Historic Anlaby Station on market after 20 years of restoration
A Kapunda station that is home to the nation’s oldest continually operational Merino sheep flock and a spectacularly restored heritage homestead is on the market. Its well-known owners are calling time after 20 years carefully restoring the iconic property.
Anlaby Station owners Andrew Morphett and Peter Hayward have decided to move on from operating the heritage homestead and 1840-acre property, placing it on the market this week.
Having lovingly restored the heritage, 35-room homestead and surrounding buildings and land, the couple have opened up to expressions of interest for the property, including a Merino wool business, the grand home and three bed and breakfast accommodation buildings.
Originally established in 1839 by Frederick Dutton, Anlaby Station is a cornerstone of South Australia’s pastoral heritage.
It sits just north of Kapunda between the Barossa and Clare Valleys, and comprises nearly 2000 acres of land and a collection of significant Victorian and Edwardian-era buildings.
It also houses the nation’s oldest sheep flock. In 2007, the descendants of the original sheep flock were returned to Anlaby. Today, that heritage is honoured with events celebrating wool, such as the Women in Wool fashion event hosted at the property.
It is even part of movie history, with sounds effects for Happy Feet recorded in one of the cellars under one of the old buildings, selected because it was sonically isolated from other external sounds.
While Morphett said he was not sure how much it might sell for, Colliers has been appointed to field expressions of interest for the landmark sale of Anlaby Station.
Morphett and Hayward bought the property in 2003, captivated by its history and potential.
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The former Sydneysiders fell in love with the property when they first visited it. They told SALIFE in 2023 that at the time, they were searching for the perfect “weekender”, and stumbled across the property after receiving a real estate brochure for Anlaby in the mail.
Over the next two decades, they undertook a major restoration of Anlaby, turning the run-down buildings and overgrown garden into the vibrant estate it is today.
These improvements include the renovation of three historic buildings which now serve as bed and breakfast accommodation options for guests visiting Anlaby and the wider region.
But the cornerstone restoration effort was of the brilliant nine-bedroom, five-bathroom homestead. Significant attention has also been paid to the sprawling gardens which were once maintained by 14 staff.
Established in the 19th century, the gardens span 10 acres. Anlaby also boasts the largest private collection of National Trust-registered heritage trees in Australia, with more than 640 specimens sourced from around the world.
“We’ve taken it a very long way in those 20 years,” Morphett told InDaily.
Morphett and Hayward will continue to run the estate on a business-as-usual basis, and are not thinking about their next move yet.
“We’ve actually made the conscious decision not to start looking at what that next thing might be, because then we’ll find it and we’ll be frustrated because it hasn’t sold and then we’ll be distracted,” Morphett said.
“So when I say it’s business as usual, that’s our plan. We’re going to keep this our focus until it’s no longer our focus.
“My mother lives on the property as well, and she’s got a lovely circle of friends and a social life. So there’s a whole range of things we need to consider when that time comes.”
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He said running the property was a team effort – a farm manager looks after the day-to-day with the sheep, and gardeners tend to the garden – but “we haven’t got the energy anymore to do it”.
“People have asked us if we would do it again, and the answer is absolutely ‘yes’,” Morphett said.
“We’ve met amazing people, we’ve done all sorts of things we would never have done in our prior lives.
“Whoever’s coming after us, hopefully, we’ve built a base for them that they can take to the next level.
“It has to be someone with new ideas, and who can find ways in which we can make this available to people and generate income which then supports the property and repairs that will need to happen in perpetuity.”
The property will be open to the public on October 18 and 19 for the Anlaby Spring Festival, where attendees can indulge in garden tours, Devonshire tea, live music, a fashion exhibition and a champagne & gin bar.
Morphett said the property was at its best in Spring: “it’s just magnificent”.
“We don’t smell the roses a lot because we just keep things moving,” he said.
“There’s some stunning parts to the garden – just sitting out on the front terrace with the fountain under the old Chinese elm tree. Sitting in the library with the fire going in Winter with friends and some music. Having a lovely glass of wine and just being in the space.
“And even when there’s no one around and you’re sitting in a room, just the lovely atmosphere – the quiet, solid beautiful atmosphere of just sitting somewhere quietly is something that you just can’t recreate.”
Colliers national director Tim Altschwager said the brokers expected interest in the property to come from high-net-worth Australian and overseas families looking to acquire a “special generational asset”.
“Andrew and Peter have done an incredible job with the restoration of Anlaby,” Colliers national director Jesse Manuel added.
“Their commitment to preserving a significant piece of South Australian farming history is evident throughout every aspect of the estate.”
Anlaby will be going to market this Spring via an expression of interest campaign, closing on November 21.
