Dutton family sell Rocky Point weekender on Kangaroo Island

South Australia’s wealthy pastoralist Dutton family have finally sold Rocky Point, their much-loved weekender on Kangaroo Island.

The six-bedroom home is located near the ferry terminal at Penneshaw, connecting the island to the mainland, and was built from locally quarried limestone.

South Australia’s wealthy pastoralist Dutton family have finally sold Rocky Point, their much-loved weekender on Kangaroo Island, which they have held for more than 100 years.

The 5.21ha property on Mad Mile Track at Brown Beach, on the protected northern part of Kangaroo Island, sits high on a cliff and attracted some of Australia’s most famous artists, poets and authors as well as British aristocrats over the years.

The Dutton family put it on the market last year through Deb Cullen of Sydney-based Cullen Royle with a price guide of $8.5 million. Ms Cullen would not divulge the price paid nor the buyers identity.

In a short statement, the vendors said: “We are incredibly excited for the new Australian owners and look forward to seeing the start of their legacy and family adventures.”

Commissioned by prominent SA Supreme Court judge Sir John Gordon in 1908, Kangaroo Island’s first beach house dissects 7km of pristine white sand.

The six-bedroom home is located near the ferry terminal at Penneshaw, connecting the island to the mainland, and was built from locally quarried limestone. The estate incorporates a large boat shed, a beachfront limestone boathouse for two boats, an offshore mooring and a two-car garage.

Rocky Point has an extremely rare 365m of beach and clifftop frontage and has a freehold title all the way down to the mean high-water mark.

Some of the notable guests to have laid their heads at Rocky Point include ­author David ­Malouf, who ­declared it “the most wonderful barefoot lifestyle to be had anywhere” and artist John Olsen, who called it a “zen house”. ­Writers of the ilk of Patrick White used the home and beach as inspiration for his short story Dead Roses. “There is nothing else ­visible in miles of bay, and from the sea it looks a little like a Greek monastery,” he wrote.

Dame Roma Mitchell, Australia’s first female governor, ­declared: “The Rocky Point visitor books are far more interesting than those at Government House.”

Many a vice regal party has stayed at the property, with locals in days gone by referring to the house as Government House. Princess Diana’s father, the Earl of Spencer, has stayed at Rocky Point.

Rocky Point has an extremely rare 365m of beach and clifftop frontage and has a freehold title all the way down to the mean high-water mark.

Development approval has been gained for extensions to the house by South Australian architect Ian Hannaford. They are to be in harmony with the existing house and surrounding land and seascapes, and include three new bedrooms, extensive indoor areas for relaxation, entertaining or board meetings plus a children’s retreat.

At the time of marketing Ms Cullen said Rocky Point had potential for use as a luxury tourist retreat.