Ivanhoe East: World championship cyclist wheels his Art Deco-style castle onto the market
The intriguing Ivanhoe East home of world championship event cyclist Jeff Austin and his international retail design boss daughter Renee Ballard has been wheeled onto the market.
The Ivanhoe East Art Deco castle of world championship event cyclist Jeff Austin and his international retail design boss daughter Renee Ballard has been wheeled onto the market.
Austin represented Australia in the 1969 World Championships in then Czechoslovakia and was at one time an Olympic contender who regularly competed against eventual Australian Olympian twins Reno and Sal Sansonetti.
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“He was the original cyclist, before Lycra — he was in woollen skivvies,” Ms Ballard said.
His daughter and partner Chris run international retail design firm Lex Design Agency, working with Clarke’s Shoes in the US and Under Armour in the UK, as well as major brands including New Balance, Champion and Diesel.
And the 337 The Boulevard family home where Ms Ballard grew up before taking over the home four years ago after her father moved into care and her mother to an Albert Park apartment, now bears the hallmarks of both.
There are world championship cycling colours painted in the “mancave” where Austin kept his car collection, while Ms Ballard has given the main residence a style makeover — but stayed faithful to its unusual Art-Deco-meets-castle vibe.
“The house is kind of whimsical,” Ms Ballard said.
“We took it over four years ago … now my daughter is in my old bedroom and goes to my old school.”
While the home offered space for the whole family to spread out, most days they come together for “sundowners” as they watch the trees of the parkland opposite change colours with the setting of the sun.
Nelson Alexander Ivanhoe’s Liz Walker said the “gorgeous” home stood out with a crenellated roofline and the turret above the front porch giving it the air of an art deco castle.
Views from the front rooms go straight out to local parkland where walking trails follow the Yarra River, while a curving bench seat in the front living zone mirrors the home’s Art Deco facade.
Ms Walker said homes in the area were typically held in the same family for 28 years, though the current owners had held it for more than 50.
Most of the buyers interested so far have been young families from inner-Melbourne suburbs and even regional Victoria, with the property’s size and character adding to the appeal.
“And there’s an ultimate mancave out the back that some are noticing,” Ms Walker said.
“Plus there’s potential to add the modern box to the back and get a blend of old and new.”
The home goes to auction with a $2.3m-$2.4m asking price at noon on February 24.
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Originally published as Ivanhoe East: World championship cyclist wheels his Art Deco-style castle onto the market
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