Tarina, 82-86 Drysdale St, Portarlington, is one of the area’s original homesteads.
A $250,000-plus oven found in celebrity kitchens worldwide delivers the ultimate foodie indulgence at a restored Portarlington heritage home.
Brad Pitt, Celine Dion and Drake are among household names that have installed handcrafted Parisian La Cornue stoves, described as the Lamborghini of ranges.
A rare central island configuration makes an impressive centrepiece at Tarina, a circa 1896 Bellarine Peninsula homestead selling for $3.2m to $3.5m.
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Each La Cornue central island is handcrafted in Paris, with the rangehood alone currently retailing from upwards of $US20,000.
The previous owners designed a sympathetic extension to the grand five-bedroom home at 82-86 Drysdale St, Portarlington around the range, which was salvaged from Steve Vizard’s kitchen.
It’s come into its own since current vendors Chris and Christine Stewart bought the historic 4326sq m property a year ago and embarked on reviving its productive garden.
“My wife is an extremely good cook and with what she’s actually produced out of the vegie patch it has been a Godsend for preserving and bottling,” Mr Stewart said.
“We have been living basically out the garden. There are over 80 edibles in the property – it is amazing.”
He said Christine had spent “10 hours a day, seven days a week” landscaping to restore the overgrown garden they inherited to its former glory.
Tasmanian blackwood floors and 3.5m-high ceilings feature in the formal dining room.
The formal lounge has a traditional feel.
The expansive gardens include a feature fountain and swimming pool set behind established trees.
The couple has also sunk considerable time and money into repairing the home, including reroofing and repainting, as well as fixing pool equipment and the fountain.
“Quite a few things weren’t working so we basically went over the whole property with a fine-tooth comb,” he said.
“We had a painter in here for a couple of months and we have put a lot more solar on, we have modernised and we built an eight-person sauna.”
The couple are selling the property through Whitford agent Peter Fort only to move closer to relocating family.
The home features a series of formal living rooms, including a lounge, dining room, sitting room and library showcasing ornate Victorian-inspired finishes.
The north-facing front veranda overlooking the gardens is one of the vendors’ favourite places to relax.
Three of the five bedrooms have ensuite bathrooms.
The six-car garage has a guest bedroom, office and bathroom attached.
A rear extension houses an open-plan kitchen and dining zone with French doors onto an outdoor entertainment area.
The La Cornue island bench is complemented by an additional gas and electric cooktop with a grill, deep fryer and griddle plate, as well as a butler’s pantry with a separate double oven, commercial fridge/freezer units and commercial dishwasher.
Mr Stewart said the house functioned beautifully as a private residence but would also be ideal for a bed and breakfast, restaurant or paddock to plate venture.
“The six-car garage, which has got a pine-lined, 4.5m-high ceiling, you could seat 100 people in there,” he said.
English (US) · 