10 Phyllis Crescent, McKenzie Hill, Vic 3451

This is what happens when someone decides not to build the same house as everyone else. Rammed earth walls, post and beam construction, double glazing, polished cement floors, this property was conceived with intention and executed with conviction, and it shows in every room.

The north-facing ground floor is open and easy, with a living room anchored by a solid wood heater and warmed further by a gas wall heater for the colder seasons. The kitchen is genuinely functional, with an island bench for casual meals, a gas cooktop, a wall oven, a dishwasher, and a generous walk-in pantry that means storage is never a compromise. External access from the kitchen leads directly to the rear deck, keeping the connection between inside and out straightforward and practical.

Off the living area, a fourth bedroom works equally well as a home office, with a sliding door opening onto the deck and ornamental trees providing natural shade. The laundry has its own external access. The ground floor bathroom covers all bases: shower, bath, vanity, toilet.

Upstairs, three further bedrooms are arranged across a compact but well-considered floor, two with built-in robes and dormer windows that bring in light and outlook. A second bathroom with a shower, vanity, and toilet serves the upper level.

Outside, the 930sqm (approx) block has real potential: a productive garden, a greenhouse, fruit trees, a slate-paved terrace that's an obvious place to sit with a drink at the end of the day. Shed, water tank, and a two-car carport round out the practicalities.

McKenzie Hill is five minutes from central Castlemaine, close enough for everything, far enough to feel like you have arrived somewhere.