Moruya bed and breakfast steeped in history for sale

For small towns, the local post office used to be the only way they could communicate with the outside world.
Parents could stay in touch with children at war, children could write to their pen pals and disgruntled members of the public could voice their criticism to the local newspaper.

Built in 1887, the Moruya Post and Telegraph Office was the heart of the endearing seaside town a two-hour drive from Canberra.

It operated as a post office until the ’90s, but in 1998 it was sympathetically transformed into a stunning house with seven bedrooms and five bathrooms

Inside, the home has an old-world charm, embodying warmth and comfort you would expect from that era. Crackling fireplaces, four-metre ceilings, ironbark floorboards, sitting rooms and a country-style kitchen exemplify this.

All the fixtures are Victorian-style with modern technologies such as wall-mounted airconditioners and televisions blending in with the 1800s style.

“There is so much history and detail in the home, the formal dining room is such a beautiful room,” says listing agent Michelle Cottington of Elders Real Estate Batemans Bay.

“It’s full of character, I just love it.”

Outside, the home at 52 Campbell Street retains a striking facade, typical of its once-grand status.
Sitting behind a picket fence, the two-storey home features wraparound verandahs on both levels.

Cottage gardens surround the home adding colour and life, and there is a delightful gazebo where you can sit back and take it all in.

Cottington says there has been a lot of interest in the property.
“People are really drawn to the style and features of this property. There are not too many properties like this around any more,” she says.

The generous proportions of the house lend itself well to a business opportunity, indeed it currently operates as a popular bed and breakfast.

“There are endless possibilities for this property. All the features are there to continue as a bed and breakfast, it would also be a beautiful family home with space for everyone,” says Cottington.

For the past 16 years, it has been known as the Post & Telegraph Bed and Breakfast, run by the owner Ruth Spasic, who says the decision to buy the home was a spontaneous one.

“We bought on a whim; we were driving through Moruya on our way to Canberra and just fell in love with the building,” she says.

Spasic runs the bed and breakfast with her sister, Arlene Liang. The bed and breakfast attracts a lot of repeat guests, with many of the out-of-town doctors who work at the hospital choosing to stay at the home.
“Most of our guests have been coming here since we opened, and many of them have said, ‘We don’t want to see you go’,” says Spasic.

Online reviews of the Post & Telegraph boast about its elegance, charm and grandeur.
Spasic and her sister have decided to pass on the keys, and are planning to move closer to their respective children.

“We’ve had some great memories with both the people who stay here and our friends and family,” she says.“It’s just a beautiful area [in which] to live and it’s relaxing, it’s not busy, there is no traffic and the beaches are just pristine.”

Moruya

52 Campbell Street

$1 million-$1.1 million

7 beds, 5 baths

Auction: 2pm, November 30

Agent: Elders Real Estate Batemans Bay, Michelle Cottington 0413 552 519