Country retreat for sale with 12 bodies buried in graves out the front
It has been described as a house with loads of character that “ticks every escape to the country box”, but this five-bedroom retreat also offers buyers a surprise beside its long driveway.
It has been described as a “cute” country-style cottage with Juliet balconies, wraparound verandas and a chook pen — there’s just an unusual feature set beside a dry stone wall.
The Wattamolla property about two hours’ drive southwest of Sydney has twelve bodies buried in an area just inside the front gate.
The corpses are in a series of marked and unmarked graves dating back to the pioneering period and were once part of a cemetery used back when Wattamolla had a town centre.
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It is understood the graves are deemed by local council as historically significant and cannot be removed from the property, but they are listed as private, meaning there are no visitation rights for families of the deceased.
Listing agent Graeme Smith of One Agency said the graves were getting a mixed response from prospective buyers.
“Probably half had no issue, 30 per cent saw it as a positive and about 20 per cent perceived it as a bad thing,” Mr Smith said.
He added that he didn’t think it was a “negative”.
Only about seven of the graves are visible and they are about 100m from the Wattamolla Rd property’s five-bedroom house, according to Mr Smith.
No photos have been taken of the gravesites but they are surrounded by black fencing.
The property is currently listed for just over $1.575 million and includes solar panels, rainwater tanks, a wood fired pizza oven and a double garage.
The home is among a variety of properties that have come up for sale in recent years with graves and bodies buried on site.
Most were churches converted into residential housing.
They included a converted chapel built in St Albans, a historic village 94km northwest of Sydney, which had at least seven heritage protected graves across the property. It changed hands in 2015 for $360,000.
A series of properties owned by the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania were listed last year with graves on title, but only one property has so far sold.
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The Tasmanian properties included St Luke’s Church in Judbury, St Anne’s Church in Lutana, St John the Baptist Church in Branxholm and blocks in Avoca and Gagebrook.
In some cases, the graves have meant the public needs clear access to the property.
Currently for sale is an old church in the Adelaide suburb of Old Noarlunga, which includes an operating cemetery with graves dating back to 1850.
It is being listed as a potential cafe, wine bar or bed and breakfast site and there are at least 100 graves on the property, some just metres from the church.
Originally published as Country retreat for sale with 12 bodies buried in graves out the front