The Enigma by the Bay.

Campaign image. Courtesy of SpaceCraft

There are homes that tell their story plainly. Then there are those that resist explanation, asking instead to be read through the fragments of imposing structures and an allusive, forgotten past. The landmark Italianate residence at 182 Beaconsfield Parade, Middle Park belongs to the latter. Residing opposite the bay along Melbourne’s prestigious waterfront stretch, its iconic profile evokes a mystery that only deepens with time.

There is no definitive date of construction and no name definitively attached to its architectural design. The archives offer little. A photograph of the neighbouring Hughenden mansion from around 1890 shows it lingering in the background, yet a Board of Works map from 1895 fails to acknowledge its presence. Its architectural lineage suggests a link to Hughenden, even just in inspiration, with both buildings echoing the language of Italianate design, marked by expressive arches and an engagement with a scale that favours formality over flourish.

Little is known of the architect and custodians of the home at this time, with connections to John Buxton, a significant landholder in the area, whose name appears in connection with 182 and the neighbouring home at 183 Beaconsfield Parade. Though the land was originally purchased under an alternative name, the association with Buxton persists, lending credence to the belief that the terraces flanking Hughenden once formed part of a single, extended family estate.

Above: Photograph from State Library records, taken in the 1970s.

“I’ve done a bit of research,” says current owner Susan. “The Middle Park Historical Society has done some great work, and I was able to access records at the State Library. I traced 182’s history from the early days when it was owned by John Buxton, to its time after WWI when it fell into disrepair, becoming cheap apartments, to its redevelopment by George and Georgie into a family home.” Still, she says, “the question of whether 181 and 182 were originally one home remains a mystery.”

By the 1920s, any coherence of the original plan had been obscured, with records showing a transition from a primary home into what was known as ‘Vauxhall Apartments’. When previous owners, George and Georgie, took ownership in the late 70s, they embarked on a reimagining of sorts. Drawn to the original grandeur and inspired by magazines collected over the years, they returned the six apartments to a singular residence. A spiral stair at the front, timber stair at the rear, formal reception rooms, and a sunlit family zone oriented to the north. The result was a residence that responded as much to the past as it did to its future and phenomenal waterfront setting.

Those interventions remain intact under Susan, who has continued the restoration with a light hand. “We’ve done very little to the property,” she says. “We decorated the children’s rooms, developed the garden and maintained any issues that came up. We had amazing spaces to enjoy and didn’t need to be precious, which is a gift with a growing family.”

“The top veranda, or loggia, is where we fell in love with the house. It’s where we’ve watched thunderstorms crash across the bay, and where we’ve seen seals play and dolphins swim by, all from bed or with a glass in hand.”

The everyday rhythms of family life were uninterrupted by the home’s grandeur, though visitors often reminded them of its significance. “We constantly heard friends say, seeing the house for the first time, that they had always admired it, that they felt privileged to be behind its front door or never expected to be on the veranda enjoying bubbles,” Susan reflects. “In short, it was our friends who kept us connected to what a special home it is.”

Several spaces have taken on lasting meaning. “The top veranda, or loggia, is where we fell in love with the house. It’s where we’ve watched thunderstorms crash across the bay, and where we’ve seen seals play and dolphins swim by, all from bed or with a glass in hand. The kitchen, too, has always felt central. We cooked there as a family. Georgie once reigned over it like a lioness, and I often think of her there. The garden, though, is where the big decisions happened. Under the pagoda, with a cup of tea in hand, it always felt calm.”

Though the story of 182 is steeped in rumour and hearsay, tales of Italianate terraces built for Governor Buxton’s extended family, connections to the Catholic Church’s first subdivisions in Middle Park, Susan sees these myths as part of the charm, not the rule. “Interestingly, none of it is true. But we loved being part of this iconic stretch. Although the lore surrounding the home is intriguing, it never changed how we lived. The girls learnt to rollerblade down the hall, camped in the backyard, and swam at the beach.”

With sublime north-facing gardens and a sense of scale that resists the passage of trends, 182 Beaconsfield Parade is less an address than a silhouette of a life well lived. 

Now offered for sale through Jellis Craig Port Phillip, its story is ready to shift once more. For more information, please contact selling agent Simon Gowling on 0422 234 644.