An equestrian property that has produced some of Australia’s fastest racehorses is on the market for $60 million. The roughly 400-acre property known as Kingston Park Stud is located on the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne.
Known as Kingston Park, the roughly 400-acre property is among the largest on the Mornington Peninsula, an affluent area south of Melbourne known for beaches, golf courses and vineyards, said listing agent Rob Curtain of Peninsula Sotheby’s International Realty. If it sells for close to its asking price, it could eclipse the current peninsula record of $30 million.
Three of the four precints combine 18 separate titles over 400 acres in one of the Mornington Peninsula’s largest and most spectacular private landholdings
The seller is the late Australian billionaire and horse breeder David Hains, who died earlier this year.
Hains founded the investment firm Portland House Group, and at Kingston Park, he bred racehorses that became household names in Australia, including Kingston Rule, Rose of Kingston (Claude {Ity}) and Kingston Town (Bletchingly). The family lived primarily in Melbourne and used Kingston Park as a second home.
The farm has several residences, including a circa-1950s main house with three bedrooms, a study and an attached one-bedroom studio with a separate entrance. A timber-clad house with four bedrooms and a study was added in the 1980s. Other structures include a caretaker’s house and multiple guest cottages.
Gallery: A glance of the stunning residences
The grounds contain a lake, pool, tennis court and four-hole golf course, as well as eight box stables and enclosed areas for cattle.
David Hains' daughter Catherine said she and her four brothers spent almost every weekend at the farm, often piling into the car on Friday for the 50-minute drive from Melbourne. “We couldn’t get there quick enough,” she said.
Catherine Hains said her father was a self-made businessman who purchased Kingston Park in the 1950s, when he was in his late 20s. After running cattle and sheep for several years, she said, horse breeding became a passion of his in the 1970s. Within 10 years, he bred prize-winning thoroughbreds including Kingston Rule, who still holds the record as one of Australia’s fastest competitors.
Gallery: The once-in-a-generation property boasts vast undulating rural pastures, an extensive natural water catchment and most the spectacular views
“Dad always believed it was the conditions at Kingston Park that were absolutely part of the success of his very small group of mares,” she said.
Growing up, she said, Kingston Park was a vast playground where she and her siblings rode horses and dirt bikes, camped out in the forest, chased rabbits and fished for trout and yabbies, a kind of crawfish. One of their few responsibilities, she said, was picking up hundreds of balls from their father’s golf course. “It was a simple existence, but it was a joy,” she said.
“Dad always believed it was the conditions at Kingston Park that were absolutely part of the success of his very small group of mares.” - Catherine Hains
Hains said the family spent Christmas and holidays at Kingston Park until her father’s death. Her mother died several years ago, and with the siblings living far apart, they decided to sell Kingston Park. “It’s emotionally hard,” she said. “We’ve all loved it. But you’ve got to move with the times.”
Hains said the houses are largely unchanged from when she was growing up, and the next owner is likely to modernise the property. “It’s a bit of a time warp to be honest, right down to the stables,” she said. “Part of its beauty is its originality.”
The Kingston Park stable complex, where the likes of Kingston Rule, Rose Of Kingston and Kingstown Town were born
Curtain said Kingston Park is located in Red Hill and Merricks North, two affluent neighbouring suburbs in Victoria that overlook the Western Port and Port Phillip Bays. “It’s quite a narrow arm of land, and you can literally drive within a few minutes from the natural surf coast through the country and be at a bay beach,” he said.
Curtain said zoning in the area is protected to ensure that land continues to be used for agriculture.
However, prior to certain zoning rules, David Hains subdivided the property into 18 parcels, meaning a buyer could build additional homes on the property or sell off the parcels individually.
Whilst the property is to remain for agricultural use, Kingston Park is subdivided into 18 parcels
“If a buyer isn’t forthcoming, then I think it’s fair to say we will be selling in small parcels,” Curtain said.
