Andy Lee and Bec Harding are restoring a derelict mansion in Melbourne

Article by Your Home and Garden

The plans have been unveiled, and ‘Ravenswood’ is set to be spectacular.

“The changing of the season… not long now until we start,” Andy shared on his Instagram.

Back in 2021, media personality Andy Lee — best known for his time on the popular radio show Hamish and Andy — purchased a rundown 150-year-old riverside mansion in Melbourne’s Hawthorn for $8.5 million. The catch? It had no kitchen, no bathroom, no power, and no plumbing.

What it did have though, was seven perfectly proportioned bedrooms, original Baltic pine floorboards, a slate roof, open fireplaces, an ornately arched hallway, and plenty of potential in the right hands.

While the Italianate manor (known as Ravenswood) had sat vacant for over a decade, it took just 18 days on the market to sell to Andy and his now-fiancée Rebecca Harding. Listing agent Antony Woodley of Jellis Craig shared that over 80 parties had inspected the crumbling mansion, only to quickly realise it would take millions to make the home liveable.

Despite its derelict condition, Ravenswood is excellently positioned on the edge of the Tarra River. Image: realestate.com.au

“We had a lot of interest from families looking to do a more simple restoration through to grander schemes,” he shared with realestate.com.au at the time of the sale.

Believed to have been built circa 1876, the two-storey home is one of Hawthorn’s oldest “ornate period properties” and as such, enjoys a prime position on the Yarra River, with almost 2000 sqm of land.

“It seems the ceiling might need a little bit of patch work but the rest is perfectly ready to be lived in,” Andy joked in a post on his Instagram. “Just ask any of the pigeons and possums.”

Andy had always dreamed of owning a house on the Yarra River. And after years of unsuccessful house hunting, Ravenswood came about rather serendipitously.

“Mum saw a story about the house on the news, she filmed it off the TV and sent it to me with the message ‘I think I’ve found your new home’ as a joke,” Andy recently told Australian Women’s Weekly. Soon after, the couple happened to be driving past the property on the way to another and thought they’d swing by. 48 hours later, it was theirs.

Before the two-storey home was purchased by Andy and Bec in 2021, it had sat vacant for over a decade. Photo: realestate.com.au

While its current condition may make it seem like it would be simpler to knock it down and start again, the home has heritage protections as part of the ‘Rookery Estate Precinct’ and is considered an “aesthetically significant” home in the area due to its “picturesque combination of steeply pitched roofs, timber fretwork, brick and rough-cast stucco.”

Andy regularly shares little updates on his Instagram whenever he visits in the crumbling home.

That’s not to say things aren’t about to change considerably. News.com.au has recently shared that the couple’s plans submitted to the local council detail around $5 million worth of works intended for the property, including the installation of a pool, theatre and gym, as well as a golf simulator, a tunnel between two buildings and a “waiting room” for guests.

But perhaps the most lavish of those plans is the 97sqm main bedroom suite, complete with ensuite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe.

The historic property sits on almost 2000 sqm of river frontage in Melbourne’s Hawthorn. Photo: realestate.com.au

In August 2024, Bec shared an update. “As you can see, a lot has changed since we were last here,” Bec shares to Instagram. “You can see that they’ve cut in some windows and a front door to the street side of the building, so it’s finally starting to look like a home.”

“The staircase is going to go, but we have found a new a new home for it so it’s great that it’s being reused… A spiral staircase will go in here to service both levels,” she gestures.

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A post shared by @thebuild_ravenswood

Taking to Instagram, Andy shared a post revealing “the team that have courageously agreed to take on the project” as none other than acclaimed architectural design firm, Flack Studio.

Most recently, they even revealed a mock-up of the new design with details of their brief to Flack Studio – “1. Honour the old house 2. We’d like to live in the new.” The drawing shows the original historic home standing proud on its own, with an ultra-modern rear extension that “makes the most of the river views,” wrote the couple. The two will be connected via an underground tunnel.

“Bec had some other specifics about wardrobes but that’s not reflected in this drawing other than to say her wardrobe is pretty much that entire back building,” the post on Instagram continued.

Since then, the couple has established a dedicated Instagram account for the house: @thebuild_ravenswood and have so far documented numerous new rooms within the build, including one with a unique porthole window. “This extremely unusual port-hole window sits top left of the house as you see it from the street. I have no idea of its history but I do feel extra safe in that room if the Yarra River decides to flood,” they wrote. “It comes with its own mini curtain, a size and shape usually reserved for the revealing of important plaques.”

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A post shared by Andy Lee (@andytomlee)

And while it seems that could still be a while away before the couple can move in, it hasn’t stopped them from enjoying their future home.

In fact, Andy Lee recently proposed to Bec in the home while the pair were there capturing some footage. Andy, pretending to spot something in the fireplace, bent down on one knee and remained there until Bec came over to see what he was looking at. He then surprised her with a ring and a sweet proposal, surrounded by building dust and pigeon poo. Now the couple have a renovation and a wedding to plan!

Words: Emma Breislin