Two houses formerly owned by Harold Holt up for grabs

A pair of period cottages once owned by the wife of Prime Minister Harold Holt are on the market in Melbourne’s inner city.

Expressions of interest are sought now for 18-20 Day Street in South Yarra, before the period closes at 5.30pm on December 3.

Expression of Interest closing Tue 3 Dec 5.30pm

18-20 Day Street, South Yarra VIC 3141

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Surrounded by a high facade that completely screens them off from the street, the cottages were once the home of two of Dame Zara Holt’s sons and their wives.

While Dame Zara’s three sons were born during her first marriage to British military officer James Heywood Fell, the Australian Dictionary of Biography succintly notes that two of them were “probably (Harold) Holt’s sons”.

She had met Holt, then a law student at the University of Melbourne, in the mid-1920s.

On their marriage in 1946, Holt legally adopted her three sons and today they all bear his name.

The rumours add an intriguing backstory to the Day Street cottages, in particular the high wall around them and its potential purpose.

Outside the realm of historical gossip, the properties offer possibilites and potential in the Domain district.

The two semi-detached Victoria period brick cottages are both comfortably appointed but could also lend themself to rewarding renovation projects, subject to council approval.

The property boasts three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a parking spot.

Within the walls, there are also northern-facing gardens, and each cottage is independent of the other.

Location-wise, the cottages are also close to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Fawkner Park, the Domain Road restaurant strip, and tram routes to the rest of the city.

It is less than a kilometre away from South Yarra Primary School, and just over 2km away from Prahran High School.

It remains, however, a bit of a trip from that other major Melbourne piece of Prime Minister Harold Holt’s legacy – the memorial swimming pool named for him in Glen Iris, after his disappearance and presumed drowning at sea in 1967.