DOMAIN
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One of Austinmer’s earliest homes, which has undergone a meticulous renovation, is on the market with a special inclusion for its new owner.
The addition for the purchaser is a file of interesting historical documents compiled by past owner builder Kieran Jones during his re-development of the site at 1 Oceana Pde in 2012.
Included in the file is a 1948 marketing brochure and receipt from Manchester in the United Kingdom for a Rayburn stove which is still in the home.
Mr Jones collated the historical documents and photos after speaking with a woman who grew up in the house, after her family bought it in 1938.
‘‘The woman walked me through the house and explained the history of it,’’ he said. ‘‘Since then she has sent me photos and sent a diagram of how it used to be designed.
‘‘She has a photo of this house at a time when there was only a few houses in the whole of Austinmer.’’
The house, called Kaoota, was once owned by the Anglican Church and, before 1938, was used as a residence for the town’s minister.
‘‘He used to live upstairs and the downstairs area/servants quarters was for a servant who looked after him and visitors that came out from the UK,’’ Mr Jones was told.
Mr Jones redeveloped the site in 2012 and then sold Kaoota to its current owner.
The house at 1/1 Oceana Pde is on the market with McGrath Real Estate Thirroul.
Mr Jones found two old bottles which had been preserved in the soil when he excavated around the septic tank.
One is an antique stone bottle manufactured by local brewer Thomas Ball of Bulli, who trademarked his bottles with a side view of a bull’s head.
The second bottle is an antique green glass Udolpho Wolfe’s ‘‘Aromatic Schiedam Schnapps’’ gin bottle.
Mr Jones also found a bag of 1942 threepence coins in the home’s roof cavity.
The five-bedroom house has been listed with McGrath Real Estate Thirroul sales agents Trever Molenaar and Kristine Morgan.
Mr Molenaar said the home had dual living options with the potential for completely self-contained living, subject to council approval. There were two separate living areas, a study and tandem garage.
The property features included well proportioned bedrooms, two of which have built-in wardrobes, brand new bathrooms including an ensuite in the master bedroom, grand soaring ceilings, and contemporary kitchen with stone benches and quality stainless appliances.
Mr Molenaar said the rear of the home had a dramatic escarpment outlook. It had a low maintenance garden with side entertaining terrace for guests.
The home is open for inspection today from 12.45pm to 1.15pm and from 3pm to 3.30pm. It will go to auction on Saturday, March 8 at 4.30pm.
