The River Cottage Australia property at Central Tilba has gone on the market while host Paul West has temporarily moved his young family up to Newcastle.
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Bermagui real estate agent Julie Rutherford is the sole agent for the 22-acre property where the four series of the show was filmed for Lifestyle Food television. She is selling on behalf of Keo Properties, a division of Keo Films Australia.
Ms Rutherford said she expected the property to sell as soon as next week given the level of interest and offers already made on the property that is listed for $895,000.
“We’ve had a huge amount of interest, not only because of the River Cottage connection but also because it is such a beautiful spot with the size range that a lot of people are looking for.”
The iconic Tilba property at 173 Punkalla Road is nestled on the slopes of Gulaga Mountain and comes complete with the main three-bedroom, one-bathroom farm house, as well as a range of sheds and outbuildings, all featured in the show.
“The property includes a charming three-bedroom timber home which features high ceilings, sunny open plan living/dining rooms, modern kitchen with 'extra' cooking range area, slow combustion heating plus reverse-cycle air con, hardwood timber floors and French doors opening to split level decking. Outbuildings include a disused (brick) dairy, two silos and large shed/garage,” Ms Rutherford’s website reads.
“Fully fenced and with stunning rural views, this property is located only five minutes from Central Tilba, 20 minutes to Narooma and 10 to 15 minutes to Mystery Bay and Bermagui beaches.”
River Cottage Australia host Paul West meanwhile has moved up to the Newcastle area with his partner Alicia and two young sons, Otto and seven-week-old Bowie.
He is adamant that the move is only temporary so that he can be closer to his parents and family, who can help with the young boys, especially as he is doing a bit of travelling attending food shows and other events based on his notoriety from the show.
He said while the River Cottage Australia show was over, the brand might hopefully live on in another platform or medium.
“We definitely plan to be back down that way, and as you know, the South Coast gets under your skin and we are hooked on the area,” Mr West said. “I fully envision enrolling the two boys at Bermagui Public School when they get to that age.”
He said he made a lot of wonderful friends and met so many amazing people during the four years of filming the show and he wants to come back and continue those relationships. He and Alicia still have a house they purchased in Bermagui.
“We want to thank everyone for being so welcoming and accommodating when we moved to the area,” he said.
Packing up and saying good-bye to the farm was definitely hard.
“It was like losing an old friend – all the people I met there and amazing experiences I had and the food I cooked there, I will always remember it fondly,” he said.
And he is not giving up on being a primary producer and making a living from the land, although in the short to medium term he may have to go back being a chef in Newcastle, as he had “a growing number of mouths to feed”.
He already was working on a new urban veggie patch in his backyard and was hoping to continue producing, growing, harvesting and cooking when he moved back to the Far South Coast.
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Stan Gorton
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
