A Hunter Valley business couple has purchased the Lorn Rose Farm estate, setting a new residential property record for the suburb of Lorn. The 9.9-acre property at 229 Glenarvon Road, which includes a luxury four-bedroom homestead, sold for well over $500,000 above the previous $2.5 million benchmark, according to listing agent James Hannah of PRD Hunter Valley.
The sale concluded a 14-month campaign that attracted international interest from China, Singapore, and Sydney, but the buyers were ultimately local. Ben Newcombe and Annie Porter, owners of Alfresco Outdoors and Heating and partners with Weber across multiple Hunter Valley retail locations, live just five kilometres away in Oakhampton.
Under previous owners Denise and Mark Duffield-Thomas, who purchased the estate in 2018 for $1.8 million, the property underwent extensive luxury renovations and operated as a successful Airbnb. The Federation-era house features four bedrooms, two living spaces, an original fireplace, and French doors opening to a wrap-around verandah and pool area. The property also includes a two-bedroom cottage, a studio, converted stables, and a barn with a commercial kitchen and cool room, which has hosted weddings and appeared on the TV show Farmer Wants a Wife.
The new owners plan to use the homestead as their primary residence and transform the barn and stables into a food destination. The barn will become the Alfresco Outdoors Cooking School, focusing on gas barbecue grilling, while the stables will become the Alfresco Outdoors Smokehouse, dedicated to charcoal and pellet grill cooking. The couple, who also run cattle, sheep, and goats on their farms, aim to introduce a paddock-to-plate concept using locally sourced ingredients.
Mr Hannah noted that the sale demonstrates enduring confidence in the Lower Hunter's executive property market despite economic headwinds. The campaign generated nearly 1,000 website inquiries and close to one million online engagements, excluding direct phone calls and social media interest.
