The new owner of this 1840s property will have many captivating stories to tell their guests about the property’s intriguing history.
The stately building is the original Gunning police barracks and court house and comes with two intact jail cells underneath.
The four-bedroom home’s legacy as a law-and-order establishment also includes a nearby grave that bears testament to one of the colony’s most brutal murders.
The property has been featured on the ABC TV series Who’s Been Sleeping in My House which has helped owners Jay and Kerry Gribbin unravel the former town lock-up’s history.
“What piqued the interest of the TV crew was that the last woman, and perhaps the only woman, who was hanged in Australia, Lucretia Dunkley, murdered her husband in Gunning and he was buried in the police station yard which is our house,” Jay says.
Superstitious buyers will be relieved to know that the grave is located across the road and no longer part of the property.
At the time of the murder in 1942 only six people lived in the town and there was no cemetery, so Lucretia’s victim, Henry Dunkley, was buried on the grounds, Jay says.
News clippings from the 1800s show that bushrangers had been kept under the house in the holding cells and some had tried to escape, he says.
The property retains many of its original features including fireplaces, cedar doors, skirting and timber ceilings.
The Gribbins have owned the property for 30 years and spent eight years renovating and extending it in keeping with its original style.
They researched colours, flooring and fittings of the era to ensure the property’s colonial integrity was maintained.
The property has three large sheds and a workshop. It is on a 6000 square metre block of two 3000 square metre lots.
No. 2 Wombat Street, Gunning is for sale through One Agency Mark McCann agent Ian Blackburn. Price guide: $630,000-plus. Inspect: By appointment EER: 0
NRL legend Alan Tongues has hoisted the ‘for sale’ sign on his family home in Watson as he prepares to swap city for country living.
But the former Raiders skipper won’t be heading too far, relocating to acreage outside of Canberra where the Tongue family of six plans to embrace a semi-rural lifestyle.
“My wife and I are originally from the country so we want our children to enjoy some space and bushland,” Alan says.
The Tongues moved into their four-bedroom house in 2007 and Alan says it has ticked all the boxes as a family home.
“The house has a lovely feel to it and flows seamlessly from indoors to outdoors,” Alan says.
“It’s in a beautiful quiet spot with no through traffic and the block is fully enclosed with fencing so it has been perfect safe environment for our children.”
Post football, Alan uses his fitness skills to work with a wide range of groups from sporting clubs to students and children in juvenile justice programs.
No. 16 Bettie McNee Street, Watson will be auctioned on Wednesday, May 4 through LJ Hooker Gungahlin agent, Troy Thompson. Price guide: $700,000-plus. EER: 5. Inspect: Saturday 3pm-3:30pm