![337 The Boulevard, Ivanhoe East - for herald sun real estate](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1280 720"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
337 The Boulevard, Ivanhoe East, was purchased by Jeff Austin and his wife Beverley more than four decades ago.
An Art Deco house in Ivanhoe East that has been home to three generations of world championship event cyclist Jeff Austin’s family sold on the weekend.
Austin represented Australia in the 1969 World Championships in Europe.
His daughter Renee Ballard and partner Chris run international retail design firm Lex Design Agency, working with brands including Clarke’s Shoes, New Balance, Champion and Diesel.
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Ms Ballard grew up in the three-bedroom property at 337 The Boulevard and moved back in about four years ago with Chris and their young daughter, after her parents downsized.
Ms Ballard said as a child, her father used to ride his bicycle from Northcote to Ivanhoe East.
“He would peddle along The Boulevard and he decided that one day he would own a house on this street,” she said.
Years later, this dream came true when Jeff and Ms Ballard’s mother, Beverley, purchased the home.
Old-world charm meets a modern makeover inside.
World championship cycling colours painted in the garage where Austin kept his car collection.
![Jeff Austin - cyclist and former owner of 337 The Boulevard, Ivanhoe East - for herald sun real estate](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 768 1024"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former cyclist Jeff Austin represented Australia in the 1969 World Championships.
Jeff was keen to find a pad that had a “decent garage” to keep his beloved car collection in.
“My parents have always joked that they bought the house for the garage, and it was just a bonus they liked the house,” Ms Ballard said.
They ended up heightening the garage ceiling and installing a car stacker.
Ms Ballard added that according to local legend, the house was built by a Scotsman in the 1930s.
“The house itself is iconic to the street, with its mini-castle style and features,” she said.
A retreat with a fireplace and chandelier.
Situated directly opposite the Yarra River, the property delivers uninterrupted views out to the Dandenong Ranges.
There’s also a formal dining room and formal lounge.
Selling up with plans to move to Sydney for business reasons, Ms Ballard she would miss the residence’s “quirky features, like the jaunty fox weathervane that sits atop the spire, the unique cornice details, its high ceilings and its solid structure”.
Nelson Alexander Ivanhoe’s Liz Walker said the “gorgeous” home stood out with a crenellated roofline, turrets and “an ultimate man cave out the back”.
The property is close to East Ivanhoe Village, Ivanhoe East Primary School and Fitzroy and Clifton Hill’s cafes and shops.
The rear garden features a terrace and shed.
Nelson Alexander principal James Labiris, who conducted Saturday’s auction, said three bidders competed for the keys.
A $2.3m offer started the event and a $2.42m bid saw Mr Labiris announce the house on the market.
The stylish property was bought by a “lovely young family” from the inner north.
“They were looking for schools, space and greenery,” Mr Labiris said.
“They were pumped (to purchase), as they had been looking for a little while.”
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