Don Bradman’s restored childhood home up for sale in Bowral as owner sells after 17 years
After 17 years and a full restoration, the owner of Don Bradman’s childhood home at Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands is selling up. The worlds best batsman lived there with his family from the age of three until he was a teenager- and not surprisingly it is grabbing international attention from buyers looking to pick up a part of cricketing history.
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00:00A modest suburban house with a monumental backstory, 52 Sheppard Street in Boweral is
00:07Don Bradman's childhood home and it's for sale.
00:11It's not only sort of a historical piece but cultural for Australia.
00:15It's really significant so no pressure.
00:18The property was bought by cricket enthusiast Andrew Leeming in 2007.
00:23Along with his wife Erica, he completed a major refurbishment of the house to restore
00:28it to nearly identical condition to when the Bradman family lived in it for 12 years
00:33from 1911.
00:34You know you try to make the world a slightly better place and had this house not been restored
00:40it was sinking into the ground.
00:42Part of refurbishing the house included reinstalling the tank stand that Don Bradman famously honed
00:47his batting skills on by hitting a golf ball with a cricket stump.
00:52The bedrooms have also been furnished to reflect the early 1900s, even down to sporting equipment
00:57in the bedroom Don Bradman shared with his brother.
01:00It's super impressive what Andrew has done has restored some Bradmania I suppose.
01:08It's a Bradmanic transformation to a house that he lived in a hundred years ago and he's
01:16now created a piece of social history with all the trappings of that time.
01:21I see a lot of good properties and this one is up there as far as the detail to the period.
01:27And the detail to make it liveable in today's what people expect.
01:32Since the renovation was completed Andrew Leeming has shown cricket legends, government
01:37leaders and members of the public through the house.
01:40He says the place has an aura.
01:41To walk the same boards and breathe the same air.
01:44I've had hardened first grade cricketers come here burst into tears because they find the
01:50place quite overwhelming.
01:52It is quite remarkable to feel your way around it.
01:56It's a spiritual experience to be in that house.
01:59As for who will acquire this part of the Don's backstory, the owner hopes they'll respect
02:03the sporting and cultural history of the place.
02:06It really is something that should be in state or federal or sporting association hands.
02:13But my hope is whoever does decide to acquire this property is to cherish it, look after
02:20it and nurture it.
02:22A house that helped shape the world's greatest batsman 134 years not out.