Two of Australia's oldest estates, both with a convict past, are up for sale — but the prices being asked are anything but a steal.
The 10-bedroom, 13-bathroom Woodbridge is one of the oldest mansions in Australia, located on the banks of the River Derwent in New Norfolk, a 40-minute drive from Hobart.
Although it has operated as luxury boutique accommodation since 2007, looking at it now and you wouldn't know it was on the brink of being unsalvageable just years before.
First built in 1825 by convicts, the mansion was owned by Chief District Constable of New Norfolk, Thomas Roadknight, who paid over 1,000 British pounds.
But Roadknight's ownership was brief.
In 1827, he was sent to Sarah Island, a penal colony on the west coast of Tasmania, after he shot a servant.
It was then sold and converted into the Richmond Hill Academy, a school for young gentlemen.
For most of the 20th century, Woodbridge passed from one owner to another and eventually fell into a state of disrepair after years of neglect.
'Do you reckon we could save it?'
In 2003, semi-retired Perth couple John and Laurelle Grimley were on holiday in Tasmania when they came across the derelict site.
"We came down here in the early 2000s… just on a holiday. We drove to the Derwent Valley and we thought 'this is as beautiful as anything we've seen anywhere in the world,'" Ms Grimley said.
While looking for a holiday house, they came across something much larger than they bargained for.
"We saw Woodbridge… looking very forlorn and dilapidated and we were saddened by that."
One year later, it was for sale.
"We stood [outside the mansion] on Bridge Street and I said to John, 'do you reckon we could save it?'"
"I said, 'I don't know but I'll never get the chance at an 1825 riverfront restoration again in my lifetime.'"
With past experience in building restoration, it took the Grimleys a team of local craftsmen, their trusted plumber from Western Australia and a German engineer who'd worked on castles, two years to fully repair Woodbridge to its former glory.
The damage was significant.
It was previously condemned by the Derwent Valley Council, who deemed it too dangerous to inhabit due to significant plumbing, electrical and sewerage problems.
"It really came about [through] this desire for us to save the building, restore it to its grandeur and really put it on the map," Ms Grimley said.
"It's one of the oldest buildings in Australia [and] it's very significant in Tasmania's history [but] none of this was known."
Now that Woodbridge is open for expressions of interest and the Grimleys are ready for their next chapter, Ms Grimley says she's going to miss everything about "her".
"She's very much a part of us, me particularly," she said.
Deloraine's multi-million dollar diamond
Woodbridge is not Tasmania's only Georgian-style mansion currently on the market.
Calstock, in Deloraine, is also up for sale, with "expressions of around $10 million" the suggested place to start.
The sprawling, 12 hectare, 12-bedroom, 12-bathroom property with Georgian architecture was influenced by four consecutive King Georges on the throne.
The landmark property, in the state's central north, was built in 1831 by British Royal Navy Lieutenant Pearson Foote.
In 1853, it was purchased by a former convict William Field, a Londoner convicted of sheep rustling before being transported to Van Diemen's Land, where he eventually became a successful farmer.
The Field family held it for 130 years and bred two Melbourne Cup winners there — Malua in 1879 and Sheet Anchor the following year.
After being with the one family for so long, the estate has changed hands four times in the past decade, the current owners purchasing Calstock three years ago for $3.15 million.
Sam Woolcock at Knight Frank Real Estate said Calstock was one of Tasmania finest homesteads
"The current owners have renovated the homestead to another level, stables and wool store, more accommodation, a retail space, dining and commercial kitchen."
And while he admitted Deloraine is known for "crispy mornings" in the winter months, Mr Woolcock said the renovations have that aspect covered.
