An important piece of Port Macquarie history has changed hands with the federation home, 'Hillcrest', snapped up by Sydney buyers.
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Sydney couple Belinda and Ross Dye fell in love with the property and purchased it in May this year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Dye, an electrical engineer said the pair were unaware of the local history of 'Hillcrest' before they submitted an offer.
"Compared to many cookie-cutter, instant houses this was the one that we could style ourselves," he said.
"We found out along the way that the house was originally moved from the Growers Market on Gordon Street in 1980 to this site.
"It had extensions to it but originally a man named Thomas Dick lived in it. He was a photographer for the Port Macquarie News and there is quite a bit of history in it.
"We planned for a house and got a landmark. It's been quite interesting."
Thomas Dick's grandfather settled in Port Macquarie in 1841 after migrating from England. Thomas lived and worked in the area from 1910 to 1927.
His family farmed oysters but his own interests included natural history, local history and documenting the culture of local Aboriginals. Dick's photographic record remains a fragmented visual record of Aboriginal life in the Hastings district, housed in the National Museum of Australia.
Mrs Dye, a pharmacy assistant said the pair had family in the region and moved from a lifetime of living at Avalon in Sydney's northern beaches.
"I've lived on the Northern Beaches for my whole life. I'd been there for 61 years so it's a really big move," she said.
"I'd been to Port Macquarie a few times and saw that it was a seaside setting. I like the feel and we wanted to retire from the queues and hassles that Sydney has.
"Our four children can come here and stay for holidays or a weekend. There are three kids in Sydney and one in Queensland.
"The house has some soul. It's got a bit of a story to it and we've always had old houses with a bit of character."
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