion with original jail cells

No.24 Richmond St, Colebrook. Picture: Supplied

A visit to this Southern Midlands property is like jumping in a Tardis and zooming back in time.

The Old Courthouse at No.24 Richmond St, Colebrook, has just hit the market after many years of use as a private home and a highly successful short-stay accommodation venture.

From the street, The Old Courthouse may look like any stone heritage home, but its history runs deeper than most.

Built in 1884 on the site of the former Jerusalem Probation Station, the Courthouse’s original solitary confinement cells remain intact — a tangible link to the area’s colonial past.

These stone chambers are believed to have once held Martin Cash, one of Van Diemen’s Land’s most notorious bushrangers, who escaped the inescapable Port Arthur penitentiary — twice! — and later earned a reputation as a ‘gentlemen bushranger’.

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No.24 Richmond St, Colebrook.

No.24 Richmond St, Colebrook.

No.24 Richmond St, Colebrook.

Harcourts Signature property representative Mark Brudenell described the property as a special piece of history.

“It is a property that combines Colonial character with modern comfort — and if the walls could talk, the stories they could tell,” he said.

“The owners left no stone unturned in the preservation of this treasured property.

“It’s incredible. It’s a living museum.

“Alongside the original cells there is the Magistrate’s bench, courtroom, artefacts and exhibits; it is a history-lover’s dream.

“The ornate oven is just one example of the owner’s passion for the home and attention to detail. I’ve never seen one of these before. It is a beautiful 400kg cast iron Homestead Cooker that fits perfectly into the property’s historic setting, and it can be fire-driven or electric.”

No.24 Richmond St, Colebrook.

No.24 Richmond St, Colebrook.

No.24 Richmond St, Colebrook.

The stone home’s entry is via a veranda, which leads to a large living room, with the cells behind.

In the opposite direction, there is a lounge or bedroom, a dining room, a bathroom with a claw-foot tub, another bedroom and the kitchen that leads to a sun deck.

Central heating and underfloor heating in the bathroom ensure year-round comfort.

The parklike grounds are a lush oasis, spread across a 3908sq m lot.