Peninsula Grammar buys Santa’s Place Christmas farm, Moorooduc
Santa’s Place has sold. And a local private school has been revealed as the buyer of the Mornington Peninsula’s most festive address in a deal that took more than a year to complete.
You better not shout. You better not cry.
Santa’s Place has sold to a local private school, and we’re telling you why.
The Mornington Peninsula’s home of Christmas, a 10.72ha farm at 320 Bentons Rd, Moorooduc, that’s been dedicated to Christmas trees and decorations for the past two decades, has changed hands in a deal more than a year in the making.
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But the price is a tighter secret than what makes Rudolph’s nose red, and only known to be above the suburb’s former $3.4 million record.
Rumours Peninsula Grammar bought the property to build a new sporting complex appear to have been confirmed as title documents updated late December 19 now show The Peninsula School as the sole proprietor.
Principal Stuart Johnston earlier this month told the Herald Sun they were “unable to announce any land purchases”.
“Peninsula Grammar is always examining different ways of improving the school’s facilities and/or infrastructure,” Mr Johnston said.
Fittingly, the long-awaited sale settled just days before Christmas, but the local institution’s operators Ron and Judy Reaper have confirmed they will continue selling trees this year and next — and that their daughter, Ange Moss, is looking for a new home for Santa’s Place.
Mr Reaper said he would miss the smiles of families and children coming to pick out a tree each year.
“It has been a wonderful 20 years and we have met a lot of interesting people,” Mr Reaper said.
“But it’s time to hang up the boots, we are getting on a bit.”
With Christmas tree season in full swing, Mr Reaper’s typical day includes eight hours with a chainsaw in hand.
“We drive people on a tractor or a trolley and let them pick their tree — because we want people to take home a fresh tree,” he said.
RON REAPER’S CHRISTMAS TREE TIPS
– Keep it well watered;
– Add a teaspoon of bleach to the water to kill bacteria;
– Keep it away from heating vents and ducts;
– Keep it away from airconditioning;
– Keep it away from sunny window spaces;
– Avoid placing it in warm rooms.
Despite knowing the time to sell had come, it was still a sad occasion for Mr Reaper.
“It did take a while, and when we got to the end of it I didn’t know what I was feeling,” he said.
“When you sell a house it’s usually four to six weeks and it’s all excitement. So with that gone out of the sale, it’s almost sadness.
“It has been a wonderful part of my life. But Christmas will still be a big part of my life.”
Mrs Moss plans to take the reins from a new address in the new year.
After devoting more than half her life to Christmas, she’s looking forward to continuing the business somewhere nearby on the peninsula.
“I’m hoping to find a new home by the end of January,” Mrs Moss said.
The festive season has been a central part of her life for 25 years, since she first started selling Christmas trees from her parents’ nursery — before they established Santa’s Place.
“For the first year I worked out of a tent cutting fresh Christmas trees with my infant baby and it just grew and grew from there,” Mrs Moss said.
“Christmas decorations change like homewares and fashion does.
“There’s always a traditional set, but there are also always new colours and designs and that’s really exciting — to see what’s new.”
The Reapers also called the 320 Bentons Rd property home, with a five-bedroom house on site included in the sale.
CoreLogic records show an 8.09ha property at 275 Mornington-Tyabb Rd sold for $3.4 million in 2017, Moorooduc’s price benchmark at the time.
Shortly after the Bentons Rd property was put under contract early this month, McDermott Real Estate boss Craig McDermott confirmed that while he could not reveal the price, it eclipsed the Mornington-Tyabb Rd figure and would be a record.
However, the $4.5 million sale for 1236 Stumpy Gully Rd notched on December 12 is believed to have eclipsed the Santa’s Place price, which was last advertised at $4 million.
The land and the business were initially put up for sale at $5-$5.5 million in 2018, but were eventually separated to encourage a deal.
“I found I had people interested in one or the other, but not both,” Mr McDermott said.
“It was one of the most complex sales I have done in 25 years.”
Mrs Moss has already begun ordering stock for the new Santa’s Place store and is hoping to lock in a new home for it in January.
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Peninsula Grammar is yet to confirm rumours it intends to transform the site into a sporting complex or what it might feature.
Originally published as Peninsula Grammar buys Santa’s Place Christmas farm, Moorooduc