Dear Reader,
Allan Gill and I were fortunate to purchase this unique property in October 2011 after selling our flat in Kings Cross.
Burradoo is a hamlet subdivision just beyond Bowral, about one third of the distance from Sydney to Canberra and 90 minutes on the F5 freeway. The northern part of Burradoo is formed by the streets between the main southern railway and Moss Vale Road.
Hunting Lodge is built on the rear of a large original estate which has been subdivided as a ‘battleaxe’ block. The land is one fifth of a hectare (just over 2000 square metres or half an acre). The house was built 13 years ago by Bowral decorator Anne Gaff and her husband Fred who is now deceased. They took great pains to site the house in such a position that most of the main rooms face north, towards a symmetrical lawn with rose garden on the east side and conservatory/barbecue area on the west.
The garden was designed by Joan Arnold and comprises hedges for privacy, almost completely separating the driveway from the house itself. Hidden from view, the long drive curves around to a porte-cochere and a circular return with garage beyond. The garden has numerous fruiting and ornamental trees. These include apple, cherry, pear, peach, plum, crab apple, persimmon, kaffir lime, three varieties of lemon and a navel orange tree. There is a large old pinoak tree, a glorious 13 year old blue spruce, beech and silver birch trees.
We feel very privileged to own a house in such surroundings and need to pinch ourselves occasionally to be reminded that it is all for real. Just for the record, there are a number of crazy coincidences including the name of my grandfather’s house in Ramsgate which was “Ranelagh”, after the suburb in Dublin. Also, my father was sent to boarding school in Bowral at an early age. 'Our Lady of the Sacred Heart' school is now long closed down … it was on the north side of the line on Centennial Road not far from the railway station. There are now some vineyards and an exclusive winery on the hill behind the old school site, all in view of the ever-present Mount Gibraltar ("The Gib") to the south.
We hope that all our friends will visit Hunting Lodge at some stage soon. Allan has an open-door policy at any time but a phone call would be appreciated so he can boil the kettle. Andrew remains in his Sydney residence in Francis Hall.
Andrew's surgery web page: http://methadone-research.blogspot.com/
