Founder’s mansion in Tasmania’s tourism gateway offered for sale
A piece of Tasmanian history has been listed for sale on the Strahan waterfront, with Ormiston House priced at $1.3 million. The former residence of town founder Frederick Ormiston Henry is an opulent example of Queen Anne Federation-style architecture, built of solid brick and timber, and it has remained exquisitely preserved.
As a prominent storekeeper and shareholder in the Mount Lyell Prospecting Association, Henry built the iconic Ormiston House in 1899, served on the local Marine Board, and became a central figure in the development of the region’s mining and shipping industries.
The residence spans 506 square metres on a 5311-square-metre plot. Currently, it operates as a private hotel with five ensuite rooms, landscaped gardens, a commercial kitchen, a manager’s two-bedroom apartment in the former coach house, and a garage/workshop and carport.
It’s one of the West Coast township’s most recognisable historic homes. With its sale, the baton will pass from the current long-time owners, who are retiring, to an investor or owner-occupier seeking a lifestyle-driven accommodation asset in one of Tasmania’s top tourism destinations.
NAI Harcourts sales and leasing consultant Kingsley Wallman said listings of this scale and heritage significance rarely became available in Tasmania, particularly in tightly held towns such as Strahan.
“Most houses of this stature in Tasmania never come to market. Many remain owned by the original families who built them with convict labour,” Wallman said.
While the property has been available previously, Wallman said buyer engagement has increased following recent pricing adjustments, and the current owners are now seeking to align with market expectations as they begin their retirement.
The offering is expected to appeal to an owner-operator looking to combine a sea-change lifestyle with an income stream.
“The property will be bought by an owner-operator, someone wanting a sea change in a magnificent historic mansion that also provides an income,” he said.
Strahan, located on Tasmania’s west coast, recorded a permanent population of just 697 residents in the 2023 census and is characterised by a concentration of historic waterfront buildings that reflect its maritime past.
The township serves as the gateway to the Gordon River and Tasmania’s World Heritage Area, positioning it as a key tourism hub for the region, and the tourism sector remains a major economic driver for the west coast, alongside aquaculture activity within Macquarie Harbour.
Wallman said the combination of history, location and income potential made Ormiston House a unique offering in the current market.
“The history as the house of Strahan’s founder is fascinating, but many are also attracted to the possibility of escaping to a place and a house that really don’t exist anymore anywhere else in the world,” he said.
“Strahan is incredibly isolated and beautiful. And Ormiston House is just unrepeatable. If it were in Melbourne or Sydney, a house like this would cost many, many millions.”
