Grand 147-year-old Tasmanian homestead excites mainland buyers

A Tasmanian family wanted the land, but not the house, so now a colonial-era homestead is up for sale.Beneath the wild, rugged sweep of the Great Western Tiers in northern Tasmania is a valley dotted with colonial homesteads, their paddocks ringed by dry stone walls and old hedges — all laid out to mimic the England their owners had left behind.Among them, Bentley stands out as one of the grandest — a sprawling white residence down a long drive lined with oaks and poplars.Bentley, a seven-bedroom home on a 56-acre landholding, has been listed for sale. Picture: realestate.com.au/buyThe seven-bedroom home at 1519 Mole Creek Road, Chudleigh was built in 1879 by Donald Norman Cameron, a member of Australia’s first federal Parliament, on an 1829 land grant.Mr Cameron lived here until his death in 1931, and the property later left the family. In 2002 the Hawkins family bought Bentley and restored and extended it, adding a replica wing joined to the original by a 10.6m x 10m conservatory beneath a Regency dome inspired by Brighton’s Royal Pavilion.The property was built in 1879 by Donald Norman Cameron, who was a member of Australia's first federal parliament. Picture: realestate.com.au/...