Santa comes early as Hanging Rock Christmas Tree Farm listed for sale

It’s been looking a lot like Christmas for about 20 years at Daryl Brown’s place.

But after almost two decades running the Hanging Rock Christmas Tree Farm from his Hesket home he’s hanging up the chainsaw.

And rather than be a Grinch about it, he’s put the more than 12ha farm at 699 Romsey Rd up for grabs so another of Santa’s little helpers can take the reins.

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“We sell out every year,” Brown says.

The Christmas trees grow in the shadow of Australian landmark, Hanging Rock.

“We’ve scaled it right back, with 800 trees now. But we had 4000 at one time.”

The Christmas tree farm in the shadow of Hanging Rock started out of a spare paddock where his son began growing them so he could make some money to buy his first car.

Brown and his wife Vera have run it as a hobby since then, with a little help from their dog Murph, and it’s become a mainstay for locals.

At more than 12ha, there’s space to farm a lot more than Christmas trees at this property.

Past customers have even included rock royalty, with Darryl Cotton once dropping in with a van to collect a tree.

“I’ve loved talking to the people and their kids, it’s such an exciting time for the youngsters and I get just as much fun out of seeing them enjoy it all,” Brown says.

For those planning to pick up a tree this Christmas his advice is to make sure it gets water every day, is kept out of direct sunlight and gets covered in decorations that mean something to you.

“We travel and over the years we have always brought back a Christmas decoration, so we decorate the tree that way,” Brown says.

“And the water is from the bore or the tank, so we don’t pay for water or power,” Brown says.

And if you’re into Christmas in July, you might actually be able to enjoy a white Christmas.

Growing their own vegetables and fruit is another handy addition to the charming, country-style four-bedroom house, as is space to run cattle.

RT Edgar Macedon Ranges real estate agent Beverley Higgs says the unique property, named Altavista, is expected to sell for $1.3-$1.4 million.

This article from The Herald Sun originally appeared as “Hanging Rock Christmas Tree Farm for sale after almost 20 years”.