35 Neates Road

The land at Neates Road was granted to J. Neate in April 1862, and the Neate family remained associated with this weatherboard cottage well into the twentieth century. Miss Neate ran a poultry farm here. That kind of continuity leaves a mark, a sense of lives lived slowly and well, and you feel it the moment you arrive. Listed on the Shire of Mount Alexander Heritage Study for its architectural and historic significance to the Campbells Creek township, the cottage retains its original gabled roof form and the quiet dignity of a 19th-century building that has been genuinely loved. The reverse bull nose verandah sets the scene: old wisteria and a rambling pink rose wind their way along the posts, a Magnolia Grandiflora keeps graceful watch overhead, and beyond it all, Mount Alexander sits square on the horizon, a view that changes with every season and never gets old. Step inside through the front door, or through the French leadlight doors that open from the living room to the verandah, and the interior is warm and considered. Timber flooring runs underfoot, timber-clad walls and ceilings wrap the rooms in texture, and in the open-plan living and dining room, a raked timber ceiling rises to a skylight that draws in the afternoon light. A solid wood heater with period-style surround makes winter evenings something to look forward to. The kitchen is well-equipped, with a freestanding gas cooktop and oven, dishwasher and period cabinetry, and from the window, the grapevine leads the eye out toward the orchard, a reminder that the land here has always been generous. A split system handles the warmer months with ease. Three bedrooms offer quiet and flexibility, the second with its own external access, the third equally suited to a study or a place for guests. A bathroom with a shower, a wall-hung basin and a toilet. On 1813sqm approx, the garden is the kind that takes years to make and rewards every moment spent in it. An orchard of olive, peach, nectarine and apple; an old pear keeping company with a quince; a pomegranate stationed just outside the back door as though it has always belonged there. Raised vegetable beds sit ready for a new season. Roses and established ornamental trees give the garden its bones. And tucked beneath a silver birch, a stone Athena, goddess of wisdom, presides serenely over a busy bee colony that has made her their own. The birds here are worth noting too: Crimson Rosellas, Spotted Pardalotes, Eastern Spinebills, Swift Parrots and Golden Whistlers are all residents, not just visitors. The allotment offers the possibility of subdivision (STCA) Quiet, private, and rooted in more than 160 years of local history. A wonderful country home or weekender, well within reach of Castlemaine.