'It was crying out to be rescued': Beautifully renovated historic Blue Mountains guesthouse for sale for $2 million

When Matthew Brown bought a rundown heritage home in the Blue Mountains, he didn’t expect to start running a guesthouse.

With the experience of renovating a few older terrace-style homes in inner Sydney, he was looking for a renovation project. But soon he was running the eight-room boutique accommodation spot in Mount Victoria.

With that “work in progress” complete, his creative side is ready for a new challenge, and the guesthouse is now for sale with a price guide of about $2 million.

“The fit-out is all fresh, everything is new,” he said. “There’s plenty of upside if someone wants to come in and work it harder than I have.

“I feel like I’ve breathed life back into this building.”

SOLD - $1,850,000

2-12 Closeburn Drive, Mount Victoria NSW 2786

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It’s a site with a long history in the hospitality industry. The house is believed to have built around 1890 after the land was bought by Mary Theresa Alice Kirkpatrick, the wife of an Indian army officer.

Known as Closeburn House from the outset, it has operated at various times as a guesthouse, home for unwed mothers and their babies, and rest home, before being leased for private rental in the 1950s and 1960s and falling somewhat into disrepair.

Later, in the 1990s it was extensively renovated, with a new restaurant added, with the location opened for weddings and conferences in 1991.

After

Before

Fast forward to when Mr Brown bought the property – looking “really rundown” –  in May 2017, with an eye towards restoration.

“You could see underneath that it was a really beautiful home,” Mr Brown said. “I’ve kind of bought it as a renovation project.”

He hadn’t anticipated it operating it as a guest house so soon, but circumstances came together and as he said, “it was almost like it was fate.”

With eight rooms, it was a manageable size, and Mr Brown had gone out of the way to source local produce, including showcasing local beers and wines.

After

Before

With “fantastic guests”, he said, he’d thoroughly enjoyed the experience, even if he’d not operated a property like it before.

Having worked in an accounting-based environment in connection to retail, property and asset management, Mr Brown had seen plenty of hotels, cafes and restaurants, and had a good idea of what worked and what didn’t.

“I’ve just drawn on all that, and then thrown all that into here,” he said.

Mr Brown also had experience renovating older homes and found working on those kinds of properties as a bit of a creative outlet.

After

Before

“I love the older houses, the history that comes with them. I’ve always sort of had a real affinity with heritage property,” Mr Brown said.

“When I saw it, it was crying out to be rescued. It had been neglected for quite some time.”

He explained that he’d had in his mind what he wanted from the renovation, and it wasn’t another older-style setup full of antiques and dark wood – but something modern, while still respecting the history of the property.

And, he said, he felt that he’d been “pretty lucky” that there’s been nothing in the way of unpleasant surprises during the renovation process.

“In a way, I’d assumed that there’d be lots of problems and nothing was going to work,” Mr Brown said. “I just sort of assumed everything was shot.”

It turned out to be more neglect, with the bigger challenges coming from getting the overgrown blackberries out of the garden to reveal rhododendrons and azaleas, while dealing with some adverse weather conditions.

Agent Katrina Allport, from Ray White Blackheath, described Closeburn House as a property of historical significance in excellent shape, in an interesting little Blue Mountains village.

She said the property was priced at about $2 million.

“It’s had a full refurbishment and renovation; it’s immaculate,” she said.  “Pretty much flawless.”

Ms Allport added that it offered the opportunity to walk into a successful business as a one-man show, or the chance to expand into something like an upmarket wedding venue.

With room for 90 people in the dining room and a brand new commercial kitchen, there was also space for a restaurant or something similar, she said.

“There’s a potential there for a lifestyle change, or to run your own business.”

As Mount Victoria was somewhat of a lifestyle destination, Ms Allport said, demand remained steady in the market, and the number of homes for sale was low and would remain that way.

It was also a good spot for travellers to explore west of the mountains, with Oberon, Jenolan Caves and Hartley within easy reach.

Records show there have been 10 residential house sales in the suburb this year, ranging from $210,000 to $725,000. At the moment, in nearby Blackheath, there is another luxury guest house up for sale, priced at $2.5 million.