A former station master’s house on one of Australia’s last remaining steam train lines has pulled into the market, and it’s already proving a hit with trainspotters.
The three-bedroom house at 94 Lagoon Pocket Road, Lagoon Pocket, just outside Gympie, has gained traction due to the historic steam train that runs along the property boundary.
The home sits on the Mary Valley railway line, which was originally constructed in 1881 to haul gold and produce from the Gympie region to Maryborough for export.
The former Lagoon Pocket station master's house has hit the market. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
Since the 1990s it’s served as the route for the Mary Valley Rattler, a heritage railway experience that operates steam and diesel passenger trains and has become one of the region’s biggest tourist attractions.
The star of the show is the iconic 1950-built C17 class steam locomotive No. 967, which carries passengers on a three-hour journey from Gympie to Amamoor and back three times a week.
The home is next to the Mary Valley Rattler, a historic railway line. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
The house was previously home to the station master at Lagoon Pocket, a small rural suburb which was one of the original stops on the line.
“It used to be the old station house,” said selling agent Linda Smith of Waves & Acres. “Originally there was a station master that lived there that sold the tickets out of the house for passenger trains.”
“The people before the current owners bought it off the railway converted it into a house.”
The iconic C17 steam train runs past the property every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
Ms Smith said the current owners, who had been there for about 30 years, had retained most of the original features of the house.
“It has all the original hardwood flooring, and the old ticket counter has been converted into a walk-in pantry,” she said.
“They’ve raised a whole family there and they're ready to go. It's their time to move it onto someone else who will hopefully maintain it and keep the history going.”
The home was previously where tickets were sold for passengers services along the original line. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
The passing steam train was a major selling point of the property, Ms Smith said.
“It will run through there three times a week,” she said. “They do lunch and dinner onboard, and it passes pretty well straight along the boundary of the property.”
Ms Smith said the property was on track to sell, having already proven very popular, with an offer submitted within a day of it being listed.
The current owners have preserved many of the original features of the property. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
She said it would suit owner-occupiers who would want to update the property over time, or entrepreneurial buyers looking for a short-term holiday rental.
“We think it would be super suited to an investor who would like to set it up as an Airbnb,” she said. “You could do the place so well, with the feature of the Rattler coming through.”
Lagoon Pocket has emerged as a popular lifestyle location thanks to its proximity to Gympie. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy
Lagoon Pocket had a population of just 170 people at the last census, but Ms Smith said its reputation was growing as more buyers sought out semi-rural lifestyle properties.
“I call it Gympie’s best kept secret,” she said. “It's got rolling hills, stunning views of the mountains and it’s tucked out of the way.”
“No one really knows where it is, but it’s absolutely beautiful.”
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