Bega home occupied by the same family for more than 130 years up for sale

Happiness is homemade, and for the Whyman family, that couldn’t ring more true as they bid farewell to their Bega home that has been under the family’s ownership for more than 130 years.

The charming and well-preserved residence at 78 Whymans Road, named after the family, sits on an elevated position with views across Bega Valley.

Affectionately known as Edington, the property has served as the family house since 1890, said sellers Sue and Dennis Whyman.

“Dennis’ great-grandfather, Thomas Whyman, actually moved to Bega in 1856 from Clavering in England and never returned,” Ms Whyman said.

“Thomas built the house in 1890 and remained here until his death in 1907.”

Thomas Whyman’s death was felt across the entire Bega Valley community, the local paper wrote at the time. 

“His death removes one of our oldest and finest types of pioneer, for it would be impossible to find a more industrious, upright, and honourable man,” it read.

A number of families have since descended from Thomas Whyman with Edington passed from one generation to another. By the time Sue and Dennis owned the house in 1968, the property had been through three generations.

Ms Whyman said that, during the 58 years she lived in Edington, she strived to keep the house in its original state after it was revamped in the 1950s.

“Dennis’ parents made a few changes to modernise the home, which I thought was a shame because there was so much character to it,” she said.

“They removed the french doors around the house and used it as built-in wardrobes, and a lot of the wrought iron lacework on the railing rod of the verandah was removed in that process.”

The couple spent several years restoring the home to its former glory. The french doors in the bedrooms were reinstated, and remnants of the wrought iron lacework were brought back to life.

They also installed new floorboards, renovated the kitchen and gave it a new roof.

“Before we moved here, we were living in the town centre because of work, but we decided to move up to Edington in an instant because it was flooding in town. We didn’t have any furniture, so we had to sleep on a mattress on the floor for a whole week,” Ms Whyman laughed.

“It’s funny when you think about it now but certainly not at the time.”

In its 131-year history, Edington has been through some rain, hail and two bushfires.

“It almost got burnt out in the 1952 Bega bushfires, and while a lot of the dairy and barn were destroyed, the house stood its ground,” Ms Whyman said.

“Then last year, we went through another great big bushfire, and our house came about four kilometres away from it. We stayed for as long as we could until the darkness and smoke became all too much, and then we went into town for safety.

“We said goodbye to the house, but when we came back, it was still standing.”

It’s a bittersweet sale for the couple who have many cherished memories of the home, including playing host to many relatives. But the memories made don’t come without heartache.

“We raised our two sons here, and 21 years ago, one of them passed away, so my husband and I decided to put our energy in establishing the gardens around the home in his honour … some roses, azure alliums and others,” Ms Whyman said.

“Whenever we went through some tough times, we gardened, and though it’s something quite sad, it was worthwhile and positive because now that garden is as beautiful as the memory of him.”

It wasn’t an easy decision to part with Edington, but Ms Whyman said it was time for someone else to love and cherish it as much as they did.