A quaint country village set at the foot of ancient mountains with its own tavern, restaurant and historic cottages dating back to the early 1900s has hit the market for less than the price of a rundown Sydney home.
It was love at first sight when John Blythe and his wife Chris set eyes on Western Australia’s historic Karribank.
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The opportunity to purchase an entire village with many buildings and even more potential. Picture: realestate.com.au
The rural property at 1983 Porongurup Road, Porongurup is nestled at the foot of Porongurup National Park, home to towering karri trees, huge granite boulders and one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges.
“We were basically just captivated by the beauty of the property and we always enjoyed the history,” Mr Blythe told realestate.com.au.
The property – known later as Karribank – was built in the early 1900s as a working dairy and fruit farm run by the Faulkner family.
Dating back to the early 1900s, Karribank is said to be the oldest continuously operated guest accommodation establishment in WA. Picture: realestate.com.au
It is believed to be the oldest continuously operated country retreat in Western Australia, welcoming visitors from across the country who in the early days, arrived by train and horse drawn buggy.
Since purchasing the ‘village’ in 1997, the Blythes have poured their hearts into its refurbishment.
“The property back then was very run down,” Mr Blythe explained. “We always liked the region and this part had a softness to it.
“The forebears that bought the place in the beginning chose very well, because it’s got good soils, it’s undulating, you look down over the valley and it’s just a spectacular environment.”
Owners Chris and John Blythe with their son. Picture: Supplied
Now as the Blythes look to retire, the 12.49 hectare site, located about 48km north of Albany and 22km east of Mount Barker, is being offered for $2.5 million.
That’s less than the cost of a derelict home in Naremburn on Sydney’s lower north shore – which sold this month for $2.7m – despite not allowing internal inspections.
Karribank includes a tavern, restaurant, lounge areas, commercial kitchen, small board room and private owners’ dwelling.
Once a school, the original dining hall is now the “Karri on Bar” tavern. Picture: realestate.com.au
The dining hall houses the tavern, restaurant, a small board room and private owners’ dwelling of up to 3 bedrooms. Picture: realestate.com.au
A separate function room can seat 100 guests, with views out to the ranges, commercial kitchen, and guest amenities.
There are also 10 family chalets, four historic cottages and five ensuite rooms, a renovated three-bedroom managers’ residence and a block of seven dorm rooms.
Numerous other buildings are on site that could be turned into any number of uses. Picture: realestate.com.au
Just after WWI, the homestead was expanded and the Faulkners began receiving guests.
During WWII, many families from Perth and Singapore moved to Karribank, where a school was established in the hall.
Karribank currently offers 10 family chalets, 4 historic cottages and 5 ensuite rooms as holiday accommodation. Picture: realestate.com.au
When the Blythes took over in 1997, they restored many of the historic buildings but were careful to retain the original feel.
“We always tried to keep the essence of the property because we’d seen other properties that had been stripped out inside and modernised, which meant they’d have to be modernised every so many years because of trends,” Mr Blythe pointed out.
“We often made one room out of two because in those days people were a lot smaller and they all had single beds.”
The historic lodge and cottages date back to the early 1900s. Picture: realestate.com.au
The couple also planted deciduous trees on the property, making for a stunning vista over the valley during autumn.
After years invested in its refurbishment, Mr Blythe says he is “sad and not so sad” to farwell Karribank, although he will miss the tight knit community.
“You have to be a little bit dedicated to the place,” he said. “Now we’re at an age where we need to have a bit of time for ourselves.
“We believe it is just one of those really unique properties – we just need the right person to come along and fall in love with it like we did, to take it to the next stage.”
Original character features have been restored. Picture: realestate.com.au
Selling agents Mason Realty said the site offers huge business expansion opportunities, and numerous other buildings could be used for complementary businesses.
The unrenovated historic cottages may also be repurposed or added to the accommodation mix, and the land potentially subdivided.
Agent Rob Mason described interest so far as “pretty reasonable”.
“It is a really special place and a lot of people that know and love it are trying to work out how they could make it work and whether they can buy it and move down there,” he said.
Plenty of redevelopment and subdivision potential. Picture: realestate.com.au
Mr Mason said proximity to the unique Granite Skywalk at Castle Rock and Stirling Ranges also offers opportunities for nature based tourism.
“You’re right in the Porongurup ranges, so the walking and hiking is pretty incredible,” he added.
“The Blythes have done a lot of work on it in the nearly 30 years they’ve been there. There’s still probably another half a dozen buildings that could be restored for further accommodation or to make little shops.”
There is also a renovated 3-bedroom managers’ residence. Picture: realestate.com.au
PropTrack senior economist Paul Ryan said house sales in the Western Australia wheatbelt region – taking in Albany in the south up to Merredin in the north – have performed well, with a median price of $491,000.
“We’re seeing price growth up 7.4% over the past year, which is very strong and regional WA has been performing really well for the past year or two,” he said.
It’s not the only little village on the market.
It’s not the only village on the market, with an historic NSW complex also up for sale. Picture: realestate.com.au
In New South Wales, a popular tourist hotspot around two hours south of Sydney is also up for grabs for over $6 million.
Jindyandy Mill Estate, at 719 Greenwell Point Road, Pyree in the picturesque Shoalhaven region, spans just over 3 hectares of lush green pasture and includes a mix of residential and commercial spaces, including a lolly shop, hairdresser, antiques store, market and cafe, plus a two bedroom home with shed, and two charming cottages each with two bedrooms and a spa ensuite.