There’s something pretty special about owning a bit of land in this part of Victoria.
It might be a few acres with a big shed and room for the kids, an equestrian property set up for horses, a working farm, a vineyard, a bush retreat or simply a beautiful home with plenty of space around it.
That’s the great thing about acreage across the Yarra Valley and Murrindindi – no two properties are quite the same.
And when it comes time to sell one, that matters.
At Gunther Real Estate, rural and lifestyle property isn’t a new area we’ve suddenly decided to focus on. Mark Gunther and our team have been selling acreage around here for decades, with Gary Lucas continuing to build an impressive track record of rural and lifestyle sales across the region.
Between them, that experience ranges from one and two-acre lifestyle properties right through to equestrian estates, vineyards, vacant land and rural holdings of more than 100 acres.
So, we thought we’d share a little about what we’ve learned along the way.
Selling acreage is a little different
There’s obviously a lot more to an acreage property than the house sitting on it.
How usable is the land? Where does the water come from? How are the paddocks set up? Is there shedding? Good fencing? A dam? Stables? An arena? Machinery access?
Maybe the biggest selling point isn’t any of those things.
It might simply be the privacy, the outlook or that incredible view from the back deck.
And that’s why two properties with exactly the same acreage can appeal to completely different buyers.
Ten acres set up beautifully for horses needs to be understood and marketed differently to ten acres of native bushland. A productive farm is different again. So is a beautiful family home where the acreage is really about having some space around you.
Part of our job is working out what makes the property special – and then making sure the right buyers see it.
We’ve been selling acreage around here for a long time
Gunther Real Estate has been part of the Healesville and Yarra Valley property market for more than 20 years, backed by Mark Gunther’s more than four decades in real estate.
Over that time, Mark and the team have sold all sorts of rural and lifestyle properties throughout Healesville, Chum Creek, Badger Creek, Yering, Dixons Creek and Toolangi, as well as further north through Kinglake, Glenburn, Marysville, Narbethong and the wider Murrindindi region.
One of Mark’s standout rural sales was 231 Heath Road, Chum Creek, an approximately 163-acre property that sold for $2.75 million in 2021.
Mark also sold 30 Rogers Road, Chum Creek, approximately 26 acres, for $1.12 million in 2021, alongside plenty of other acreage and lifestyle properties throughout the region over the years.
And these haven’t simply been houses that happen to sit on a large block.
We’re talking about properties with paddocks, stables, cattle facilities, extensive shedding, water infrastructure, pasture, bushland and all the other things that come with owning rural property.
After a few decades, you get to know this sort of real estate pretty well.
Gary Lucas and a genuine love of lifestyle property
Gary Lucas has also built a great track record selling rural and lifestyle property across both the Yarra Valley and Murrindindi.
And there have been some pretty special properties along the way.
Gary sold 9 Benson Drive, Yering for $2.69 million in 2023. Set across approximately 10 acres, it was an impressive equestrian property with nine paddocks, extensive horse facilities and an indoor arena.
Then there was 235 Gordons Bridge Road, Kinglake, approximately 29 acres that sold for $1.95 million in 2023. This one had a little bit of everything – a private lake, paddocks, an established orchard, substantial shedding, extensive water storage and productive land. It was inspired by and honouring the beauty of the natural environment, designed by renowned Passive Solar architect Andreas Sederof, who is unequivocally leading the change and motivating environmental sustainability, while offering the potential to transition to off-grid living as the home has been pre-wired to accommodate a substantial solar system.
Closer to Healesville, 234 Mt Riddell Road sold for $1.7 million in 2023. Set on approximately five acres, it was a great example of the premium lifestyle properties we’re lucky enough to have around the Yarra Valley.
And Gary’s experience goes well beyond the smaller acreage market.
1 Merlin Street, Chum Creek, a family homestead across approximately 88 acres, sold for $1.6 million in 2025, while 115 Donnellys Weir Road, Healesville, comprising approximately 69 acres, sold for $1.75 million in 2025.
Mark and Gary also represented 31 Chalet Road, Badger Creek, an approximately 9.5-acre equestrian property that sold for $1.55 million in 2024, complete with extensive shedding, six horse stables and an indoor arena.
They’re all completely different properties.
And that’s exactly the point.
An honour and privilege – Donnellys Weir Road, Healesville
Some sales mean a little more than others.
Gary had the honour and privilege of representing a local family in the sale of multiple parcels of land along Donnellys Weir Road in Healesville.
The offering included separate parcels of approximately 12.5, 25 and 32 acres, each with its own character, outlook and possibilities.
Being trusted with something like this is pretty special.
Land can be part of a family for a very long time. There are memories attached to it, stories behind it and often a genuine emotional connection that doesn’t disappear just because it’s time to sell.
So when a local family trusts us to look after a sale like this, we genuinely appreciate it.
For Gary, it was an honour and privilege to represent the family through the process and eventually see those parcels move into the hands of their new owners.
It was also a great example of how selling vacant acreage is quite different to selling an established home.
There’s no kitchen to photograph or beautifully styled living room to lead with.
You’re selling the land itself.
The outlook. The setting. The usable space. The access. The privacy. The possibilities.
And sometimes, just the opportunity to own your own little piece of the Yarra Valley.
One acre or 100 acres – it’s still about understanding the property
You definitely don’t need 50 or 100 acres to have a lifestyle property.
For plenty of buyers, the Yarra Valley dream is a house on an acre or two.
Enough room for a big shed, a veggie garden, a few animals and some space between you and the neighbours.
Someone else wants five acres and a horse.
Another buyer is specifically looking for 20 acres of usable pasture.
