Castlecrag at 352 Stanley St, North Ward, will be hitting the Townsville property market for the first time since it underwent a multimillion-dollar makeover. Picture: Supplied
A historic Townsville residence that once hosted royalty and underwent an award-winning, multimillion-dollar renovation will be listed for sale this week.
Publicly-available records show 352 Stanley St, North Ward, was owned by James Miller from 1930 with the residence, known as Castlecrag, built in 1935.
Miller owned the property until 2012 when it was purchased by Damon and Gillian Mahy for $1m.
Listing photos from that time showed a tired and dilapidated Ashgrovian-style residence in desperate need of a new lease on life.
The epic makeover was undertaken by Lifestyle Constructions NQ, which won a prestigious Master Builders award in 2015 for the restoration and renovation.
Castlecrag before the renovation. Picture: realestate.com.au
At the time, company boss Jeff Sexton said the renovation had been “the talk of Townsville”, describing it as a “once in a lifetime renovation project of this size and budget”
“It was 12 months of planning that worked and a lot of risk but no incidents,” Mr Sexton said.
“It took 18-months to completely overhaul the dilapidated 1930s Ashgrovian-style home … which was once Townsville’s premier VIP residence, owned by Mount Isa Mines to offer ‘first-class accommodation’ to the likes of the Queen’s cousin Princess Alexandra, who stayed overnight in 1959, and is also rumored to have been visited by the Queen in 1969.”
Mr Sexton turned it from a 141sq m derelict house into a 570sq m regal residence.
The old kitchen before the renovation. Picture: realestate.com.au
The new kitchen is light, bright and modern. Picture: Supplied
The project involved lifting the original home 4.5m higher, adding two levels of living underneath and retaining the three distinctive gables and bay windows, which are heritage listed, while also extending and remodeling over rock foundations.
At the time of the 2015 award, Mr Sexton said he and GVD Design created a glass atrium in the living areas, a new guest wing with gymnasium and a private staircase to the Castle Hill Goat Track.
They also added a master suite, a glass elevator, a turning circle driveway and two tiled balconies with unobstructed 180-degree views across the city’s coastline.
But it is time for the Mahys to move on, with Castlecrag to hit the market with McDonough Property Townsville.
Inside Castlecrag before its epic renovation. Picture: realestate.com.au
Inside the home now. Picture: Supplied
Director and agent, Martin McDonough said the statement house was “something special”.
“There are a lot of character homes in Townsville but most are still original,” he said.
“This is the one that has that character, but it has been updated.”
Mr McDonough said Castlecrag’s prominent position on Castle Hill meant Townsville locals witnessed its considered two-year renovation.
“Everyone saw it transform from this tired, original home into a massive, iconic, three-level property,” he said.
“It’s now the house people stop and look at when going up the hill.”
Mr McDonough said the prestige property combined with the exclusive location made for private luxury living.
“The views are absolutely amazing and basically uninterrupted,” he said.
“You’re not looking at rooftops – you can look out across the city to Magnetic Island.”
The home has clean white lines, open spaces and four bedrooms, including a guest suite, all on a 2001sq m block with pool.
