Transforming a Jamberoo homestead into a stylish entertainment haven was a labour of love for media personality Lyndey Milan and her late partner John Caldon.
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"It was a nice enough house before (it was transformed), but it was built around the wrong way," Milan said.
"The front door was overlooking where the hillside, where the croquet lawn is.
"People used to park at the front, and there was sliding glass doors that went in next to this kitchen, small kitchen with two doorways. So they'd walk in that way.
"I said to John when I first went there, 'this house has been built around the wrong way. The front door should be at the front'."
The house was a 1990s project home, until a renovation added a new wing and a central kitchen/dining room with soaring ceilings.
Milan helped redesign the kitchen and entertaining area.
The home has become an entertainer's dream, hosting parties for up to 80 people.
Milan laughed and said Mr Caldon enjoyed "filling the place with people, which is all very well and good because he didn't cook".
"I said, 'if you want 12 people staying here, we've got to re-do the kitchen'.
"So I said, 'let's just fix the house, let's just reverse it'. We got a friend to project manage it for us, and it just transformed it.
"By moving the kitchen to where it was, the kitchen's part of the action, it's the centre of the house.
"As a food person and someone who has done a few kitchens in my time, the kitchen is perfect. There's drawers on both sides of that big bench, so I would have all the cooking stuff on the cooking side and all the serving stuff on the other side.
"Just a really good use of space, and easy for access, and it also gave you somewhere to put out the food, because I used to tend to always put it out so people could help themselves."
The 7.47-acre property, 'Green Park', located at 168 Nuninuna Drive, Jamberoo has been listed for sale.
It has a price guide of $3.5 million, and will be auctioned on November 7.
The winding, all weather road leads to the secluded homestead that has been a weekender getaway for celebrity cook and food writer Milan, and her partner of 14 years, the late Mr Caldon.
The six-bedroom, five-bathroom property has operated as a successful holiday rental for many years.
According to CoreLogic, he purchased the Jamberoo property in 1996 for $566,000.
Known as the 'Australian home cook hero', Milan is a long-time TV chef, book author and restaurant critic.
Milan is also creative director of Flame Media, an international TV production and distribution company with offices around the world and Flame Studio in Sydney.
Mr Caldon, an investment banker and entrepreneur, died of complications of lung cancer in February.
He is widely considered to have helped revolutionise investment banking in Australia, and was a founding director of Macquarie Bank in 1984.
Features of the property include a horse paddock to the east of the house with dam; an irrigated croquet lawn; fruit trees/orchard, herb and vegetable garden; and a large storage shed with roller doors and entry door.
A keen player of the game, the croquet lawn is among Milan's favourite features.
"When the croquet lawn finished, we had the grand opening of the croquet lawn and everyone wore period costume," she said.
"I used to say, until we re-did the house, 'we've got a croquet lawn with a house attached'," she laughed. "But now the croquet lawn has got the house it deserves."
She said her "pride and joy" was the woodfired oven on the deck.
Read more: Property Suburb in the Spotlight: Jamberoo
Prior to Mr Caldon's death, the couple had been dividing their time between Sydney and London to run their TV business.
"We really weren't using it," she said of the Jamberoo home. "We had talked about selling it, but we certainly hadn't actioned it."
Having since decided to sell, Milan said she would be sad to part with the property.
"We've had some amazing times down there," she said.
"We've had some incredible parties. I had my 60th birthday there.
"And yet it's a lovely, quiet place."
Furniture, linen, white goods, games and books are available for negotiation after the sale.
The outdoor equipment, including ride-on lawnmower and gardening equipment is also negotiable.
Selling agent, Angie De Battista from Ray White Kiama said it was rare to find an acreage of this size which is manageable for a family to live in, or alternatively continue to operate as a successful holiday home.
"The tranquility is incredible and the property so private," she said.
"Lyndey and the late John Caldon have had many requests over the years to facilitate weddings, and there is certainly potential to do so."
Brendan Crabb
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
