The Kiama Bugle: 26 February, 2024.
Josephine Osborne remembers the days when the local farmers used to lead their cows through the centre of Jamberoo.
That was 20 years ago, when the picturesque village nestled in the folding green hills at the base of the Escarpment was a centre for the local dairy industry, and tourists were rarely seen.
Now Jamberoo is something of a millionaire’s row, the town’s unique ambience attracting cashed up residents from Sydney and the surrounding districts.
Josephine’s cottage is smack bang in the middle of town, a two minute walk from the baker, the butcher, a cafe and an IGA, and all of about three minutes from the local pub.
Once called Elsmere, nobody knows exactly how old the house is, although it is most certainly more than a century old. Once owned by the local storekeeper, a gentleman named John Nelson, it was passed on to his family after his death in 1921.
Through a complicated series of events, Josephine’s husband John, “he was always Johnny to me”, came into full ownership of the house in 2003.
Her husband having passed away two years ago, and three of her closest friends having also passed away in the last six months, Josephine decided it was time to heed the call of her family, pull up stumps and head down to Phillip Island near Melbourne. While no one likes getting older, it is now the right moment to spend more time with her four daughters, 12 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
She is astonished to find her humble little two bedroom cottage now worth $1.2 million dollars.
“It’s been a wonderfully happy house,” she said. “I have been very very happy here, so happy it has been incredible. I am very sad to leave. There is something about this house, it is a warm, comfortable feeling. It is lovely.”
Josephine proudly points out the wood fixtures around the house which her husband installed. “He was a carpenter. Everything is spot on. For him, everything had to be just right. He loved every inch of Jamberoo.”
She said after having met her husband on a paddle cruise at Windsor, she moved to Jamberoo to be with him and immediately shared her husband’s passion for the area. “My first impression, I loved it and thought it was so beautiful. And the people were lovely and friendly.”
Selling agent Vivienne Marris, owner of Elders Real Estate Jamberoo, said what made the property so valuable was its uniquely central location in the centre of one of the most sought after areas in the state, but also the fact that it was zoned both business and residential.
Her business is directly opposite Josephine’s house, and the two have been friends for many years.
“It could be an architect’s office, or rooms for a physiotherapist, or an art gallery,” she said. “My favourite idea is that it could become a quirky little outlet for local crafts people.”
You can learn more about the property from the Elders website here.
