A country oasis three decades in the making
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Many Canberrans ponder the dream of packing up their suburban existence and heading for the countryside.
And if that dream includes moving into a beautiful and bespoke lodge set amongst a sanctuary of established gardens and overlooking a set of water features including a pond, pool and small lake, then 55 Clare Valley Place in Wamboin might just be it.
This vast home is part of a country compound ideal for a large family or extended family living. It is the creation of builder Tim Hodgson and his wife Debby, who bought the 5-acre parcel of paradise 30 years ago and moved into a shed while they pieced together their dream home.
Designed by Tim’s father, Gerry Hodgson, a New Zealand-based architect, the main home took shape slowly as the family grew and Tim and Debby reimagined modern family living and entertaining.
It is a labour of love, showing off the couple’s commitment to quality craftsmanship, and an absolute entertainer’s delight. The bespoke features, including vast exposed beams, vaulted ceilings and enormous windows looking out into nature, are simply not something you can replicate.
While it is huge, this home retains charm and warmth through the use of timber. The “wow” factor extends from the dramatic ceilings to the “backyard” vista, which feels more like a resort oasis. Set amid stacked feature stone, fish ponds, a multi-level deck, and established gardens, you have your pick of taking a dip in the lagoon-style saltwater pool, the spa, or leaping off the private jetty into the natural waters beyond.
With 150 square metres of outdoor entertaining space, there is a pavilion which has pull-down blinds for weather protection, a built-in barbecue, pizza oven and customised brick firepit.
Meanwhile, the original shed has morphed into a second small home, featuring open plan living, dining and kitchen with two bedrooms, including a loft. Just a stone’s throw from the main home, this could be the perfect self-contained retreat for teens or parents or used as a guest house, depending on what stage of life you are in.
Tim and Debby are making the move to warmer climes, having loved their journey through home-building, parenthood and grandparenthood in Wamboin. And yes, it will be a wrench to leave.
This is a home that has hosted countless Christmases, parties and weddings, where there is no such thing as too many people because there is just so much space. An enormous bar is established off the living room to get people in the mood, or they can mill around the giant kitchen with its central bench. A wall of stackable glass doors means it’s hard to know when the house ends and the outside entertainment area starts.
The couple says the home would be perfect for a family, given its quiet location on a cul-de-sac, with a city bus stop 200 metres from the front gate. It is just far enough from Canberra (30 minutes) while close enough to Bungendore (15 minutes) to ensure peace and quiet, but also connection to community and services.
Tim suggests it might be a perfect place for someone in the building trade, given there is a large workshop and a machinery-shed shipping container. He also hopes the new owners might like classic cars, given there is space for seven cars including a three-car insulated garage with roller doors, car hoist and 3-phase power and tandem garage with mechanic’s pit.
Other enviable extras on the property include a horse paddock, bore irrigation,90,000 litre water tank, a dam bore delivering drinking water and a dedicated tank for fire protection, a 13.5kW solar array with two inverters, secure boundary fences and an electric front gate with pin code entry.
Even the vegetable gardens are well established, accessed by meandering brick paths. There is a greenhouse and a fully-enclosed chook pen for a family wanting to ditch the hustle and bustle to reconnect with nature while reclaiming some serenity.
Indeed, this is a unique opportunity. On the market for the first time since this family embarked on creating their own parcel of paradise off (but not too far off) the beaten track, this is a compound which has been fully customised to take advantage of the joys of nature and the fun of entertaining.
There is nothing left to do. Except move in and invite everyone around for a pool party.
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