Live like royalty in sprawling castle

IT was a backdrop for Australian actor Paul Hogan’s ragsto-riches biopic and was a pit stop for horses and carriages in the 1800s.

Welcome to the “Castle of Gilston” – a sprawling grand manor set on a 2.26ha of land at 392 Gilston Rd.

The unusual property built on the western Gold Coast is going under the hammer on

March 12. Vendors Tracie and Adam Arnold’s family had the five-bedroom house built over three years in the early 1990s.

“Six stonemasons were brought up from Sydney for six months on site to hand carve each and every limestone block laid,” Mrs Arnold said.

“Limestone was used for the walls and sandstone for the flooring.”

Fit for royalty, the residence features floor-to-ceiling windows and archways, a marble staircase and grand water feature.

The house was fitted out with French, German and Italian products with a range of timbers used for the doors and window fittings and seven different types of marble.

The Arnolds said Paul Hogan filmed part of his selftitled mini series Hoges: The Paul Hogan Story at the house, which doubled as a property he once owned at Byron Bay. There is also plenty of Gilston history attached to the property.

“The massive tallowwood tree at the front of the property was a stopping point for the Cobb and Co company (coaches) back in the 19th century,” Ms Arnold said.

“It was a halfway point between Nerang and Mudgeeraba where they would rest the horses and cook damper by the tree.”