Tallagandra Hill has evolved from a traditional winery to a vibrant, award-winning event, cultural and tourism destination. Photos: Ray White.
The ultimate “choose your own adventure” property lies at 1692 Murrumbateman Road in the heart of Gundaroo.
Under the cloak of a picturesque country estate, Tallagandra Hill is a multi-stream revenue enterprise that will work as hard as its new owners want it to.
Over the past decade, owners David Faulks and Mary McAvoy have meticulously transformed Tallagandra Hill from a traditional vineyard into an environmentally sustainable operation and then into a vibrant, award-winning wedding, cultural, and tourism destination.
Spread across 15.3 ha, the property comprises a main residence tucked away from a multi-faceted business operation linking events, wine experiences and weekenders.
At the heart is the events hall/function venue. With breathtaking interiors characterised by heritage timber features, this 200-capacity venue includes a commercial kitchen, a separate bar and a mezzanine level with a boardroom, positioning it perfectly for weddings and corporate and private events.
Built for more than wine sales and tastings, the cellar door is a bespoke venue in its own right. It seats 50, with an outdoor courtyard for a further 80 and has its own commercial kitchen, playground and parking.
Beautifully decked out with everything guests need for a getaway, three self-contained bespoke cottages set alongside the vineyard each boast a deck with valley views.
All the hard work of building a brand is done. With outsourced winemaking and an incumbent catering team, the only thing left for a new owner to do is step in and steer.
“It’s that multi-faceted nature with multiple-income streams that sets Tallagandra Hill apart,” Chris Dixon of Ray White Canberra says.
“The ability to live onsite and have a rural lifestyle and then dial up or down the various businesses so you can play to your strengths or interests.”
The music venue has hosted hundreds of artists, including Jimmy Barnes, Kate Ceberano, Troy Cassar-Daley and The Waifs, with an average of 30 music shows and 30 private events per year.
Five of the 15-plus ha are under vines irrigated via dam and licensed bore, including Vermentino, Viognier, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Cabernet Franc. Most have won awards.
The various revenue streams, including the award-winning winery, can be dialled up or down as you please.
By weaving together world-class live music, bespoke accommodation and wine experiences, what results is a de-risked rural dream with diversified income streams backed by established contractors.
“The parties interested to date have been more about the wedding, events and music streams of business and less about the growing of grapes. But if you are into winemaking, you can have a captive audience of customers enjoying great music and having their special events at Tallagandra Hill,” Chris.
“Aspects of the winery can be outsourced, as David and Mary have been doing, or you could outsource the entire vineyard and focus on events, if you wanted.
“There’s an incumbent caterer, Bella’s Feast, taking care of the food side of the business.
“We’ve had people come through who said they would just like to live in the main residence and enjoy that rural lifestyle, and drive income by simply leasing out the cottage accommodation. That home could just as easily be absorbed into the business side as overflow accommodation for events.
“It’s very much an opportunity to be shaped to people’s different needs and desires.”
With four bedrooms, multiple living areas, and a lovely upstairs office overlooking the vines, the main residence in itself offers a flexible floor plan.
Set away from the main operations of Talagandra Hill, this architecturally designed homestead offers privacy, vineyard views and a comfortable country farmhouse feel perfect for the setting.
It also has lovely, private gardens, a terrace to the rear with a spa and good shedding.
“The greatest drawcard of Tallagandra Hill is that you can take what’s there and, with minimal additional investment, create something specific to your needs,” Chris says.
This remarkable property is rich in additional features, including a massive wine shed complete with pallet racking, a back-up diesel generator and separate machinery storage.
True to David and Mary’s sustainable goals, a solar system serves the cottages, events centre, cellar door, winery and irrigation, and there are plentiful water tanks.
Tallagandra Hill is located 10 minutes from Gundaroo Village, 14 minutes from Sutton, 16 minutes from Murrumbateman, 30 minutes from inner-city Canberra and the airport and 2.5 hours from Sydney.
The price guide is $3.2 million to $3.5 million.
For more information on Tallagandra Hill, contact Chris Dixon and check out all the hottest listings on Zango.
Original Article published by Dione David on Region Canberra.
