Listing of the Day
Location: Taggerty, Australia
Price: A$3.8 million to A$4.1 million (US$2.4 million to US$2.6 million)
Rivendell, which was named for the magical Middle-earth Elvish valley in “The Lord of the Rings,” is a lakeside working cattle ranch in Taggerty, Australia.
The property, which overlooks the Little River and offers majestic views of Cathedral Mountain, is being sold by John C. Scott, a retired corporate executive turned cattle rancher, who bought it in 2008.
The ranch’s main residence “House of the Elves,” was built by Mr. Scott and his wife, Karen, in 2012, to replace a much older home that was damaged in the 2009 Black Saturday bushfire.
He noted that the new house “is sympathetic to the historical garden with trees that are well over 100 years old.”
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Mr. Scott, who is “78 years young” and owns other ranches, said he’s selling because he needs more land for the 60 cows on the property.
“We loved living here because the morning light awakes the brilliantly colored parrots who perch in the majestic oak trees,” he said. “We residents arise to accept the challenges of the farm day until the sun fades below the western valley wall.”
The estate overlooks Cathedral Mountain.
Pat Rice & Hawkins
Stats
Set on 75 acres, the main residence, which is reached by a private drive, has three bedrooms and two bathrooms and a two-car garage. The guest cottage has two bedrooms.
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Amenities
The primary house has soaring ceilings, imported Italian stone flooring, marble detailing, custom lighting, a study/office, a library, an elevator, a five-zone air conditioning system, underfloor heating, two gas-log fireplaces, a zoned sound system , seven TV sets and a diesel generator support.
The custom kitchen has high-end appliances, including two ovens and a wine refrigerator. The outdoor entertaining area, which faces the lake, has barbecue areas.
In addition to pastureland, there are nine paddocks, 10 troughs, three dams and a 48,000-liter water-holding tank. Additional structures include two machinery sheds with roller doors and a hay shed. There are also cattle yards, sheep yards and a 14-station automated sprinkler system that feeds from the lake and river.
Neighborhood Notes
Taggerty, a small rural community in Victoria that’s a 90-minute drive from Melbourne, is surrounded by “premium farming properties owned by Melbourne businesspeople and some wealthy locals,” Mr. Hill said.
The community, which is in the Acheron Valley, is close to the tourist destinations of Marysville and Lake Mountain. Its population of 328 is served by a general store, a town hall, a caravan park and several bed and breakfasts.
Cathedral Lodge & Golf Club, an 18-hole championship course designed by Greg Norman, is 20 minutes away. “Its members are high-net-worth individuals, and it’s in the top 100 golf courses in the world,” Mr. Hill said.
Agent: Robert Hill, Pat Rice & Hawkins
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