A Central Tablelands hilltop property combining spectacular views with a secluded, timber-rich home and diverse sources of farm income is generating keen interest at Running Stream.
For those unfamiliar with the main road from Lithgow to Mudgee, Running Stream is a hamlet at the southern foot of the high point midway between the two towns, called Cherry Tree Hill.
A 1070-metre-high plateau of rich basalt soils which in past years supported intensive fruit orchards and dairy farms, Cherry Tree Hill forms part of the Great Dividing Range.
And in a private, sylvan setting less than half a kilometre along a ridge road from the crest of Cherry Tree Hill is the 326 hectare (805ac) property now for sale as “Turonfels”. Situated 65km from both Lithgow and Mudgee, and within three hours’ drive of Sydney, “Turonfels” is well suited to part-time occupancy, or to city folk seeking a “tree change”.
Steve Rose of McDonald Lawson in Rylstone has listed “Turonfels” for November 2 auction to wind up the estate of the property’s longtime owner Peter Docker, who died in 2014.
An engineer by profession, Mr Docker spent childhood years in the area (where his father made and sold charcoal), later returning in 1968 to buy a portion of “Hatherley” then being sold by the Vessey family.
He bought this bare block to establish a radiata pine plantation, following the lead of the local Sim family (to whom he was related by marriage) on adjoining “Brooklyn”.
Using the property initially as a weekender, he built a cottage and a shed, and a few years later expanded his holding threefold by annexing a portion of another adjoining property, “Berwick”, thereby making up the area now for sale as “Turonfels”.
The original one-third of the property’s total area, or about 108ha, is now radiata pine plantation of varying ages mostly averaging 18 years old but including some stands of harvestable age dating from 1968.
The later “Berwick” portion is open, mostly arable grazing country of native grasses and sub-clover currently estimated at 5DSE/ha carrying capacity, but with scope to increase with further pasture work.
Average rainfall is 800mm and the property is watered by two dams and a bore pumping to two header tanks for reticulation to paddock troughs.
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A feature of “Turonfels” today is the homestead, built in the 1990s to replace the original 1960s cottage and set in established gardens with expansive views over the surrounding countryside.
The two-bedroom brick home is lined internally with locally milled raw and dressed timbers, and has an open-plan kitchen/living area overlooking a wide deck.
As well as an electric cook-top, the kitchen boasts a slow-combustion Rayburn stove which warms the house (and water) in winter months. Just 30 metres from the main home is a self-contained one-bedroom cottage ideal for extended family or guest usage.
Also adjacent to the homestead are a large, enclosed workshop/garage with concrete floor and a three-bay hay and machinery shed. Bidding for “Turonfels” is expected in a range upwards of $1.3 million.
