A missed Hawthorn house bid sparked a dramatic tree-change, with Kristen and Tom Simpson turning Black Cat Truffles in Wattle Flat into a truffle-farm lifestyle business now on the market. Picture: Dannika Bosner
Losing a Hawthorn auction by a “whisker” was the $1.6m heartbreak that turned into a regional jackpot for Melbourne couple Kristen Simpson and Tom Eadie.
In September 2019, the pair thought they had simply lost a property.
Instead, the failed bid triggered a life-changing pivot to a over 8ha estate in Wattle Flat that would become one of Victoria’s most successful agritourism ventures.
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Now, the business and homestead has hit the market with $2m-$2.2m price hopes.“I said to Tom, ‘I wonder what we’d get for that sort of money if we looked 100km around Melbourne?’” Ms Simpson said.
What they found was an aerial photo of a property in the Victorian Central Highlands, complete with rows of oak trees and an established truffiere.
It was a massive scale-up for a fraction of the cost of the Hawthorn home they had been chasing.
The Black Cat Truffles cafe at Howards Rd, Wattle Flat, where guests can pair truffle hunts with truffle-focused dishes in Victoria’s Central Highlands.
A classic Central Highlands sunset over Wattle Flat, one of the moments Kristen Simpson says she and husband Tom will miss most after handing on Black Cat Truffles.
By comparison, regional hubs near their new venture, such as Ballarat, maintain a median of roughly $605,000, allowing the couple to reinvest their savings.
According to wholesale sources premium Black Periford truffles currently fetch $3,000 per kilogram.
The farm’s 100kg annual harvest at that rate could represent a staggering $300,000 yearly revenue, not including operating costs.
“As soon as you walk in and see the rows of oak trees producing these subterranean black nuggets, you know you can’t just leave them alone,” Ms Simpson said.
Despite having no background in farming or hospitality, the couple quickly realised the property was far more than a country retreat. What followed was a steep learning curve in irrigation and truffle spore management.
The restaurant at Black Cat Truffles has become part of the region’s gourmet trail, serving truffle-led menus that helped turn the property into a destination experience.
Tom, a geologist and geophysicist, used his technical expertise to strike “black gold” in the soil, while Kristen, formerly in marketing at Monash University, built a premium visitor experience.
Their concept was simple, to invite guests on truffle hunts with trained dogs, then serve truffle-focused dishes in their 24-seat licensed cafe.
The business quickly gained traction online, winning a Ballarat Commerce Award for agritourism in its second year.
“We thought, ‘Gosh, we’re pulling this off,’” Ms Simpson said.
The 8.09ha Black Cat Truffles holding at Howards Rd, Wattle Flat, combining a country homestead setting with established truffle infrastructure and visitor appeal.
A calm dining space at Black Cat Truffles in Wattle Flat, designed for long lunches after truffle hunts in the oak-tree rows outside.
“People are finding truffles. And we’re growing more of them.”
The property is one of the few in Australia to harvest both winter and summer truffles, extending the commercial season from June through to late March.
Today, the business is operated by award-winning Ballarat chef Liam Downes, who has “taken the cafe to another level” while continuing the signature truffle hunts Friday to Sunday.
The homestead kitchen at Black Cat Truffles, a practical hub behind the hospitality side of the truffle-farm lifestyle business in Wattle Flat, Victoria.
The homestead pool at Black Cat Truffles, part of the lifestyle drawcard on the 8.09ha Wattle Flat property.
While Kristen and Tom say leaving the property is emotional, they are returning to Melbourne to be closer to their six children and 12 grandchildren.
The couple hope the next owner falls in love with the land and the thrill of the hunt.
“It’s the coolest part of Victoria to live in,” Ms Simpson said.
“We absolutely loved it.”
The exterior of the four-bedroom homestead at Black Cat Truffles, set among gardens and established plantings in Victoria’s Central Highlands.
A look across the homestead paddocks and truffiere surrounds at Howards Rd, Wattle Flat, where truffle hunts have become a key part of the property’s appeal.
“The gardens, the trees, the sunsets, they’re extraordinary.”
They also left behind eight alpacas that had become part of daily life on the farm.
The 8.09ha Black Cat Truffles property at Howards Rd, Wattle Flat includes a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home with four car spaces and established truffle infrastructure.
Sellers Kristen and Tom Simpson, who swapped Melbourne life for truffle farming after missing a Hawthorn home, have listed Black Cat Truffles, Wattle Flat for $2m-$2.2m through Jellis Craig Ballarat’s Phil Hayward and Toby Tanis.
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