A rare opportunity to experience stylish, comfortable, healthy living in a fully furnished hempcrete passive house with hand-crafted hempcrete feature walls throughout.
The home is a new, expansive, hempcrete ‘passivhaus’, thoughtfully designed for eco-friendly shared living and a homesteading lifestyle. The use of both hempcrete and passive house design principles make it an extremely energy-efficient, light-filled, healthy, non-toxic and mould-free home. A Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation system ensure clean, fresh air and comfortable temperatures all year round. An effective 9.2 NatHERS star rating, places the semi-off-grid home in the top 0.25% in Australia for energy efficiency, making for very low electricity bills, and no gas or water bills.
Locally sourced and hand-made, natural materials throughout such as ceramic Melbourne-made light fittings, natural stone tiles, recycled timber flooring and sound-dampening strawboard ceilings make the home both stylish and functional.
Situated on a 10 acre bush block just 5kms from Castlemaine centre, it’s just a 5 minute drive or 15 min cycle to town. The land backs onto 50 acres of gorgeous conservation bushland, which means no noisy neighbours, kangaroos bounding past, birds singing, wildflowers blooming, and plenty of room to relax, wander and explore.
With a large open plan living area, kid’s play nook, a separate formal lounge room and a large shared study or rumpus room, the home offers plenty of options for play, rest, work and social time with friends. The entire house is fully wheelchair accessible, welcoming all abilities and ageing in place.
Large sliding doors open up from the dining area onto a sun-filled patio with peaceful views out over the trees and gardens to the north, making the kitchen & dining area perfect for large family meals, dinner parties and events.
A huge commercial-sized kitchen and meals area includes a walk-in pantry, space for a double fridge, under-counter bar fridge, top of the range Miele induction cooktop with built-in exhaust fan, Bosch dishwasher, two Miele ovens and in-built drying cupboards which prevent visual clutter.
A wide island bench, generously spaced dual sinks and a ‘breakfast bar’ separated from the main cooking area allows multiple users to enjoy the kitchen simultaneously without knocking elbows. An in-built compost bin and chook scrap drawer integrates the kitchen seamlessly with the homesteading lifestyle.
There are two bathrooms and two toilets, including a large indoor bath with a lovely paddock view and an outdoor fire bath. The double vanities in the main bathroom are separated from the toilet, shower and bath area, meaning it can serve a number of users simultaneously without impacting privacy, and there are no bottlenecks at peak times. One bathroom is fully wheelchair accessible with in-built handrails.
The house has a total of 10 habitable rooms. The 7 light-filled rooms of various sizes - 4 of which have floor-to-ceiling built-in robes - are thoughtfully zoned in the west wing of the house, with a sound-sealed door allowing them to be closed off to the main living areas. The 3 rooms on the east end of the house can also be closed off from the main living areas, providing flexibility to be used either as bedrooms, a family ‘wing’, or additional living quarters.
All rooms are fully sound-insulated with sound-sealed doors equivalent to the standard of ‘party’ walls in apartment buildings, allowing the opportunity to retreat into peace and privacy, even within a shared home. 2.7 metre ceilings throughout provide a spacious feel and ample room for loft beds or storage.
The enormous, 36m x 12m shed with a total floor area of 432 sqm and 3 phase power provides ample space for a variety of purposes, whether for vehicles and farm machinery, personal storage, or as a workshop for art, craft and woodwork, or small businesses.
A 200 metre long dam provides opportunities for leisure: swimming, kayaking and fishing. Along with 20 megalitres of water, a solar pump and in-ground irrigation system, the dam supplies the burgeoning orchard, chook pen and drip-irrigated market garden, making the property ideal for homesteading, hobby farming, agistment or grazing. A huge 950m2 of roof catchment and 180,000L of rain-water storage tanks ensures substantial clean, fresh water supply for a large number of residents and guests.
Most pets are welcome but due to concerns regarding impact on wildlife, cats will not be permitted.
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The house is available to rent for a 3-6 month lease from April 2026 onwards.
Price: $1,753 per week
Bond: $7,600
Please note that the house is furnished. This includes all furniture, beds and a fully functional kitchen with appliances, crockery, cutlery and utensils.
To apply, please provide the following information to: openfieldcoliving[at]gmail.com
- Full Name & Photo ID
- Phone Number
- Cover Letter - outlining your interest in and suitability for the property
- Evidence of ability to cover rental payments (eg. payslip, bank statement, government allowance)
Applications will be accepted on a first in best dressed basis.
Inspections will be by appointment.
Please note the property is also listed for sale.