The Sheiling is one of Tasmania’s best known and loved historic homes. It was one of only 8 Australian homes to be featured in the ABC’s recent series ‘Who’s been sleeping in my house?’. This charming building is made of locally quarried sandstone and is of Colonial Georgian design. As shown on the programme’s spectacular aerial shots, the beauty and privacy extend even past the boundaries of the property. Its driveway is the original road from Hobart to the north of the state (Bell’s Line of Road) before the Derwent river was crossed by the Bridgewater bridge and the Midland Highway constructed. However, historians are still debating if the Sheiling was built around 1819 as a garrison building with two troopers stationed in the weatherproof porches at each end with a small window in each one facing north and one facing south where travellers were scrutinized in an age of bushrangers and escaped convicts. The roof’s pit-sawn timbers add credence to the belief that it is a pre-1820′s construction. The alternative theory is that it is a 1850′s design of Francis Butler, the architect behind some of Hobart’s finest colonial buildings such as the Memorial Congregational Church, the Commercial Bank of Tasmania as well as the iconic Cotswold-style stables at nearby Shene Homestead.

It was transformed in the 1950′s into a single dwelling with an English-style garden surrounding the house and the rear part of its 1.6 acres contains a fenced paddock suitable for animals with a chook shed and small equipment shed. A magnificent ancient Oak tree stands at the front of the house and is a striking feature of the garden. The Sheiling stands in a very private position behind St Marks church which is probably Pontville’s most noticed building in the drive between Hobart and Launceston. When the Brighton/Pontville bypass opens shortly, travelling time to Hobart will be well under 30 minutes and will provide a country property well within commuting distance of the Tasmanian capital.

The Sheiling is listed by the National Trust and the Tasmanian Heritage Council and is on the Tasmanian Heritage Register and the Register of the National Estate.

The 4 bedroom/2 bathroom property is built around a magnificent central stone chimney which provides fireplaces to 4 rooms on both levels. There is a Huon pine country style kitchen with sections of exposed stone and slate floors, quality appliances and a low combustion heater. There is an open fire in the formal dining room and the main lounge has an air conditioner as well as a pot belly stove. The house is equipped with a burglar alarm and has a tool shed close to the laundry door. There is a 2 car carport beside the front door and ample parking for numerous vehicles. The ABC programme’s comments about the beauty of the garden, the excellent condition of the house and the historic features of the entire property sum up the attraction of this unique treasure.