In an interesting historical twist, ownership of the Bentley property at Chudleigh has returned to a family who owned it in the 1880’s, as part of their succession plan.

Donald Norman Cameron, a member of the Australian House of Representatives for six years and a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for four, built the stunning house at Bentley in 1879.

Now Bentley’s neighbours, Max Cameron and Helen Baillie of the Wesley Vale property at Chudleigh, have bought 395 hectare Bentley from international antique dealer John Hawkins and noted botanical and landscape artist Robyn Mayo.

Mr Cameron said the Hawkins would lease the house and other buildings at Bentley for a period of time.

“We are excited to acquire Bentley,” he said.

“We have a love of it through our dealings with the Cramp family because when they owned it we stayed there for three years while we renovated our house at Wesley Dale.”

John Hawkins and Robyn Mayo put Bentley on the market in August 2021.

Even though Mr Hawkins is in his 70s and Ms Mayo is seriously ill, they had misgivings about the sale; the arrangements with the Cameron family means they will live in the house at Bentley for the foreseeable future.

On a previously Aboriginal fire-farmed plain, Bentley has a sustainable farming regime and water from five dams and waterholes and rights from the Lobster Rivulet.

Since 2002 when they bought the property, John and Robyn have fenced waterways and removed every willow and radiata pine, replacing them with native trees to prevent stock from destroying water courses.

Max Cameron paid tribute to their work in developing Bentley.

“In the late 1880’s Bentley was a large property but when John Hawkins bought it, Bentley had shrunk to the size of a small dairy farm. 

“His acquisition of adjoining land to create a substantial property means Bentley’s landscape is quite magnificent. He has every reason to be proud of it because he has created an exceptional property.”

Mr Cameron also said that the arboretum of thousands of native trees planted at Bentley by Ms Mayo was “a huge attraction” in buying it.

“The work she has done there is exceptional,” he said.

Mr Cameron and Ms Baillie have two sons and two daughters, all of whom work at Wesley Vale.

“We are expanding our property as part of our succession plan,” Max Cameron said.

In selling Bentley, Christies of London described it as ‘arguably one of Tasmania’s finest landscapes and magnificent period homestead’.

It was established by John Badcock Gardiner on 340 hectares granted by Governor Arthur in 1829.

Phillip Oakden acquired Bentley in 1838, naming it after his family home near Ashbourne in Derbyshire, England.

It’s believed he planted the 9kms of hawthorn hedges which are a striking feature of today’s Bentley.

Donald Norman Cameron (known as Norman Cameron) built the house at Bentley in 1879 and owned it until his death in 1931.