Bellbrae hinterland hideaway sows seeds for sustainable lifestyle

440 Vickerys Rd, Bellbrae for sale

---

A sustainable hideaway that embraces organic permaculture principles offers fertile ground for reconnecting with nature in Bellbrae.

Spring Creek runs through the secluded 4.89ha property, which has all the ingredients for buyers chasing a self-sufficient lifestyle.

A three-bedroom, mud brick house is the centrepiece of 440 Vickerys Rd, Bellbrae, while a separate barn has potential as an artist or yoga studio, guest accommodation or even an epic teen retreat.

RELATED: Multiple buyers line up to snare future farm returns

Classy East Geelong bungalow lives up to ‘Paris end’ position

Inside lifestyle host’s own ‘food bowl’ farmhouse

Jellis Craig, Geelong West listing agent Jeff Begg has set a $2.75m to $2.95m price guide for the “cracking” property near the junction of desirable Gundrys Rd.

He said there was scope to take it in many different directions or simply enjoy a peaceful home away from home.

The vendor purchased the property in a rundown state in 2016 after returning from 10 years living in the French alps.

The outdoor entertainment area.

---

The country-style kitchen is welcoming.

---

The bedrooms have loads of character.

---

He said the original owner, an environmental scientist, had constructed the solar passive home from mud bricks formed from the land and embedded a European construction style they instantly appreciated.

Since moving in they have continued build on his sustainable legacy, adding an irrigated 140sq m vegetable patch and orchard, a wood lot for harvesting fuel and structural timber and a wetland.

“He built this property with all those permaculture bones but it was really rundown and it didn’t have irrigation and it didn’t really capture water well and it didn’t harmonise,” he said.

The living room has a beautiful garden view.

---

Spring Creek runs through the property.

---

“Being a builder we lived in for a number of years and renovated. The first thing we did was bulk insulation in the roof, next we did double glazing, then hydronic heating with solar and a heat pump, so all the European technology.

“Our goal is just to constantly move towards fully self-sustaining.”

The main house has a rustic European farmhouse feel, with exposed beams, French oak timber floors, gothic windows and cathedral ceilings on display.

A welcoming farm-style kitchen anchors the dining and living zone which has double glass doors onto a north-facing wisteria-covered outdoor entertainment area.

Green thumbs will appreciate the two glasshouses and compost bays.

---

The barn lends itself to many different uses.

---

Further afield, there’s an outdoor fire, as well as an in-ground trampoline and rope swing for the kids.

The vendor said the nearby barn had “an amazing communal energy” and had hosted meditation workshops, yoga retreats, art classes, a kinesologist and many dinner parties over the years.

There’s also opportunities for a bed and breakfast business, with the property’s rural conservation zone allowing for up to 10 people to be accommodated.

“The sense of educating people around food and land and sustainability is one of the things that ties in well here,” the vendor said.