The heritage buildings, where the grandfather of Hypothetical host Geoffrey Robertson taught and lived in the 1930s, has been a private residence for more than 20 years.

Neighbour and retired dairy farmer Douglas McDonald remembered fondly his first day walking to school in 1955 to be greeted by teacher Norm Dunne.

GALLERY: Historic churches of the Illawarra

"All the kids were in one room with one teacher and there were five in my class," he said.

"It was a great school because you didn't have to wear a uniform or shoes.

"Lunch was in the backyard next to the bubbler shed where we'd sit down and eat our sandwiches, cake and fruit packed by our mothers because there was no canteen."

It was also touched by a little bit of celebrity.

"Geoffrey Robinson's mum - she was a Beattie - went to the school and her father taught there a few years before I arrived," Mr McDonald said.

Illawarra historian Dr Joseph Davis said the Osborne family, the first settlers in the village, provided land for the school in 1859 for children of those working the nearby properties.

The first school was ruined by fire and the existing buildings were put up in 1897 by noted NSW Department of Education architect William Edmund Kemp.

"Kemp preferred a less ornate style than his predecessors but he was a stickler for elegant simplicity and craftsmanship," says Dr Davis.

"The high ceilings, cedar joinery and sturdily handsome fireplaces are just some of this property's many genuine pleasures topped off by the charm of a true-blue country Australian farmhouse kitchen."

The school closed in 1972 and has been put to many uses, such as an art gallery.

The property is listed with Lisa Brooke from Bevans Wollongong for offers above $789,000 and will be open for inspection next Saturday at 10am.

Click here for Domain's full guide