Best of coast and country

106-108 Rutherford Street, Avoca
4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 car spaces
$470,000-plus

A house in the country with a studio to boot is a fantasy of many rural buyers, and here in olive, wine and lavender-filled Avoca, the sought-after combination comes in the form of a  mid-Victorian property. The Parsonage was built in 1871 to house the minister of the adjoining Methodist church and it is now a large and comfortable home, with the former Sunday School building available as a studio or workshop.

The main double-fronted brick house is set well back from the road and is fronted by hedged gardens in a traditional knot pattern. A veranda surrounds the house and gives a good perch for admiring the hedging. Inside, there’s a classic layout, with a central hallway and rooms opening either side. One at the front is particularly lovely – it’s dubbed an office or library, and has a soft green walls, a fireplace and windows on two sides overlooking the garden. It is one of five original rooms with lovely fireplaces.

At the  rear of the house is a newer addition which contains a large kitchen, meals area and family room. Across the garden, the old Sunday School building continues the history and potential of this interesting property. 

Ron Wallin Real Estate, 5461 2246, Ron Wallin, 0409 015 180

174 Rogers Road, Boneo
​3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 car spaces
$2-$2.25 million

​Boneo​ is an easily overlooked spot a little inland from Cape Schanck and adjoining the large Mornington Peninsula National Park. Like much of the popular Mornington Peninsula, it is five or 10 minutes’ drive from many attractions. Here, at this 11-hectare property with a large C-shaped house at its centre, there are views of the bay and a delightful Italian winery restaurant next door. A long, tree-lined driveway delivers visitors to the house, which has been built around a north-facing courtyard. Large formal and informal living areas open from either side of the kitchen, and the main bedroom, with an en suite, is set away from the two smaller bedrooms.  There are also large sheds and a dam. 

Auction Noon, February 2014, Kay&Burton, 5989 1000, Paul Armstrong, 0418 624 962 

17 Clara Street, Kalimna
4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 car spaces
$885,000

Sunset over the water, sandy beach just beyond the living room and a little jetty from which to sail away: worries and cares must fade a little with that lovely trifecta available daily. Kalimna is a little settlement on the Gippsland Lakes and this waterside house is including plenty of “toys” with the sale: a “party boat”, a “tinny”, windsurfers and canoes. Oh, and lifejackets. The modern two-bedroom house has been designed to maximise water views in all living areas and bedrooms. The ground-level living area is particularly lovely, with walls of glass overlooking the water and a little beach just outside the door. Lakes Entrance is the nearest large town – accessible by boat or car from here. 

First National King & Heath, 5155 1201

40 O’Tooles Lane, Illowa
4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 4 car spaces
$850,000-$935,000 

You don’t have to be a potato-loving person of Irish ancestry to buy in O’Tooles Lane, but that’s the agricultural and settlement history of this lovely fertile patch of western Victoria. Between Warrnambool and Port Fairy, Illowa has been home to mostly farming families for 150 years, but now some new houses are popping up. This near-new Victorian-style house on almost two hectares offers city-level sophistication and is 10 kilometres from Warrnambool. The 460-square-metre house has plenty of everything: formal and informal living areas, large bedrooms and outdoor entertaining areas. Black, white and grey tones are used inside and out, and there is also plenty of storage. 

Auction, 6pm, March 11, Ray White Warrnambool, 5564 1500, Kellie Steel, 0438 617 077