Spectacular NSW South Coast garden and wedding venue Merribee is being offered complete with secure bookings for 40 weddings through to 2025.
Transformed from a mid-1800s dairy paddock by Lucy and Richard Marshall with the help of local horticulturalist, James Thompson, Merribee is set within 2.8 hectares of remarkable gardens near the Shoalhaven River at Numbaa east of Nowra.
The estate was extraordinary featuring numerous botanical 'rooms' set among avenues of pleached Chinese elms, oaks and crepe myrtles.
The Marshalls bought the property in 2000 as a family retreat from their busy professional lives in Sydney.
They created a garden of sensory splendour, building a Secret Garden, Parterre Garden, the Italian Garden, the Edible Garden, the Elizabethan Lover's Knot Garden, a Formal Rose Garden and more, as well as planting a field of 1000 lavender bushes.
Marketing agent Trish Brewer, LAWD, said thousands of Buxus plants were trimmed into elegant hedges and whimsical topiary, with apothecary gardens modelled on monastic and medieval designs from the 7th and 12th century.
"It also includes a heritage rose garden growing some of the first species ever to be planted in NSW," Ms Brewer said.
Accommodation includes a four-storey silo converted into romantic rooms for the bridal couple, with 360-degree views from the top floor, and a gleaming Airstream caravan with its own bath house and deck.
The property also has a commercial kitchen and barn with seating for up to 140 guests as well as a restored pioneer's cottage that is used as a pop-up shop on open days.
Merribee is a 20-year labour of love for the owners, but its commercial attraction is the three different revenue streams it offers.
Andrew Graham, LAWD, said dMerribee was a very popular wedding venue, a place for the visiting public to enjoy, and also had a variety of accommodation for overnight guests.
"The estate has entertained thousands of guests and also offers the opportunity to hire specifically designed sections of the property for private parties and naming ceremonies, as well as opening its doors for an annual Lavender Festival," Mr Graham said.
"The vendors have confirmed 40 weddings booked through to early 2025 and are committed to a seamless transition to new ownership."
"This is a very solid, well-established business that has averaged 30 weddings annually since 2004, which equates to about 3,600 visitors a year with a further 10,000 visitors from garden tourism."
As well as lavender and roses, the garden features the fragrances of a diverse array of bay trees, citrus groves, curry bushes and ginger plants. Edible fruits range from guava, bananas, dates, quinces, kaffir limes, pink grapefruits and apple trees to pomegranate, passionfruit and coffee and tea bushes, and this diversity has attracted 45 different species of birds.
Expressions of interest close with LAWD on December 7.
Contact Andrew Graham, 0412 448 455, or Trish Brewer, 0409 524 901, LAWD.
