A disaster-proof private resort hidden in Gippsland has hit the market, but its most surprising feature only reveals itself when something go wrong.
Cloverfield Estate at 373 Tarra Valley Rd, Devon North, is listed with price hopes above $3.5m and comes with a private lake, sandy beach, heated pool, floodlit tennis court, sauna, gym, guest wing and a studio.
But the most unusual additions are the backup systems designed to keep the property running through any disaster leading to a blackout.
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Cloverfield Estate at Devon North has hit the market with $3.5m-plus hopes, offering a private lake, pool, tennis court and a backup generator sprawls across 8.82ha.
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The seven-bedroom, five-bathroom estate spans about 8.82ha in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges.
It is connected to town water, mains power and NBN, but also has solar arrays, battery storage, a backup diesel generator, water tanks, pumps and multistage filtration.
There is also on-site food production, with vegetable gardens, a greenhouse and orchard across the grounds.
Wilson Property RCI agent Ben Britten said Cloverfield Estate was among the most impressive properties he had handled.
The Gippsland estate was reimagined by local architect Mark Alsop, with a ground-up renovation and major extension by Heathfield Master Builders in 2022-23.
The championship-size floodlit tennis court comes with a Spinfire ball machine, adding to the property’s private resort feel.
“It’s definitely the best property I’ve appraised and listed,” Mr Britten said.
“I made an exception to extend my reach down Yarram way purely because of how impressive that property was.
“The design, the build quality and the amount of landscaping, and the man-made lake he’s put on the property, is pretty impressive.”
The home was redesigned by local architect Mark Alsop, with a ground-up renovation and major extension by Heathfield Master Builders across 2022 and 2023.
Mr Britten said the transformation had been dramatic, with the original home almost completely reworked.
“Pretty much the only thing that’s remained from when he bought it is that stone wall,” he said.
That stone feature now forms part of the estate’s striking arrival, with electric gates, a long driveway and a landscaped entrance setting the tone.
The original stone wall is one of the few major visual elements retained from the former home, now anchoring the estate’s dramatic living space.
The heated 12-metre pool includes an endless swimming system and looks across the estate’s landscaped grounds.
“The entrance is massive for me,” Mr Britten said.
“You come through electric gates, along a long driveway lined with gums, and pull up to this beautiful facade with the water feature and stone wall.
“That sort of grabbed me.”
The main residence has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a music room, private theatre, open-plan living zone and a main suite with a walk-in dressing room, safe room and spiral staircase to an owners’ retreat.
A separate guest wing opens directly to the pool area and includes a king bedroom, living room, kitchenette, ensuite and double garage.
A stand-alone studio set within native gardens adds another self-contained space for guests, older teenagers or multi-generational living.
The music room adds another layer of luxury to Cloverfield Estate, which also includes a private theatre and multiple living zones.
Cloverfield Estate has been pitched as more private retreat than country home, with agent Ben Britten calling it the best property he has listed.
The grounds were designed by landscape architect Prue Metcalfe and include a heated 12m pool with an endless swimming system, spa, sauna, commercial-grade gym and championship-size floodlit tennis court with a Spinfire ball machine.
A 2km walking track winds through the grounds and around the lake, which has a private jetty, sandy beach, illuminated fountain and seasonal native water birds along the shoreline.
There are also powered caravan and camping facilities for overflow accommodation.
The main suite includes a walk-in dressing room, ensuite, safe room and private spiral staircase to an owners’ retreat.
Designer bathrooms are part of the estate’s full-scale transformation, which almost completely reworked the original home.
Mr Britten said it was the first regional Victorian home he had seen with this level of resort-style infrastructure in one package.
He said describing the property as more like a private five-star retreat than a traditional country home was “probably a good way to summarise it”.
“It can be used for whatever you might want to do,” he said.
“They’ve had weddings there. Multi-generational living, if you want to do an Airbnb, short stays, all that sort of thing.”
The grand billiards room has been used as a luxury home office, offering buyers another flexible space inside the estate.
The estate’s infrastructure includes large-scale storage, as well as backup systems designed to help keep the property running during outages.
Mr Britten said the eventual buyer could be someone with South Gippsland ties who had built up equity in Melbourne, although the estate could also appeal to buyers seeking a private retreat or family compound.
He said the price stacked up when compared with the cost of replacing the estate’s infrastructure.
“I wouldn’t even want to know how much replacement value would be for that,” he said.
“So $3.5m stacks up in my opinion.”
The separate guest wing opens directly to the pool area, giving Cloverfield Estate the feel of a private retreat.
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