This fairytale home in Belmont North didn't have a street address when it was built in 1971.
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Fifty years on, 23 Neridah Road goes to market with a history to rival any home in the area.
Set on a picturesque one-hectare block that borders Bangalay Reserve, the three-bedroom residence was the family home of Richard and Beverley Beeton, who have since passed away.
It took Mr Beeton five years of Saturdays to complete a project that is both a mish-mash of repurposed materials and stunningly cohesive.
The train that sits at the front of the property tells something of his dedication and "love for old things".
"Dad got the train from somewhere in Swansea - it's so heavy we don't even know how he got it up there," said Jackie Hirst, one of Mr Beeton's five children.
"It's been sitting in our yard for probably 35 years."
The Beetons bought the land as an 18-acre block in 1971.
They lived in a two-room building, which remains to the side of the house, before the main home was completed in 1976.
The property has gone largely unchanged since, apart from essentials such as a sealed driveway, running water and electricity.
"He sourced a lot of the materials second-hand from demolition people - the bricks are sandstock bricks from the old Belmont Gunyah Hotel.
"There's a front door from Rohallion (a historic mansion in The Hill which was demolished in 1968).
"There was no water so we had tankwater, for the first couple of weeks we didn't even have electricity and the road was a dirt road - there was no street name, we used to be called 'off Violet Town Road'.
"A lot of people wouldn't come to visit us, or they'd park and walk the kilometre because they didn't like the muddy dirt road."
Later, the block was subdivided and Mr Beeton donated an acre to what is now Tingira Community Church.
He took a year off work to build the church, which remains today, at his own expense.
In more recent years, the home has been the hub of major family milestones.
"There's been weddings, engagements, 21sts, funerals ... we've had the big combined Christmas days there," Mrs Hirst said.
"It's been very special, it's an amazing gathering spot, it's had so many happy memories."
Altitude Newcastle and Lake Macquarie's Daniel Irwin said the property had been bookmarked 130 times online and was attracting mainly local buyers.
"It's one of those magical properties - every single time someone comes through they just go 'wow' - it's very unique," Mr Irwin said.
"I think the grounds are what captures everyone ... that acreage lifestyle in Lake Macquarie doesn't come around too often and I think it will be one of the first sales in this cul-de-sac for three or four years.
"It's a property that's got really good energy around it ... it's an amazing history and legacy [of Mr Beeton's] that will live on."
The home goes to auction on December 10 with a price guide of $1.5 million.
IN THE NEWS:
Hamish Geale
Hamish Geale is a senior reporter at The Examiner. Got good news? Email: hgeale@examiner.com.au
Hamish Geale is a senior reporter at The Examiner. Got good news? Email: hgeale@examiner.com.au
