Linden Grange, Fitzroy Falls: A Georgian House on 100 Working Acres

The Place

Named for a governor, shaped by water

Fitzroy Falls is a small place with a big landmark. The village sits about 660 metres above sea level, roughly 16 kilometres from Moss Vale, and counted 220 residents at the 2021 census. Its name comes from the 81-metre waterfall near the head of Yarrunga Creek in Morton National Park, named for Sir Charles FitzRoy, Governor of New South Wales, after his visit in 1850.

Most people know the falls as a stop on a Highlands drive. Off Redhills Road, the country settles into something steadier: open pasture, hedgerows and the kind of fencing that tells you the land is still being used. Linden Grange sits behind a private, tree-lined entrance with electric gates. From there, the estate's 100 acres open out in every direction, with sweeping rural views and a sense of privacy that comes from scale.

THE HOUSE

Symmetry, with a verandah

The residence takes its cues from classic American Georgian architecture, a style built on order: a balanced facade, a clear centre and rooms of considered proportion. Here, that formality is softened by something unmistakably Australian. Wraparound verandahs run around the house, giving its composed front an easy, outdoor edge.

Inside, the plan is generous without being sprawling. There are three separate living rooms, each with its own fireplace, as well as a sunroom and a screened indoor-outdoor room with a fireplace of its own. At this altitude, four fireplaces are not decoration. They suggest a house planned for Highlands winters, where different rooms take turns being the warmest place to be.

The main residence has four bedrooms across two levels, including a main suite with walk-in robe and ensuite. A gym or home office allows the house to adapt to whoever lives there.

The Land

The view from the kitchen is the working one

Many country houses turn their best windows toward a garden. At Linden Grange, the stone kitchen, with gas cooking and a double pantry, looks out over pasture and grazing cattle. It is a fitting outlook, because the estate is a working property. It currently supports a cattle operation.

The infrastructure behind that is practical and well considered. There are seven well-fenced paddocks, five dams and four water troughs. A bore and around 130,000 litres of tank storage add to the water supply, and three machinery sheds keep the equipment under cover. The pasture is improved and fertilised every year. This kind of maintenance does not show up in photographs, but it is what keeps 100 acres productive.

Horses are catered for just as seriously. The estate includes an Olympic-sized sand arena, quality stabling, a tack and feed room and a wash bay. Together, they allow for training and riding at home rather than as an occasional weekend pursuit.

ROOM FOR OTHERS

Hedges, a heated pool and a loft apart

Close to the house, the scale shifts. Established hedging encloses the gardens, creating a quieter, more contained space within the larger landscape. There, a heated swimming pool and a private cabana form an outdoor room sheltered from the open farmland around it.

Separate loft-style guest accommodation, complete with its own ensuite, offers space for extended family, visiting friends or anyone who needs a little independence. It gives the estate a second life beyond the main residence, allowing guests to stay without the household having to reorganise around them.

THE BALANCE

Two kinds of order

Georgian architecture has always been about order, while farming relies on a different kind: rotations, water, fences and routine. Linden Grange brings these two together. The formal house gives the working estate a strong centre, and the working estate keeps the house grounded in its surroundings. Beyond the hedges and the verandah, the paddocks are still in use.