Behind the listing: A hobby farm for sale that is equal parts designer and rustic charm

• Owner: Kate Bergmuller, who runs her own gardening business
• Address: 800 Blackgate Road, Mount Duneed
• Type of house: Four-bedroom hobby farm
• Price guide: $3.1 million-$3.3 million

One of the first things Kate Bergmuller did when she took over this property in 2019 was to make dramatic changes to her new en suite bathroom.

“I replaced the exterior wall with glass so I could look straight outside to see my horse while I’m lying in the bath,” she says with a riotous laugh. “He was one of the main reasons I moved here.”

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800 Blackgate Road, Mount Duneed VIC 3217

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In fact, much of the house overlooks the beautiful 1.82-hectare property, its fenced paddocks giving way to river and grassy flats, with Mount Duneed its picturesque backdrop. Despite easy proximity to Torquay (an eight-minute drive), it feels secluded and peaceful here.

Having lived her life on farms – a smaller one as a child in England and later, when married, a large cattle station in country Victoria – it was ideal to find a property that allowed her to keep much-loved Oakie the horse nearby while remaining close to town for work and school.

The bonus of indoor and outdoor space for her two sons, Jasper, 13, and Felix, 11, clinched the deal.

“I knew I was going to buy it as soon as I walked in,” she says. “I absolutely fell in love with it because it was perfect, because I have animals and there is not a lot around that has space for horses but is a manageable size. And I liked that my boys could be up one end of the house, have their own space, their own bathroom.”

The four-bedroom house was built in stages by the previous owner over 15 years but needed completing when Bergmuller moved in. She remodelled the newest part of the building, adding a laundry and supercharging the main bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe and the en suite.

“I spent a fortune on my en suite!” she says. “The tiles are a really beautiful sort of pink with a green marble through it. I got them from National Tiles, and they actually featured the bathroom on one of their adverts.”

This luxury zone Bergmuller has created for herself – with its designer tapware, an antique timber door from India and custom artwork behind the headboard by local artist Prudence Caroline, designed “with my tiles in mind” – is what Bergmuller will miss the most. Not least because she found the process of creating her own home empowering.

“I have always loved interior design but unfortunately never got to add my flair in any house I lived in while married,” she says. “So, it was very important to me to create something special that was mine alone.”

Beyond the main suite, the property is a haven for teens, too, with space for a basketball court, soccer field and the land to build endless tracks and jumps for their motorbikes.

Bergmuller also put in the swimming pool, which she designed with the help of Torquay Pools. She says it was the largest they had built at the time. The adjoining expanse of covered decking facilitates year-round entertaining and additional vantage points from which to enjoy the great outdoors.

“We’re just outdoor people,” Bergmuller says. “[The boys] are always out building things in the river; they’ve got their surfboards, quad bikes; we’re always busy.”

Which is part of the problem. As a single mother with multiple work commitments and weekend sports, the property is proving to be a challenge.

“I’m working a lot more now than I was in 2019 and I’m struggling to look after the land, to keep up with the mowing by myself, even though I’m a gardener,” she laughs. “You know what’s it like – you don’t look after your own.”

Bergmuller says the property would suit families of any age, or anyone seeking some fresh air and solace but needing to remain connected to the community, with the Geelong CBD, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds train station and M1 freeway all within an easy commute.

“Mostly it’s a farmhouse, but it’s also a designer house, too,” she says. “I imagine [potential buyers as] someone who has a child who wants a horse, kids with motorbikes or people who want to be close to the beaches and Torquay but want more space and privacy.”

As for Oakie the horse, he will be staying with the family, although he won’t be within view of Bergmuller’s bath anymore. Bergmuller rides him regularly and they “team pen” (“That’s chasing cows”) together, so she will agist him on nearby land.

The family’s adorable pygmy goats, Beatrix and Bob, are on the hunt for a new home, but would no doubt like to stay put should the new owners feel inclined to make an offer.