LYNDHURST offers a stunning family home designed around entertaining.

The 56ha property is on the outskirts of Benalla, a two-hour drive from Melbourne CBD, and has been developed for handling cattle and horses.

    LYNDHURST
  • BENALLA, VICTORIA
  • Property: lifestyle, grazing
  • Size: 56.2ha
  • Auction: May 15, 11am, on site
  • Price: About $1.5 million
  • Agent: Corcoran Parker Oliver, Wodonga
  • Contact: (02) 60 553 800

It is also an hour's drive from boating and fishing at Lake Eildon and two hours from the ski resort of Mt Hotham.

Owners Jim and Kim Mitropoulos have used Lyndhurst for fattening up to 100 young cattle each year and for Thoroughbred agistment.

The home on Lyndhurst, built in 1982, was enlarged in 2002 to create a five-bedroom dwelling.

It is in a low-maintenance garden, equipped with automatic sprinklers and landscaped with mature deciduous trees, a fountain and ornamental lake.

Also in the grounds of the garden is a full-size tennis court and in-ground salt chlorinated and solar-heated pool.

The couple have divided the property into seven paddocks with internal electric fencing and sight wire for horses.

Based on ryegrass and clovers, all paddocks have troughs and have been limed, fertilised and aerated.

"Even in the drought years we have been able to background 80-100 cattle, mainly heifers, turning them off by Christmas," Jim said.

Town water is pumped to a 145,000-litre tank to supply the house, garden and pool.

Water is pumped to the stock troughs from a 25-megalitre turkey nest dam and a one-megalitre surface catchment dam.

The contemporary- style home has a large portico at the front entrance. There is an office, formal lounge, guest room and master bedroom with ensuites, and three bedrooms with built-in robes.

A large family-dining and kitchen area has brush box timber flooring, solid granite bench tops, a steamer oven, pantry and gas log fire.

Off this room is a theatre room, which could double as a rumpus or pool room.

A north-facing sunroom captures the winter sun.

Off the kitchen is a timber decked outdoor entertainment area.

Working improvements include a 379 sq m shed and workshop designed for semi- trailers, a hay shed and sundry shedding.

There are also timber cattle yards with a crush.

Jim and Kim have moved their young family to Shepparton.