As Cathy and Gustaf wound their way around the curved driveway of the property at 3 Snows Road, Stirling while on a long weekend stay from Melbourne, the couple opened the car door and watched as their dog leapt from the vehicle and hopped, skipped and jumped towards the residence in sheer delight.

As they journeyed deeper onto the land, the property revealed itself to the trio – sharing its long-standing garden, beautiful stone walls and old-world charm – and they knew they had to stay.

“We like to joke that we moved states because of our dog, but in reality, we all fell in love with this place – it just has something magical about it,” Cathy says.

Cathy and Gustaf made Brechin Lodge their home, embracing all the beauty the 1890s bakery-turned-residence had to offer and helping enhance its already remarkable character.

When the bakery was turned into a four-bedroom, two-bathroom residence, an extension was added using the same local stone to preserve the property’s original charm.

Cathy says the home harks to its former life with old elements renewed, such as the baking oven being made a cupboard in the dining room: “Where the loaves used to be placed, that is where we keep our wine bottles.”

Although resembling its old-world self, the home required plenty of hard work from Cathy and Gustaf who enhanced and repaired the property to return it to its former glory.

The couple started by replacing the fences before making their way through the garden and into the home – adding modern upgrades and pulling back overgrowth to reveal a long-forgotten history.

“The entrance hall is large and welcoming, it is definitely the heart of the home,” Cathy says. “Walking into its embrace, the home opens with a sitting room on the left and straight ahead is a library that creates a wing for the bedrooms and office.

“To the entrance’s right, there is the dining room, the kitchen and the sunroom which look out to the camelia garden.

“Outside the glazed wall is a hedge and, when it flowers, it is like a waterfall of blooms. Ever changing, there is always something new to see from the windows – there is a fresh flush of flowers from one month to the next.

“There is always a sense of surprise when it comes to what is blooming, flourishing and flowering in the garden.”

The old garage can be opened up to reveal the garden in its entirety and create an ideal space for hosting indoor-outdoor garden parties when the weather is fine.

Each season in the expansive garden brings with it new blooms, growth and the wildlife that calls it home; it is simply waiting for a keen eye to uncover its secrets.

“This home possesses magic for all ages – our nieces and nephews love it; our parents love it; and we love it,” Cathy says. “It is a home for all generations to enjoy.”

After almost a decade in their Stirling home, Cathy and Gustaf have been presented with an opportunity to move to a larger acreage on the south coast.

“We decided to take the opportunity and bring what we have learned from this home, and hopefully some of its magic, with us as we go through that journey of discovery once again.” 

Ready now to embark on their next adventure, Cathy and Gustaf can’t wait for a new family to embrace the magic of Brechin Lodge.

The sale is being handled by Dee-Anne Hunt of Williams Real Estate.