Historic Coragulac House mansion selling after complete refurbishment

A stately restored 30-room bluestone mansion in the Western District offers a lavish window into Victoria’s colonial heritage.

Coragulac House is considered one of the most significant homes in the area and has become a popular wedding venue in recent years.

Owners Garry and Sharyn Gibson and their son Harrison are selling the 57ha property after 10-year mission to return the 1873 homestead to its former glory.

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The serial heritage renovator bought 895 Corangamite Lake Rd, Coragulac, in 2012 and embarked on their most ambitious refurbishment project yet.

“What really thrilled us about this property is that because it had been in the hands of the one family for 60-odd years they had basically made no changes to the property, with the exception that they put a door through one end of the dining room, so all the original fixtures and fittings were retained,” Mr Gibson said.

“It was very sound structurally and in quite good condition but it was in dire need of some updates in terms of the utility rooms and the bathrooms and soft furnishing so we set about refurbishing.”

The epic scale of the homestead is revealed in its twin conical towers, grand reception hall, a drawing room featuring marble columns, an impressive billiard room with an Art Nouveau stained glass clerestory windows, nine bedrooms, three kitchens and a large cellar.

Wood carvings by famed artist Robert Prenzel, whose work also features at Werribee Mansion, are among ornate decorative details added during a major extension in the early 1900s.

Architect Guyon Purchas oversaw those lavish alterations for Coragulac House’s second owner, Andrew Spence Chirnside, who bought the home in from pioneering pastoralist George Pringle Robertson in 1901.

The Gibsons have done most of the refurbishment work themselves, staying true to the home’s rich character.

Perhaps their proudest achievement has been reinvigorating the dining room, which was so dark “it felt like living in a cave” before they worked their magic.

They also converted the former maids’ quarters into self-contained two-bedroom accommodation.

“It was probably the worst area within the homestead itself so we had to do something with it so we have completely renovated it,” Mr Gibson said.

“It was every surface – floors, walls, ceilings – and we have been using it since 2018 as guest accommodation.”

Opening the property up for weddings also seemed like a natural progression, given his background in hospitality.

“Wedding ceremonies are usually in the gardens around the homestead and the photography is inside and the reception itself is down in the old coach house and stable, which we have also renovated but kept all the rustic features,” he said.

A separate cottage, built in the 1970s as a field station for Monash University, offers another accommodation option.

The property, which is about 10 minutes’ drive from Colac, is still used for grazing, with its volcanic soils suitable for livestock, horses or other horticultural pursuits.

Charles Stewart, Colac selling agent Anthony McDonald is calling for expressions of interest in Coragulac House by November 15, with a price guide of more than $4.5m.

Originally published as Landmark bluestone mansion Coragulac House restored to former glory

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