Greenbank mother of six, Linda van Veldhuizen is preparing to bid farewell to the Honeyeater Drive block where her family grew bigger, older and closer over the last 20 years.
“It’s sad to see it go, but it’s time to move on and change scenery,” Ms van Veldhuizen said.
The nine-bedroom, four bathroom, 600sqm home sits on a 2ha block.
Timber is a recurring theme throughout the home, and when combined with 9ft ceilings, it creates a bright, natural and open space.
“It’s got timber in the family rooms, outside on the verandas, in the kitchen, and there are raked ceilings too,” Ms van Veldhuizen said.
“It’s a massive house… but it’s also very quiet and has beautiful gardens.
“They’re adult children now, but five of them still live here and it feels like everyone has their own space.”
She said it was never their plan to move out and sell the property.
“We recently purchased some land at Chambers Flat so we’re going to move there – it was very unexpected and spur of the moment,” she said.
“This was supposed to be our forever home – so I’m a bit emotional – all my children grew up here.
“It’s a very ‘family’ home; I’d love another family to grow up here.”
Over the last 20 years, Ms van Veldhuizen and her family of eight “fully embraced” the rural lifestyle.
“We’ve got two 27,000 litre rainwater tanks, there’s built in veggie gardens, a fully-decked-out chicken pen, and a playhouse with a sandpit and massive slide,” she said.
“We’ve got everything here.
“And it’s only eleven minutes from Springfield City.”
She said the large block allowed her and her husband to keep up with their hobbies.
“I loved gardening, and my husband is a jack-of-all-trades,” she said.
“It’s got two dams, and the property is fully irrigated so there are taps all over the property to water your garden and veggies.”
But best of all, Ms van Veldhuizen said there was room for more.
“We have a three-car garage with a separate room and bathroom – it’s built like a house, so you could easily convert it to a granny flat if you wanted to,” she said.
“We also have a large area out the back for a large shed or tennis court.”
The family are sad to leave the home – the community is “great”, and the neighbours are “nice and quiet” – but Ms van Veldhuizen said her family won’t lose its closeness.
“All the kids want to come with us [to the new property],” she said.
“Even though one has gone off and married, we’re still close and they come over every weekend and have family time.
“My best memories from this place would be whenever the family was together – birthdays, Christmas, growing up… the house never felt empty.”
