1180 Boolarra South - Mirboo North Road, Mirboo, VIC

Set on 2.13 acres along Boolarra South-Mirboo North Road, this single-level home looks out over the green hills of the Strzelecki Ranges, framed by mature trees, established garden beds and a productive orchard. Solid wood and travertine floors run through the home, and ducted heating and cooling, double glazing and solar are already in place, so the comfort and running-cost work has been done before you arrive.

The kitchen and dining area is the heart of the home, and it is a proper farmhouse kitchen. Solid timber benchtops sit over white cabinetry, with a double sink, a stainless dishwasher, a servery to the adjoining room and a stunning Fisher & Paykel oven framed by a stunning custom tile feature wall. Alongside it, a woodburning stove adds warmth and character and will earn its keep through a Gippsland winter. Glazed doors and a wide opening lead straight onto the timber deck, so a weekend breakfast or a summer gathering moves easily between inside and out, with the hills as the backdrop.

The living room centres on a stone-clad chimney breast and brick-lined fireplace, the perfect spot for a glass of wine and a great book. For many buyers, the standout will be the generous family room at one end of the house with banks of windows and recessed lighting currently a natural library and studio space. It would suit working from home, a creative practice or a second living zone for a growing family.

The floor plan features four bedrooms, including a primary bedroom with built-in robes and three further bedrooms, each with built-in storage. The bathroom is a genuine retreat, with a freestanding soaking tub set beneath a wide window that takes in the views, a large walk in shower and a vessel basin. A separate WC and a laundry with linen storage complete the layout.

Outside, the orchard and garden beds give keen growers a head start and give children room to roam. There is a dam, a 10 x 5 metre garage/shed and an 8 x 6 metre shed with a fireplace for tools, projects and equipment, water tanks, four car spaces and a long driveway that sets the home well back from the road.

The location is a large part of the appeal. The home sits between Mirboo North and Boolarra, two Strzelecki Ranges towns roughly 20 minutes’ drive apart.

Mirboo North is known locally as the Mural Town, with large painted scenes from the district’s history covering the walls of its heritage buildings. It has good cafés, a gift and craft store in the old butter factory, the restored railway station now serving as a community centre, and the Baromi Park playground. Families are well served by a primary school, secondary college and medical centre. The town is also the halfway point of the 134 kilometre Grand Ridge Road, one of Gippsland’s great scenic drives. Just north of town, the Lyrebird Forest Walk is a 4.8 kilometre loop through cool, fern-filled bush.

The Grand Ridge Rail Trail links the two towns along the original 1880s railway line. Over 13 kilometres it winds through forest that has regenerated since the 2009 fires, past farmland and meadow, and across two arch bridges, including one over the Little Morwell River wetlands where birdlife is plentiful. Darlimurla, roughly halfway, has a picnic rotunda and a short detour to the Big Tree. By bike, the trip takes a little over an hour each way.

At the Boolarra end, the trail finishes at Railway Park, beside the old mill site. The town has a general store, a colonial-era pub with a strong local following, and the Boolarra Folk Festival every February. Leongatha is about 25 minutes from Mirboo North for larger shopping, and Melbourne is roughly two hours away.