Landscape designer Rick Eckersley has sold Musk Cottage, his Mornington Peninsula weekender.
RT Edgar were seeking $4 million to $4.2 million with around $4.5 million secured for Eckersley, who grew up on a cattle and wool grazing property in Macarthur, in the Western District.
He studied at Burnley Horticultural College as a mature-age student, then worked for Berwick City Council for three weeks, before leaving to start his own landscaping business.
It was a labour of love for the Melbourne-based gardener after he paid $2 million for the estate off a dirt track at Flinders in 2006 when the four hectares was almost entirely mown lawn.
He bought the property as a break from his weekends in St Kilda.
The contemporary three bedroom main residence opens as much as possible to the outdoors.
The living and dining room flows to a large deck which overlooks the picturesque dam.
On the other side of the home is a swimming pool, tennis court, bocce court, pitching green and in-ground trampoline.
They sit by a self-contained three bedroom cottage.
This article was first published in the Weekend Australian.