Another of the pastoral icons of the Goulburn district is back in play, with the listing by Elders for auction next month of the Braidwood Road landmark property, “Trentham”.
Originally part of “Springfield”, which it still adjoins, “Trentham” was held by successive generations of the Henderson family until bought in two stages since 2010 by the present owners.
It was the Scottish-born Lieutenant Graham Henderson who in 1928 married Valerie Faithfull, the youngest daughter of Lucien Faithfull of “Springfield”, and settled on what is now “Trentham”.
Their eldest son, Peter, entered the diplomatic service and in 1955 made social headlines when he married Heather Menzies, daughter of the then Prime Minister, Robert Menzies.
“Trentham” is owned now by brothers Simon and Matthew Gray, who have business interests spread between Australia and Hong Kong.
Simon Gray, who lives part-time on “Trentham” with his wife Chrisy and their five children, is the managing director of New Harvest, an agricultural investment company with offices in Sydney and Hong Kong.
Comprising 450 hectares (1100ac), “Trentham” is situated 20 kilometres south of Goulburn where it occupies a belt of open, level to gently undulating country between the Braidwood Road and the Mulwaree River.
The bulk of the property, excepting about 60ha of the homestead and surrounds, has been leased for the past five years to a local interest for a cropping enterprise, growing cereals, canola and brassica.
However, the property has a long prior history of grazing, and with new pastures should comfortably carry 10 DSE/ha.
The present lease expires on February 14, just over a week before the property goes to auction through Elders in Goulburn on February 22, thus giving any new owner a range of options.
Average rainfall is 750-800mm and the property is watered by its 1.9km frontage to the Mulwaree River, from which pipelines supply 16 paddock troughs, plus eight dams.
Centrepiece of “Trentham” is its sprawling double-brick homestead, built in 1928 to a design by prominent architect E.C. Manfred, who also designed Goulburn’s town hall and other public buildings.
Set in extensive landscaped gardens with tennis court and dressage area, the seven-bedroom home combines modern touches with period features such as ornate ceilings, picture rails, bay windows and open fireplaces.
It is complemented by a four-bedroom manager’s residence, built of double brick during the 1950s wool boom, and a two-bedroom brick cottage of solid structure but in need of TLC.
Working infrastructure includes a four-stand shearing shed with new steel sheep yards, a workshop and sheds.
An application has been lodged for a four-lot subdivision which, if approved, would enable the property to be split into a 128ha homestead portion, a 305ha farming block and two 8ha residential blocks.
Interest in “Trentham” from both local and Sydney-based parties has been strong, and bidding is expected on the high side of $5.5 million.
