The homestead, at Kanagulk, was first settled in 1840 by Francis Desailly. It was the first homestead to be settled in the Balmoral area. 

Today, the refurbished homestead on the station is on the market. With its 10 heritage-listed buildings, it has an almost untouched rustic look. 

Current owners Greg and Heather Walcott said they didn’t think the original landlord, Sir John Owen, had actually ever seen the land. 

“(Sir John Owen) sold it privately to the Armytage family who established the buildings and the site here in Fulham,” Greg said. 

“The buildings date from 1846 and were progressively built after that.” 

Greg said the Soldier Settlement Commission bought the property off the Armytage family in 1948 and developed it into settlement blocks. 

“My father successfully applied for the homestead block,” he said. 

Since then, the homestead has been in the Walcott family. Greg and his siblings grew up there. 

Greg inherited Fulham from his father and has spent almost his entire life living at the property – apart from the six years he spent studying. 

“I’ve been here all my life. I was born here. It’s been a great place to grow up and a great place to bring our children up as well,” he said. 

“It’s a terrific area (with the) river, space, the property and the farm… it’s a great lifestyle. We always had horses.” 

Walking out of the front of the house you can see a green garden fit for a wedding, with sculptures Greg as created along with a vegetable patch, a child’s play set under a tree and a lawn tennis court dotting the landscape. 

The foot of the garden meets the start of the Glenelg River. The property has its own watering hole finished with a wooden bench and table and an outdoor toilet. 

Along with the homestead building, there is a guest house. Inside the guest house, the kitchen and bathrooms have been refurbished to a modern style. 

Greg said the direct water supply would have been extremely important for some of the original settlers.

He said that water supply helped the red gums grow to their potential. 

Greg and Heather developed the garden and tennis court themselves. 

“The garden was established when the property was built and then it was bulldozed. When (Heather and I) were married it was only a horse paddock, so we gradually re-established the garden in stages,” he said

“This included the lawn court, the veggie garden … there were a few established trees but very little else so eventually we have developed it right down to the water’s edge at the river.” 

Most of the 10 heritage-listed buildings at Fulham have been built with iron stone. The stone is from within one kilometre of the homestead and is built on an iron stone shelf. 

Heather said the greatest part about the property is that it was an ideal place for family and friends to visit and stay. 

The station cookhouse is one of the 10 heritage listed buildings which the Walcott’s have reinvigorated to a dining room with the original fireplace and stone oven still intact. 

“It has been a huge highlight. We didn’t realise the benefit of it until we developed the cookhouse. We wish we had done it years earlier,” Greg said. 

“It’s so idyllic and a great piece of living history. We have great dinner parties out there. It just has this atmosphere – especially when it’s lit up by candles.” 

Greg said the wildlife, setting and river was incredible – especially on a sunny morning or a sunset afternoon. 

Greg said moving away from somewhere he had spent almost 65 years of his life would be a huge change.

Fulham station, set on 65 acres, is a 45-minute drive from Horsham towards Balmoral.