The James children, Hazel, Isla, Grady and Earl with mangoes from their Bees Creek home. Picture: Supplied
Joselyn and Adam James have spent years transforming their acreage block into the dream Top End family haven, but the time has come to pass it on to new owners.
The 17ha property at 45 Belgrave Rd, Bees Creek, is perfectly set up for enjoying the best the NT has to offer, with two modern homes, a swimming pool, a barra-filled lagoon for backyard fishing, a cubby house, a playground and an outdoor kitchen with pizza oven.
It also comes with a built-in side hustle – 1200 fully irrigated mango trees.
The main house has five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a media room and an open plan living, kitchen and dining space, plus a wraparound veranda and a deck overlooking the in-ground pool.
The second home has open plan living, dining and kitchen, two bedrooms, a study and covered outdoor entertaining space.
The property includes a separate self-contained granny flat/home office, barbecue area with pizza oven, full playground, cubby house, massive shed, workshop, damn, mango orchard, veggie gardens and tropical landscaping.
The main home at 45 Belgrave Rd, Bees Creek. Picture: Supplied
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Mrs James said when she and her husband bought the property it just had the mango trees, palm trees around the perimeter and one little old elevated house with two bedrooms and wind-open windows.
“It was the first R2E2 mango farm in Darwin,” she said.
“The guy who started it was Bryan Large and after we bought the property, he would call every year and ask could he come and pick some mangoes.”
Isla James with a croc removed from the dam at her family home in Bees Creek. Picture: Supplied
Mrs James said the property had been the perfect place to raise their kids, Isla, Hazel, Grady and Earl, and make memories.
“We had all four of our kids while we were living here and now my in-laws live here, too, in the second house,” she said.
“I love the space, the birds, the nature and the kids just getting on motorbikes and having a ride.
“My husband’s dad, who is a builder, and my husband built our main house and then built the second house.
“The kids are able to call Grandma and ask ‘can I do some fishing’ or ‘can you take me to the veggie garden and pick some tomatoes’.
“Granddad is always helping them build things, like a billy cart or a cubby house in one of the mango trees.”
An aerial view of the property. Picture: Supplied
Adam James fishing in his backyard dam with daughters Hazel and Isla. Picture: Supplied
Mrs James said they had pigs, cattle and chickens on the property at different times, and had plenty of room for their beloved staffy to run around.
And the damn usually has at least one croc in it, but nothing big enough to concern the family.
“They can be salties or freshies, but nothing bigger than 2.5m,” Mrs James said.
“Whenever we’ve had a croc that was more curious or making itself know, we’d get (croc ranger) Tommy Nichols, who lives nearby, to come set a trap.
“But if we get one removed, another will just move in.”
The damn is also home to some decent-sized barramundi.
“There’s been a lot of barra caught (on the property),” Mrs James said.
“My husband caught a 95cm barra once and when Grady was about five, he hooked and landed a 75cm barra on his own.
“He has his own little tinny in the dam and we got him a motor for Christmas last year.
“He goes down in the tinny with the tiny water snake motor and hoons around the damn having a fish.”
Mrs James said having a backyard fishing hole fostered Grady’s love of fishing, which inspired the eight-year-old to create his own YouTube channel @GradyNT.
Grady James with his 75cm barra caught in his backyard. Picture: Supplied
The mango trees also added another dimension to the family’s lifestyle.
“That in itself has been extremely novel for the kids, grown up having as many mangoes as they’ve ever wanted to eat,” Mrs James said.
“My husband and I were both working professionals when we bought the place, but we decided to have a crack at (mango farming) and take it as it came.
“We dry a lot and we freeze a lot for the kids for the year.
“We’ve always got mango cheeks in the freezer for smoothies and daiquiris.
“Once the pickers have been through, we’re certainly popular with friends who want to come out and pick some as well.
“It’s a really nice way of connecting with people and sharing.
“And in the build up, the dam is full of magpie geese who go and eat the mangoes off the trees.”
Mrs James said while she would always have a strong emotional attachment to the property, the time was right to sell.
“The kids are getting older and spending a lot more time in town, so the time has come to hand it to someone else,” she said.
“I will miss it though. It’s a really special space.”
PROPERTY DETAILS
Address: 45 Belgrave Rd, Bees Creek
Bedrooms: 8
Bathrooms: 6
Carparks: 10
Price guide: $2m
Agent: Daniel Harris, 0430 350 631, Real Estate Central
English (US) · 