15 Verlin Street, Castlemaine VIC 3450

There is a particular kind of stillness that settles over a garden more than a century in the making. At Pear Tree Cottage, it arrives the moment you turn off the road. A sandy driveway curves in under old fruit trees. Blossom drifts across stone terracing built by hand long before this was a suburb of Castlemaine at all. And there, low against the hillside, sits a Victorian cottage of the gold rush days, dating to 1853, its green corrugated roofline and cream rendered walls just visible through the branches.

This is a property that rewards slow looking. Inside the original cottage, three bedrooms sit at the front, each framed by handsome period six-over-six windows and looking out over the garden. One holds an open fireplace dressed in a dark timber surround, its mantel and mirror giving the room an old-world formality. The third, more modest room, suits a home office or a quiet retreat from the rest of the house. At the heart of the cottage is a separate lounge with its own open fireplace in a warm timber surround, a tall window drawing the northern light in across the room, and enough space for a good armchair and a stack of books.

A later addition extends the home to the rear, and it has been done with a light hand. The country-style kitchen sits at the centre of an open living and dining space, with its timber and stone benchtops, a freestanding gas cooktop and a dishwasher set beneath a window that frames the stone-walled garden beyond. The adjoining living area is warmed by a solid wood heater set against a rustic stone back, and cooled by a split system for the warmer months, with glass sliding doors opening to a side terrace for morning coffee or a long lunch outdoors. The updated bathroom continues the same considered feel, fitted with a walk-in shower, a freestanding bath, a separate vanity, a separate toilet and its own laundry.

Outside is where Pear Tree Cottage truly asks to be wandered. Stone walls and terracing step down through the garden, shaped by generations before this one. Paths ramble between established trees underplanted with spring bulbs, leading to quiet sitting spots tucked out of the wind. From certain corners of the garden, the historic Burke and Wills Monument comes into view above the treeline, a reminder of just how close you are to town. Three sheds are set throughout the grounds, offering close to 100sqm of additional storage or workshop space, and the property is offered across two titles on three crown allotments (4699sqm (approx.).

For all its sense of seclusion, Pear Tree Cottage sits just 1.1km from central Castlemaine, an easy walk in for morning coffee or dinner in town. The Goldfields Track passes close by, ready to lead you out to Chewton, while a short stroll up Lyttleton Street brings you to the bushland trails of Kalimna Park. It is a special kind of address that lets you feel worlds away while being only five minutes from everything Castlemaine has to offer.

A home like this does not come to market often. Pear Tree Cottage is a special chance to own a piece of Castlemaine's early history, cared for and gently added to, ready for its next custodian.

Property Features

• Area Views
• Carpeted
• Close to Schools
• Close to Shops
• Close to Transport
• Historic
• Open Fireplace
• Outdoor Entertaining Area
• Shed
• Split System Heating
• Water Tank