On Sale for Second Time in 100 Years, Clovelly Estate Sets New Standard for Australian Luxury Properties

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A unique French country manor set on more than 10 hectares on the fringe of Montville is expected to set the benchmark in luxury hinterland living on the Sunshine Coast with expressions of interest around $5 million.Living at Clovelly feels like to the manor born with its stately presence blending majestically amongst colourful gardens.The natural scenic beauty of Clovelly inspired the creative vision for the double-story 800-sqm manor house with its adjacent large two-bedroom guest cottage and maximises the panoramic views north and east to the coastline and Mt Ninderry.Clovelly, a 10.52 hectare (26 acre) property, was first settled in 1904 and was owned by the same family until it was purchased in 1994 by the current owners who were seduced by this secluded parcel of private land still completely accessible to services such as schools, shopping and being only 30 minutes from the nearest beaches. Noosa’s trendy Hastings Street is only 45 minutes drive away, while Brisbane can easily be reached in one hour 15 minutes.Clovelly is less than one and a half kilometres from Montville which has true village charm and is renowned for its spectacular views over the coastal plain. Montville is known as the creative heart of the Sunshine Coast .The building project was a labour of love over 18 months with the primary aim not just to construct this beautiful picture of the past, but to use contemporary ideas to do it, while successfully blending into the unique countryside. This is a beautiful family home that has a strong sense of belonging to the landscape and captures the wonderful character of the Montville area.The meticulous attention to detail covers all aspects of design and construction supported by the current owners’ engineering and artistic backgrounds. Designed by architect Peter Black the rambling home with its pitched roofline captures the French country home style with the second floor attic dormer windows.The open plan living spaces on the ground floor at the front of the manor feature 12-foot ceilings. Bifold French doors separate a formal living and dining room, with beautifully polished hardwood floors, from a tiled casual day area.The home unfolds through extensive living spaces to link both inside and out. It is not a precious home in the sense that it is wonderful to share with guests and friends and has often been opened to host charity functions.  The house loves a crowd and yet maintains a warmth and intimacy.The kitchen captures a lovely country feel with a walk-in larder, American Oak benches and an Italian marble table island. A touch of nostalgia is found in the mudroom at the back entrance with the cement laundry trough from the original homestead. Throughout the house are also wonderful remnants of the land’s original settlers with elegant and stylish silky oak and cedar furniture in many of the rooms.The air-conditioned master bedroom on the ground floor has a walk-in robe and an ensuite of indulgent proportions with an imported moulded French claw bath. Both the bathroom and the formal living area open directly into a private wisteria covered walled garden with a large crab-apple tree and climbing roses.    Cedar French country doors open onto the graciously wide veranda which is bordered by fragrant gardens and onto a manicured lawn used for both croquet and boules. From here stone steps pass through an English rose garden, through the orchard and under a wisteria covered pergola to the private swimming pool. Dry stone walls demark the terraced levels of both the rose garden and pool area.A conservatory is located to one side of the veranda and overlooks a magnificent Moreton Bay fig with a large jacaranda providing generous shade, balance and character on the western side. The owner’s knowledge of the beautiful landscape gardens around Beechworth in North East Victoria and the glorious trees in the Albury Botanical Gardens has inspired thoughtful plantings of trees and shrubs that provide privacy, shade, year-round colour and interest. A boulevard of maturing liquid ambers creates an imposing archway of seasonal shades along the 400-metre entrance driveway.The huge space above the three-car garage and workshop holds great possibilities for a media room and home office, or even a private getaway.The adjacent spacious two-story cottage has its own private entrance or can be accessed through an internal doorway from the main house. With two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, living areas and a beautiful deck it is completely private from the main house separated by a courtyard of magnolias.The property has a modern American-style barn and the ‘Old Green Shed’ sits adjacent to the entrance from the main road. This original building has an earth floor and was used by the Brown family, the original settlers, when the property was a citrus orchid and later a pineapple farm.A large pocket of untouched rainforest with elk horns, staghorns and palms is separated from a wood by a clearing perfect for a secret garden.Two natural springs run through the property feeding the creek and waterfalls and a small family orchid provides a variety of citrus, apples and pears, figs, lychees, gooseberries and guavas.A cleared grassy knoll overlooking Baroon Pocket Dam would be the perfect place for picnics, camping or moments of quiet contemplation.Clovelly’s French country manor looks like it has been there forever, thanks to the thoughtful matching of its architecture and wonderful gardens that are filled with shrubs and trees that change with the seasons. It’s a legacy that ensures timeless beauty.Prestige property specialist GQ Property of Mooloolaba are marketing this unique property that is for sale for $5 million through expressions of interest that close on July 31, 2007.GQ Property Director Marketing and Sales, Simon Guilfoyle, said Clovelly represented a rare opportunity to own not only a unique prestigious home but also a large country retreat in a stunning position on the outskirts of Montville .“Clovelly represents an outstanding investment that secures a wonderful lifestyle home that includes ownership of a substantial parcel of land with unlimited future potential in a premier location,” Mr Guilfoyle said.“A wonderful private, hinterland retreat like this still only 30 minutes from the beach will certainly challenge some of the prices being achieved for prestige waterfront property on the Coast.”