At home with history

Befitting its title as an ‘Upper Hunter jewel,’ it is easy to be transported back in time by the grand entrance hallway, ten black marble fireplaces, vast, sun-lit entertaining areas and seven large bedrooms. High decorative  ceilings and ornamental plaster mouldings complement the handcrafted  doors and beautiful polished floors. All this is set around a rectangular, Italian style paved courtyard, hedges and manicured lawns, complete with a large fountain, adjacent pool and tennis court.
This iconic Scone property has been Kate Fraser’s home for the past 63 years and a part of her family for four generations. It is understandable when Kate speaks about the pending sale of this stately property, and the adjoining land, there is a touch of sadness and a hint of regret that she will no longer call it home.

Kate recently moved to a smaller property on the other side of Scone, along with some of their much-loved horses. She jokes about an absence of cupboards in the Middlebrook Rd home butis gradually settling in to her new abode. “It has taken a fair bit of adapting. There isn’t a cupboard where I want it to be and there are so many windows that it’s been hard placing furniture. But it’s comfortable for us. My hope now is that St Aubins goes to someone who appreciates it.” 
St Aubins homestead was marketed for $1.6m by MacCallum Inglis Scone in conjunction with Sotheby Sydney, with the adjacent land marketed for $2.1m. The property has recently been sold to a local buyer who plans to bring the property back to its former glory.

Read more in Edition 92, Summer 2018/2019 of Hunter & Coastal Lifestyle Magazine.
Story: Frances O’Shea, photography courtesy of McCallum Inglis and Katrina Partridge