For Sale | The Sanctuary Millstream

Exceptional variety of opportunities:
Live-in + multi-income (3 successful STR listings)
Investment multi-income (STRs/LTRs)
Multi-generational living
Co-housing / co-living / community

5 bed, 4 bath, pavilion house on private, tranquil 3 acres

The Sanctuary Millstream, Atherton Tablelands Qld
$948,000

Phone Maia +61 493 239 104 or contact us online

This incomparable architect-designed pavilion home is a rare find - incredibly versatile and suited to many different uses. With four separate wings in the main house, separated by breezeways, a studio downstairs and another building separate from the main house that can be used in many ways, the possibilities are endless! (Photos, floor plans and video tours below.)

At a glance

A private, fully fenced, 1.28 hectare property in Millstream, Atherton Tablelands, Qld, Australia
Flood-free and in a well-drained and well-sheltered location
Fabulous architecturally-designed steel-framed house that impresses all who visit (built in 2011)
4-5 extra-large bedrooms (3 converted to self-contained studios, with another separate building easy to convert)
4 ensuite bathrooms + outdoor, undercover 12-jet spa bath with overhead shower + extra toilet in the laundry
5 split system air conditioners + gas heater
5 undercover car parking (1 x double carport, 1 x single carport, 2 x under house)
The separate building (approx. 5m x 5m) with a deck and split system air conditioning could be used as another self-contained studio (with the addition of bathroom and kitchenette), or a bedroom, therapy/retreat space, office, music studio, games room, etc.)
9 x 12 shed built on old tennis court (2 x drive-through bays + extra 1/2 bay. 4 cars, or caravans, boats, trailers etc.)
Additional 2.25 x 4.5m shed under the house on a concrete slab (brand new)
Legal height under the house, enabling further development
Mains water + 4 rainwater tanks (60,000L) includes header tank and pump
6.5 kW solar power
Septic system
Currently returning approx. 7% p.a. for the three STRs, which can easily be increased
Rates approx. $3000 p.a. (Tablelands Regional Council, rural residential)
Insurance (including STRS) approx $4000 p.a.
High-speed fixed wireless NBN
Reliable Telstra Network phone coverage
50 healthy, mature Bowen mango trees
10 minutes from the well-serviced town of Ravenshoe (sealed roads all the way) along one of the prettiest drives on the Tablelands

Multiple income streams

Currently a lifestyle property owned by semi-retirees, running three successful, self-contained, short-term rental accommodations, grossing $60,000 over the last 12 months (to end October 2025). Occupancy rate last FY approx. 64%.

As a part-time lifestyle business, it totally rocks. Contactless check-in, automated messaging through a channel manager, top ratings on AirBNB, Booking.com, plus plenty of direct bookings and repeat stays (popular with workers). Enough space and separation between the buildings for a predominance of privacy and peace & quiet.

Walk-in, walk-out for the STRs, with branding, website, business card and brochures all thrown in.

If not living onsite, there's an excellent manager who lives just 5 minutes away, plus the potential for a live-in manager. There is also an excellent LTR manager real estate agent just 10 minutes away.

Long-term rentals also provide a much higher yield than a standard rental of the whole property. There is a chronic shortage of rentals.

The current STRs as LTRs could rent for approx. $250 + $250 + $235 p.w. (not including utilities).

If the new owner was not living on the property, the master bedroom and main living areas could be rented out LTR for approx. $355 p.w.

With the addition of a bathroom and kitchenette, the separate building could be either STR or LTR (STR untested). If LTR. could rent for $275 p.w.

That's potentially around $1365 gross p.w. (If the property wasn't set up the way it is now, as a whole-property rental it would probably earn approx. $650 p.w.)

Then there is potential for 2 x land leases @ $100 p.w.

Imagine also, how wonderful it could be if a socially-conscious investor could arrange for this to be a project to help house vulnerable older women or other vulnerable individuals, who, by the time they offset their rent with rent assistance, could live and thrive in such a wonderful sanctuary, ideally at lower rents. There's a wonderful organisation that could potentially be involved in a project like this... People Purpose Place.

Another option could be for a caretaker to rent the studio downstairs at a discount, in exchange for being on hand, keeping an eye on the place, mowing lawns, simple maintenance, etc.

Tell me more!!!

Excellent house placement for winter's northerly aspect - sun indoors and on the decks for winter enjoyment, and for keeping it warm well into the night (rarely need any heating)
Main living area includes gorgeous living room and decks, with spacious, double-sided kitchen (double door fridge space, dishwasher, 90cm wide electric stove/oven with 5 hotplates)
315L electric HWS + gas hot water for the spa bath & living room heater
Fantastic climate! Micro-climate halfway between the wet and the dry, Annual rainfall approx.1.5 metres, huge roof catchment for rainwater. (Fortunately, 9 out of 10 big, wet-season storms go around us and cyclones lose their mojo coming up the hill!)
Healthy country living, clean air, abundant nature/wildlife, with creek and river waterholes for swimming nearby
Main house, no stairs, so it's good for aging in place (stairs down the side to under the house and the studio, studio has one step)
There are decks aplenty, perfect for outdoor living in this gorgeous climate
Roof anchors installed on the house roof for harnessed safety
Outdoor fire pit, gorgeous starry night skies (no light pollution)
Local families of pretty-faced wallabies call this property home
Lovely neighbours/neighbourhood, fantastic wider community
Local police, ambulance and rural fire services
Local primary schools and high school
Weekly council garbage collection
Beautiful scenic drives to Atherton (55 minutes), Cairns (2 hours), Innisfail (1.25 hours)
30 minutes to the Innot Hot Springs

Give me the tour!

See the main menu for the North Wing, South Wing and Studio. Each has its own page with up-to-date photos, and the North and South Wings also have video tours with the listings.

We have more to do before listing the property with the real estate agent. I've taken some quick videos for the interim...

Video tour of the main entry, breezeways and decks.
Video tour of the kitchen and living areas.
Video tour of the master bedroom (currently used as a multi-purpose room due to its fantastic large size).
Video tour of the laundry.
Video tour of some of the outside (2 carports, fire pit area, separate building, large shed).
Video tour of under the house / Studio.
Video tour of the side deck/undercover BBQ area through to the separate building (will do another video once the space is ready).
(Video of the spa bath area yet to come.)

More photos and videos will be added soon. (We weren't expecting to sell our wonderful home... we're scrambling!)

Soooooo...

For those outside the region, The Atherton Tablelands is Australia's best-kept secret! We moved from the Sunshine Coast to the Atherton Tablelands 2.5 years ago, and it is absolutely wonderful. Beyond all our expectations. The incredible natural beauty, the wildlife, the climate, the community and the affordability make it an exceptional offering.

For example; this incredible property costs only about a third of what you would pay on the Sunshine Coast. People in areas like SEQ are being forced out due to affordability. For the same cost as this property, if we were still on the Sunshine Coast, we'd be living in an average house on an 800 m2 block in town. And here we are, living expansively in this incredible home, earning $ and wondering why others aren't onto this!

When we bought this property, it was on the market for just one day. When the people before us bought it, it was on the market for just one day. With all the improvements we've made and with the earning performance of the lifestyle business, it will be interesting to see who snaps it up!

And by the way, we're not leaving the area - we are taking a side step and buying another gorgeous property locally. We didn't see it coming, we'd love to keep this one, but we can't quite stretch that far!

(We've put a lot of work into evolving this property and its capacity to earn income. Now we'll be doing the same with the next one!)

That means others can now have the possibility of benefitting from us (reluctantly) letting this one go!
If you want to get out ahead of it officially going to market, please call Maia 0493 239 104 or contact us online.