A small-town gem for big-city folk, under $450k

Tempted to go back to a simpler time of, say, 20 years ago? Big-city folk longing for less hassle getting the kids from A to B, wanting to own their own home but still to be within easy reach of a city and an airport, might find this Lawrence gem solves a lot of their problems.

Lawrence is a small town in the Clutha district of South Otago, 45 minutes from Dunedin airport, and a place where gold was discovered in 1861.

Her three-bedroom villa, built around 1927 with a veranda at the front that catches the sun first thing in the morning, has been in her family for 19 years, and it’s where she raised her son.

The house was first the home of her mother, Madeleine Robinson, and then Keach and her seven-year-old son moved in after she passed away.

The hand of Robinson, who was a carver and leather worker and had a studio at home, is very evident in the house with its colourful interiors, leadlight windows and wood panelling.

“Mum did a lot of it because she always had really good ideas, and she was a creative by trade,” says Keach. Robinson chose vintage wallpaper for the hallways and for some of the rooms. She tried to keep it all original, says the vendor, who modernised the bathroom and added a heat pump and a ventilation system.

There’s no getting in the car when sending your children to school in Lawrence. The house is a ten-minute walk into town, just around the corner from Lawrence Area School, which is a primary, intermediate and senior school all in one. School students also have access to the Tuapeka ‘Splash Out’ aquatic centre and gym close by.

“And there’s a kindergarten just next to the school for that as well. So it’s got everything that you need. We loved living there, it’s such a great community,” says Keach.

Her son was a mountain biker, and Lawrence was perfect for that, she says. A Red Bull rider even designed a course for mountain bikers up behind the town.

“It’s like going back, I don’t know, 20 years, to when we were kids,” says Keach. " A nearby skate park is popular with the children too."

This north-facing home at 28 Harrington Street, with a big umbrella tree out the front complete with a swing, would also be a great place for the grandchildren to visit.

“Lawrence has got such a great community that really looks after the retirees – the Lions Club are fantastic, and there are lots of activities happening for the older generation,” says Keach.

The medical centre across the road has a care home attached to it as well.

Some older buyers have looked at the home being marketed by Bayleys agent Lucy Hibbert-Foy, who describes Lawrence as a big little town that punches well above its weight.

“I have been here for four years and lived all over the world, and sometimes the best part of the world is staring you in the face,” she says.

Meanwhile, any buyer will benefit from the garden Keach’s mother created.