Ex home of Aussie travel legend for sale

PHOTO: TV personalities Mal (L) & Mike Leyland (Leyland Brothers) 12/02/81.

The former grand $5.5m rural home of Mal Leyland – one half of the famous Leyland Brothers – is up for sale.

A unique rural acreage with links to the former travel personalities the Leyland Brothers is available for purchase with a $5.5m price guide.

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Sprawled across 43 hectares overlooking the Bundabah Creek, ‘River Ranch’ was built and formally owned by Mal and his wife Laraine Leyland – one half of the famous Leyland Brothers.

Both Mal and Mike Leyland became known for hosting the travel documentary show ‘Ask the Leyland Brothers’ which initially aired in 1976 and ended in 1984.

The Port Stephens property has a $5m – $5.5m price guide.

Historical records of 612 Goorengi Rd, North Arm Cove indicate that Mike and Laraine Leyland purchased the property in October 1995 for $292,500 and sold it two years later for $460,000.

The property is being sold via seller Karen Strong and Ray White agent Stuart Sinclair, heading for auction on the 20th February.

Mike and Laraine Leyland purchased the property in October 1995.

Mr Sinclair told The Daily Telegraph that the property has received a significant level of interest online, much of which has come from Queensland and Victoria.

“We have had buyers looking for a retirement property, a property to bring up the family and also interest from people looking for a weekender.

After big gains over the pandemic, 2022 saw a modest retreat for house prices from their record highs. In 2023, the price falls are expected to be a bit more pronounced, as PropTrack’s Cameron Kusher explains.

A view of the kitchen area.

“Mal and brother Mike purchased 120 hectares of land where they would create Leyland Brothers World which was famous for a replica of Uluru, nicknamed The Rock, to a scale of 1:40.

“Mal owned the property to the south of The Rock and named it River Ranch, while Mike owned the next property to the south and named it Middle Wharf.”

The Leyland brothers both purchased properties in the Port Stephens area in the 80s.

Current owners Karen and Martin Strong have lived in the property for the past 12 years and completed some renovations in their time on the acreage.

A number of buyers have been attracted to the property’s proximity to the dual lane highway from Sydney and the deepwater access to the Port Stephens waterway accessible via a 10 minute boat ride.

Current owners Karen and Martin Strong have lived in the property for the past 12 years.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Mrs Strong said while she and her family had no connections to the Leyland family, she had enjoyed living in the area.

“We’ve lived here for the past 12 years and absolutely love the privacy that the property has provided as well as a place for our family to grow up.

“The property has great access to kayaking, horse riding, boating, bushwalking activities, but there’s also a lot of wildlife nearby too.”

A view of the indoor cinema room.

And a view of the pool area.

Now being an empty nester, Mrs Strong planned to sell the property as it was too big for her and her husband – instead opting to move closer to Newcastle for a sea-change.

The property is considered ideal for horse enthusiasts as it includes a horse arena, round yard, stables, shelters, and automatic water to the horse paddocks.

Other features include a number of motorbike and hiking tracks, a citrus orchid, free range chicken coops, an outdoor fire pit, dims and a 10 metre heated pool for children.