Artist Dale Frank lists his colonial Hunter Valley retreat: Title Tattle

Hambledon Hill, the two-storey 30-room 1860s Hunter Valley residence (pictured above), has been listed for sale by artist Dale Frank. The sandstock brick homestead – typical of the transition period from the late Georgian to the Victorian era – has been listed by Franks through First National Max Bailey agent Scott Bailey. Frank is among Australia’s foremost contemporary painters, with a career spanning more than three decades. His works have been most recently exhibited at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney and Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne.  In 1983 his work was included in the exhibition Panorama della post – critica: critica ed arte at the Museo Palazzo Lanfranchi in Pisa and in 1984 he was included in the Aperto section of the Venice Biennale. Towards the late 1990s, Frank began experimenting with commercial varnishes and the chemical reactions that occur when certain pigments are added. He's added a studio to the property - blending with the orginal architecture - in 2008.

With views down the valley between the Brokenback and Barrington mountain ranges, the  property is nine kilometres from Singleton. It was built by an English merchant and horse breeder, Richard Dines, who hosted a seven-race St Patrick's Day race meeting to celebrate its completion in 1865. It sits in gardens including Queensland kauri, Morton Bay fig and Norfolk pine planted more than 140 years ago. An underground irrigation system fed from the Hunter River provides water for the gardens. Its previous owners include Edward Lloyd-Jones, a director of the David Jones retailing family, who bought the then 300-hectare property in 1914 and ran a cattle stud until he sold to a local dairy farmer, Bert Ball, in 1926. Upon his death, it was passed on to his son, James Ball, in 1982. In 1988 the property was bought by the Sydney publishers Kay and Garry Burke. Frank bought it from consultant to the airport industry Coralie Kelly who bought it in 1999. No price disclosure has been given, but it joins Neotsfield, another Hunter Valley homestead, that comes with $1.4 million plus hopes through Ray White Singleton. Ofcourse Neotsfield, once the Dangar pioneering family property, now sits on just nine hectares at Whittingham, and the Hambledon Hill property is 18 hectares and does come with indirect Melbourne Cup winning connections. Richard Dines had previously owned the 1868 Melbourne Cup winner, Glencoe. The district has produced at least 10 Melbourne Cup winners: Glencoe (1868), Lord Cardigan (1903), Poseidon (1906), Lord Nolan (1908), Prince Foote (1909), Piastre (1912), Nightwatch (1918), Poitrel (1920), and Peter Pan (1932 and (1934) which is buried at Baroona, another Dangar family homestead.

Warringa, the 1880s McMahons Point residence (pictured above), comes with $5 million-plus hopes after failing to selling at its auction last weekend. The four-bedroom Mitchell Street house has been listed by the Marshman family with initial $5.5 million-plus hopes in March. It last sold at $2.4 million in 2000. They are the couple who've bought the Surry Hills warehouse recently sold by Neville and Beryl Miles for $5.71 million through McGrath agent Ben Collier inconjunction with Shannon Whitney at BresicWhitney.

International sailing champion owner Jake Gunther is selling his Tuscan-style Brighton house (pictured above). The five-bedroom, six-bathroom house, designed by Edgard Pirrotta, has reported $4.9 million-plus hopes through Kate Strickland from Marshall White for its May 30 auction. Gunther, the president of the International Etchells Association, is the Australian champion of the Olympic Finn Class. He is also the owner of the bayside property development company Gunther Developments. Cameo, the Tuscan-styled 2002 Wellington Street house, comes with a rooftop terrace with bay views.

The head of Credit Suisse’s global metals and mining equity research business, Paul  McTaggart, and wife Susan have listed their Vaucluse house with $3.3 million-plus hopes for its June 2 auction. It's a six-bedroom, three-bathroom house that has been refurbished since bought in 1998 for $1,156,000.

Cinematographer Steve Davis and his wife, personal stylist Kath Davis, have listed their Warrawee weatherboard set on a 1,839-square-metre block with veggie patch and chook run. The 100-year Findlay Road house originally a fruit picker’s cottage comes with $1.4 million plus hopes. It cost $1.3 million in 2010.