Blackdown is the former home of 2012 Archibald Prize winner Tim Storrier and his wife Janet.

The Storriers have now moved to “Hopewood” in Bowral, which was built in 1884 for well-known pastoralist Ben M. Osbourne and his wife Lucy Throsby. 

It is rumoured that the Storriers bought Hopewood for around $5.25 million.

James Thompson of The Professionals Bathurst said Blackdown went to auction in May and subsequently sold after an offer was made three months later. 

He said Blackdown is one of Bathurst’s renowned properties and the flagship of Eleven Mile Drive, where it sits in the company of “Alloway Bank” and “Kellosheil Park”. 

The name of the buyer and the purchase price is confidential for now, but it is believed to be about $2.5 million. 

Mr Thompson said the local buyer will be using it as their home. They will also run some livestock on it, and are considering opening the gardens for weddings and receptions.

Blackdown Farm dates back to April 1822 when Thomas Fitzher-bert Hawkins, naval officer and pioneer settler, was appointed the commissarial storekeeper at Bathurst.

Accompanied by his wife and seven children and nine convicts, Hawkins travelled from Sydney to Bathurst, an arduous 18-day journey. He selected a 2000-acre land parcel and called it Blackdown. 

The original homestead was built by Hawkins in 1823-1824 and it remains part of the main homestead residence today.

Additional outbuildings were constructed over time, including a mill, stables, coach house and servants’ quarters.

In about 1836, Blackdown became the site of the first vineyard west of the Blue Mountains. Around the same time, many of the trees were planted, including the entrance avenue of English elms and Atlantic cedars.

Mr Thompson said in 1989, Dr Ken and Helen Neale, who were the owners at the time, undertook a major restoration of the homestead, returning Blackdown to its near original condition. 

Helen Neale also planned and laid out the extensive Georgian gardens that cover 11 acres of parkland.

The last restoration of the property took place in 2008.

Mr Thompson said at that time it was extensively renovated and restored by renowned architects Clive Lucas Stapleton and Partners of Sydney.

He said the property features a series of buildings, including three convict-built cottages.

But perhaps one of the most beautiful features of the property are the extensive gardens within 17 hectares of planted and maintained parkland. This includes a crabapple tree walkway linking the homestead to the in-ground pool and clay tennis court. 

There is also an organic vegetable garden filled with raspberries, strawberries, artichokes, asparagus and rhubarb. 

Another feature is a fruit orchard with a mix of seasonal fruit, including apricots, nectar-ines, quince and feijoa.

However, the highlight might well be an olive grove of 650 mature olive trees. The fruit is picked annually and processed for personal consumption.