51 Kramer Drive, Berwick, has been home to the AFL’s Tuck family for 30 years.
Legendary Aussie rules football figure Michael Tuck is selling the Berwick house he’s called home since not long after retiring from the code.
Tuck’s illustrious on-field career included seven premierships with Hawthorn Football Club, four of them as the captain.
He played 426 games across almost 20 years with matches played in both the VFL and AFL era, which was the record for the most games played by a single player at the game’s elite level until North Melbourne’s Brent Harvey surpassed it in 2016.
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Favouring a ruck rover, halfback role, he appeared in two All Australian team lists and his final game was the 1991 Hawthorn Premiership victory.
Captaining the Hawks from 1986-1991, he’s an Australian Football Hall of Famer, and was named the AFL Players Association’s best captain in his first year leading the club.
He credits his top memory in the game as being carried from the field on the shoulders of his team after his first Grand Final win as captain in 1986.
Tuck is also the brother-in-law of Gary Ablett Senior, after wedding Fay Ablett.
Michael Tuck holds up the premiership cup in 1986.
Hawthorn’s Michael Tuck marries Fay Ablett.
The house features extensive exposed brickwork and timber beams along the ceiling.
Two of his children, Travis and Shane Tuck, also had football careers, with Travis notching 20 games for the Hawks and Shane 173 games with the Richmond Football Club.
Since stepping off the field Tuck said he’d been keeping himself busy and enjoying working on his golf game.
Through it all Tuck has been a Berwick man, having grown up in the suburbs, lived in another home nearby for much of his playing days and with plans to downsize to a unit nearby prompting the sale — alongside hopes another younger family will have the chance to enjoy it the way his has.
His son, Travis, told the Herald Sun the $1.55m-$1.7m home at 51 Kramer Drive had been a fantastic place to grow up in, with the Wilson Botanic Park next door a fantastic place for him and his mates to explore.
The view across Berwick has been a key feature of daily life for the Tuck family.
A mural including Michael Tuck hangs in the living area.
A character-facade provides an eye-catching welcome.
The Tucks also hosted members of the Ablett family for Christmas and other catch ups at the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home over the years, with its impressive views adding an extra dimension to entertaining at the home.
“There’s a nice balcony looking over Berwick, and we’d have a wood fire on the deck at night that was really good,” Travis said.
“It’s one of those homes where you’d love to be there forever, but mum and dad believe it would now be better for a new family to experience what we got to over the years.”
Inside the home, Tuck’s favourite spot was usually in the lounge room in a comfortable chair watching a movie or some footy after a long day.
The split-level design has a double garage, workshop, study, lounge room, kitchen and dining zone, plus a family room on the upper floor. It’s also where the main-bedroom, its ensuite and walk-in wardrobe is located.
The kitchen blends tile splashbacks with stone surfaces.
The back yard hosts a pool and space to spread out.
A sauna is a rare inclusion for the suburb.
Downstairs, three more bedrooms are joined by a rumpus room, laundry and bathroom, with a private entrance, effectively giving the home a kids’ wing.
The house is also turning heads with an extensive array of exposed brickwork and beams inside, providing character charm for some prospective buyers — though easily plastered and painted over if others preferred a more modern look.
McGrath Berwick listing agents Ali Aboucham and Mo Aboucham said the home was attracting good numbers at inspections, with families the main demographic.
And while a pool and sauna were an uncommon dual feature that helped the home stand out, they said the big attraction for most was its location next to the park.
The house has a number of entertainment spaces to choose from.
A split-level design has impressed a number of the prospective buyers.
The home’s views across the neighbouring park add to the appeal.
At least one buyer has asked to get a photo with a mural including Tuck hanging in the home’s living room.
The Tuck family are seeking expressions of interest in the home.
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