Retreat to the rustic heights in Daylesford

The Edwardian home High­tor was not the first Daylesford property that Theresa Albioli and Tony De Marco have bought.

Tony De Marco and Theresa Albioli own 11 properties in the Daylesford area, most of which are available as short-term rentals. Picture: Paul Jeffers

Sitting on a hill overlooking the verdant Victorian countryside, the Edwardian home High­tor was not the first Daylesford property that Theresa Albioli and Tony De Marco bought.

Nor was it the second, or even the third.

Rather, it was the ninth local purchase for the outgoing couple, who own The Houses Daylesford, an expanding luxury holiday rental business managing more than 65 properties across the picturesque spa region, 90 minutes’ drive from Melbourne.

De Marco and Albioli, who have just bought Daylesford’s 43-room Bellinzona Resort, own 11 local ­houses, but while they have renovated and lived in many of them, Hightor is their true love.

“It’s the first time for a long time that we can real­ly call a place our home,” Albioli says.

“We fit with Hightor, we absolutely fit.”

Albioli boldly made an offer to buy Hightor after spotting it on a rental site several years ago. While the owner initially declined, saying she would never sell, in 2018 she contacted Albioli to ask if she and De Marco were still interested in the home.

The couple visited Hightor the next morning and the deal was done then and there with a handshake.

With its 2600sq m site and incredible views, it was clear Hightor had enormous potential, De Marco recalls.

“But mostly it had a wonderful feel to it — it’s quite a remarkable place to live,” he says.

Instantly recognisable by its worn galvanised iron roof and the towering date palm in its front yard, Hightor until recently held the mantle of Daylesford’s highest house, sitting 636m above sea level on Frazer Street, next to the heritage-listed Daylesford Botanic Gardens.

Built around 1870 as a small cottage, the house was extended into a large home about 1900, and it features the period’s characteristic stained glass, expansive windows and fretwork.

Sections of its generous gardens, including the date palm, were planted by one of the botanic gardens’ creators, Baron Ferdinand von Mueller.

De Marco and Albioli have done little to Hightor’s structure, other than adding an internal wall to create a new bedroom and ensuite, and to allow the central hallway to run the full length of the house, light now flowing along the weathered Baltic pine floorboards.

However, aesthetically they have transformed the six-bedroom, three-bathroom home, which showcases the couple’s signature rustic chic look.

The house’s dark-walled rooms have been repainted in a uniform palette of crisp, clean painter’s white to create a bright, airy interior that perfectly complements Hightor’s elevated position and sweeping views to Castlemaine, Kyneton and Trentham, best enjoyed from the large front bedroom, dining room and wide L-shaped veranda.

Every room reflects the couple’s design flair and their love of second-hand furniture, much of it collected from towns around Victoria. Antique drawers, iron statues and wooden masks fill the loungeroom and dining room, while metal fishing baskets hang in clusters from the ceilings like balloons, and light fittings fashioned from old Indian cockfighting cages cast intricate patterns across the living area.

Charcoal works by Melbourne artist Derek Erskine line many walls, while inviting warm brown leather lounges are positioned throughout the house.

In these COVID-19 times, Hightor has provided a spacious sanctuary for De Marco and Albioli, who met in Daylesford five years ago, as well as for Albioli’s children and their partners.

Her daughter Taylor works from the home’s light-filled dining room editing Daylesford’s Lost magazine, which the couple purchased last year, while Albioli’s chef son Julian soon will return to Hightor from New York with his wife to oversee the culinary offering at the newly acquired Bellinzona hotel.

Living at Hightor with her family has made Albioli more appreciative than ever of the Edwardian home’s design and ambience.

“There’s just something about it — I don’t think you can get this feel in a modern build,” Albioli says.