Someone else wants native bushland, a long driveway and complete privacy.
Then you have buyers searching specifically for equestrian properties, vineyards, hobby farms, productive farmland or much larger rural holdings.
We’ve dealt with all of them.
And that’s why we don’t think there’s one formula for selling acreage.
First, you need to understand what you’re actually selling.
Local knowledge makes a difference
One of the interesting things about rural property around here is just how much the market can change within a relatively short drive.
Healesville and Yering can attract different buyers.
Chum Creek acreage is different again.
Head towards Dixons Creek, Toolangi and Kinglake and the landscape changes, as do the properties.
Then you have Marysville, Narbethong, Glenburn and the wider Murrindindi region.
We work across all of these areas, which gives us a pretty good feel for not only the individual markets, but how they overlap.
Someone who starts out looking for acreage in Healesville might end up buying in Chum Creek.
Someone searching Yering might discover Dixons Creek.
And a Melbourne family dreaming about moving to the country might not actually know where they want to live yet – they just know what kind of lifestyle they’re looking for.
That’s why we tend to look at the bigger picture rather than just the postcode.
You have to sell the lifestyle too
This is probably one of the parts of acreage real estate we enjoy the most.
Because you’re rarely just selling a house.
People don’t usually leave Melbourne and move to the Yarra Valley because they desperately want another four-bedroom home.
They want what comes with it.
The space.
The privacy.
The views.
Room for horses.
A massive shed.
Somewhere for the kids to run around.
A garden they can get lost in.
Maybe somewhere to run a business from.
Or perhaps they just want to sit on the deck at the end of the day, look across their own paddocks and enjoy the fact that nobody lives ten metres away.
That feeling is what good acreage marketing should capture.
Professional photography is obviously a big part of that, but for rural properties we also put a lot of emphasis on drone imagery, video, floorplans, good copywriting and digital marketing.
A normal photo can show you a paddock.
Aerial imagery can show you how that paddock relates to the house, the shed, the dam, the arena, the driveway and the rest of the property.
And good lifestyle imagery can show buyers what living there might actually feel like.
We’re not just selling how many acres someone gets.
We’re showing them what they could do with them.
Sometimes the buyer isn’t local
The perfect buyer might live five minutes down the road.
But they could just as easily be sitting in Ringwood, Doncaster, Glen Waverley or inner Melbourne scrolling through acreage listings and wondering whether it’s finally time to make the move. We’ve had many international clients too. We see plenty of buyers who start their search well outside the Yarra Valley.
That’s why our marketing isn’t limited to putting a property online and hoping the right person happens to find it.
We combine our local presence and established buyer database with the major property portals, social media, digital advertising and targeted campaigns designed to get properties in front of people both locally and further beyond.
For some acreage properties, particularly at the higher end of the market, there may be fewer buyers. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re hard to sell. It means finding the right buyer becomes even more important.
And we’re still doing it today
Our acreage experience isn’t something we have to dig through the archives to find.
We’re still representing some significant rural properties across the region today.
That includes Gracedale Hills Estate at 770 Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road, Healesville, an approximately 91-acre property incorporating a residence, established vineyard, operational winery, extensive rural infrastructure and Yarra River access.
Mark and Gary are also representing 188 Pauls Lane, Dixons Creek, approximately 120 acres combining open clearings, bushland, a dam, established tracks and some incredible views.
A few of our rural & lifestyle sales over the years
Anyone can call themselves a local expert, area specialist or rural property specialist.
We’d rather show you some of the properties we’ve actually sold.
231 Heath Road, Chum Creek – approx. 163 acres – $2.75 million – 2021
9 Benson Drive, Yering – approx. 10 acres – $2.69 million – 2023
235 Gordons Bridge Road, Kinglake – approx. 29 acres – $1.95 million – 2023
115 Donnellys Weir Road, Healesville – approx. 69 acres – $1.75 million – 2025
234 Mt Riddell Road, Healesville – approx. 5 acres – $1.7 million – 2023
1 Merlin Street, Chum Creek – approx. 88 acres – $1.6 million – 2025
31 Chalet Road, Badger Creek – approx. 9.5 acres – $1.55 million – 2024
30 Rogers Road, Chum Creek – approx. 26 acres – $1.12 million – 2021
Add to those the multiple parcels sold along Donnellys Weir Road and many years of smaller acreage, vacant land, equestrian properties, hobby farms, bush retreats and lifestyle homes throughout the Yarra Valley and Murrindindi.
It’s quite a mix. And we’re proud to have been trusted with them.
Thinking about selling your acreage?
If you’re thinking about selling, our advice is pretty simple: talk to someone who understands the type of property you own.
Ask them what they’ve sold.
Ask how they’d market your land, not just your house.
Ask who they think the likely buyer will be.
Ask how they’ll reach buyers outside the immediate area.
And don’t necessarily choose an agent simply because they give you the biggest number at the appraisal.
At Gunther Real Estate, we’ve been selling rural and lifestyle property around the Yarra Valley and surrounding areas for a long time.
From homes on an acre or two to horse properties, hobby farms, vineyards, vacant land, bush retreats and rural holdings exceeding 100 acres, Mark Gunther, Gary Lucas and the rest of our team have had the opportunity to work with a pretty incredible variety of properties.
So if you own acreage in Healesville, Yarra Glen, Yering, Dixons Creek, Chum Creek, Badger Creek, Toolangi, Kinglake, Marysville, Narbethong, Glenburn or somewhere in between, and you’re starting to wonder what it might be worth or what selling could look like, come and have a chat with us.
We’re always happy to talk property.
Gunther Real Estate – Trusted. Proven. Local.