The external features of the original Claremont homestead have been protected in council-approved plans for a renovation and extension of the house.
A Grade II listed original Waurn Ponds home has stood the test of time, despite its depressing appearance.
The house, Claremont, was built in the 1850s and remained in the Baum family from 1894 until 2021, when the last portion of the original property was sold for $2.1 million.
The house spent most of 2025 on the market to be listed as the most viewed property in Geelong on realestate.com.au in 2025.
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The new owners have since subdivided the homestead and put it back on the market with plans and permits for a project designed by Projekt Evolve that would see the original portion of the house rebuilt, while adding a large pavilion to the rear.
The home hit the market in February with price expectations that were ultimately reduced to a guide price of $580,000 to $620,000 without any buyers.
After another unsuccessful auction was planned in October, the property was put on the market.
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Artist renders show how approved plans would transform the old Claremont homestead at 16 Kinsmead St, Waurn Ponds.
Artist renders show how approved plans would transform the old Claremont homestead.
McGrath, Geelong agent Candice Costoso said the owners had indicated they would proceed with the project themselves.
The plans include retaining heritage features of the original house such as the red bricks, windows and front door, along with the wide veranda, hipped roof and original fireplaces and chimneys.
Claremont was the subject of a battle over heritage protection following an earlier application to demolish the house.
A property intrinsically linked to the Melbourne Cup was among the most viewed in Geelong in 2025.
St Albans Stud at 6-30 Homestead Drive, St Albans Park, is on the market for $6 million to $6.5 million.
Owners have preserved the grand interior of St Albans Stud.
St Albans Stud has a direct link with ten Melbourne Cup winners and a further thirteen through breeding lines, according to the Australian Racing Museum, but the eastern suburbs estate’s role in Phar Lap’s 1930 victory is probably the best known.
Legend has it that Phar Lap trainer Harry Telford quietly asked the then owners if he could secretly hide the famous horse at St Albans Stud after an apparent shooting attempt on Derby Day.
The Homestead Drive mansion, designed by Melbourne architect James T Conlan and built in 1873 for prominent horse trainer James Wilson, gives its name to the suburb of St Albans Park.
Whitford Newtown agent Peter Fort, who has listed the 3.4-hectare estate with a guide price of $6 million to $6.6 million, said the links to the Cup add to the romance surrounding the house.
The prestigious Barrabool Hills acreage Strathmile at 204 Andersons Rd, Barrabool is on the market.
Windows frame the rural view.
Retired Cats three-time premiership player Tom Hawkins and wife Emma’s Barrabool Hills farm
HF Richardson Newtown agent Matt Poustie has listed the 60.08ha Strathmile estate with a price guide of $5.1 million to $5.4 million.
“It’s beautiful rolling countryside, which is obviously what the Barrabool Hills is known for,” Mr Poustie said when the property first came on the market in October.
At its heart is a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home with an infinity pool and two separate guesthouse studios positioned to showcase the lush rural views over the Barrabool Hills towards Mount Moriac.
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