Built circa-1880s, 5 Wolseley Cres, Blackburn, has since been owned by three different families and is now for sale once again.
A time capsule Blackburn homestead which dates back more than 130 years has hit the market with a $2m-$2.2m range.
The circa-1880s house at 5 Wolseley Cres is even believed to have a historic connection to a famous Australian painting by artist Frederick McCubbin, who previously lived in the same street.
Set on a 1106sq m block, the stately abode was originally established in the Blackburn Park estate that’s now part of the Whitehouse City Council area.
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The house is listed under a heritage overlay which the council has placed on significant local sites.
The facade is made from Hawthorn bricks, a type of brick handmade in Melbourne in the 1800s.
The residence also has a slate roof, high ceilings, formal and informal living zones, and a north-facing backyard.
Woodards’ Rachel Waters said the property still had a well and outhouse toilet in the garden.
She added that the kitchen had been updated, potentially in the 1940s, and that the house would require some work due to its age.
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The kitchen was updated in roughly the 1940s.
The property has been recognised within the City of Whitehorse Heritage Review.
There’s still an old-world feel to some of the rooms.
Ms Waters said that at the time the home was built, Blackburn was a popular holiday destination for Melburnians.
“Rumour has it that they built this home to get people to buy a house in the area, when they were on holiday,” she said.
The homestead has been owned by just three families across its lifetime, with the current owner planning to downsize.
“They have loved living there and there is a lovely, prestigious feel to the facade,” Ms Waters said.
“They have never wanted to leave because the home is close to everything they need.”
Ms Waters said this included Blackburn train station, Blackburn Village’s cafes and shops, and the Blackburn Lake Sanctuary.
Frederick McCubbin’s famous painting, A Bush Burial, is part of the Geelong Gallery’s collection. It is believed to have been painted in either Wolseley Cres, Blackburn, or Box Hill.
The house does require some work due to its age.
According to historic records, noted Australian painter Frederick McCubbin formerly lived near the Wolseley Cres house, although his ex-home has since been demolished.
One of his most well-known works, a 1890 painting titled Bush Burial, shows a small group of people standing around a grave.
McCubbin’s wife stood beside a specially-dug hole – with no-one actually buried in it – as a model for the painting.
While some art historians believe this took place in the McCubbin’s Wolseley Cres backyard – even potentially on land that is now part of no. 5 – others argue that Bush Burial was actually painted in Box Hill.
Artistic history aside, Ms Waters said the house would suit a buyer who wanted to restore it and potentially extend the rear, to create “an incredible home that you wouldn’t be able to replace in this day and age”.
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