The open-air chapel is a standout feature of the Yarra Valley Estate.
The award-winning Yarra Valley Estate is expected to fetch up to $8m after hitting the market for the first time, complete with an open-air chapel and “Victoria’s only edible forest”.
Long-time owners John and Louise Ward are parting ways with the sustainability-focused corporate, wedding and event venue to retire.
While listing agency CBRE Hotels hasn’t confirmed an asking price for the 48.16ha estate off the Melba Highway in Dixons Creek, about an hour northeast of Melbourne, the Herald Sun understands it’s expected to sell between $6-$8m.
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A striking functions centre at the estate.
The estate sprawls across more than 48ha in the picturesque Yarra Valley.
The Yarra Valley Estate website states the Wards operated a deer farm on the site from 1983, later building what was formerly the Yarra Valley Conference Centre and is now the property that stands today.
It comprises 48 guest rooms, including two three-bedroom cottages, facilities for functions, weddings and conferences, offices and meeting spaces, a private airstrip and hangar, and an acre-sized (4047sq m) edible garden.
The latter was the “vision” of Ms Ward, according to the estate’s website, and was visited daily by the head gardener who “picks the freshest produce daily, delivering it to our chef to incorporate into the meals of our guest’s enjoyment”.
Almost 50 guest rooms form part of the award-winning tourism venture.
The property is expected to fetch between $6-$8m.
Inside the guest accommodation.
The property has won a series of sustainability gongs, including a United Nations Association of Australia Environment Day Award, two consecutive wins in the Premier’s Sustainability Awards, and the RACV Tourism Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism.
It also has “Silver Certification” with the world’s largest global sustainable tourism certification program, EarthCheck, and has become a certified carbon-neutral business.
Not a bad spot to kick back and relax.
Yarra Valley Estate has won two Premier’s Sustainability Awards, and owner Louise Ward is among those pictured here accepting one from Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister Lily D’Ambrosio.
CBRE Hotels senior director Scott Callow said the property offered a “substantial landholding”, which he expected to be a “major attraction for buyers wanting to secure a slice of the tightly held Yarra Valley region”, along with multiple income streams.
“The popularity of the Yarra Valley, along with its wide range of attractions and proximity to Melbourne’s CBD, make it the ideal location for functions and events and will help underpin buyer interest,” Mr Callow said.
The property’s expressions of interest campaign closes March 4.
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