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The first thing you notice about Melrose — Deborah Hambleton’s home in Malmsbury — is the garden.
It didn’t always look like this. When Deborah and her husband Robert first set eyes on the property 18 years ago, it was a ‘somewhat derelict’ 1860s bluestone cottage and a bare horse paddock. But, the couple could see its potential.
‘We loved the character of the house,’ says Deborah. ‘It’s location near the Botanic Gardens and the small country town, as well as the convenience of the railway and being a mid-point between Bendigo and Melbourne, was great too.’
Deborah and Robert completely renovated the home, drawing inspiration from their time spent living in India as well as their love of Mediterranean homes and gardens.
A key element they wanted to include was a central courtyard — to connect the sprawling garden with the home.
‘The design of the home makes it very liveable,’ says Deborah. ‘We love to throw the doors to the courtyard open in the evenings after a hot summer day to bring in the cool air… every day this small integrated garden brings nature into our home.’
Thanks to the couple’s determination to use as many recycled materials as they could, Melrose today is the sum of what it was in 1860 — and more.
Bluestone rescued from under the old kitchen has been repurposed around the property and the old kitchen itself is now the garden shed; bricks from the chimney can be found in the pathways around the kitchen garden; and the corrugated iron from the stables has been used to line the pool shed.
After 18 years, Deborah and Robert are ready for their next project — another historic home and garden — and have decided to put their beloved Melrose on the market.
Deborah says she’ll miss her beautiful garden the most, in particular ‘being able to relax by the pool and swim in the evenings, have morning tea with the chooks in the veggie garden and sit on the verandah overlooking the rose and perennial garden, and to the town beyond.’
She hopes the new owners will love it as much as she does; ‘The hard work has been done,’ she says. ‘It’s at a stage now to be enjoyed.’
33 Clowes Street, Malmsbury, is being listed with Belle Property with expressions of interest closing April 8.
