Bombala's Burnima Homestead to feature on television

Owner of Burnima, Steve Ricketts said the station had contacted him at the beginning of the year saying they were looking for different properties of different calibres to feature in the program.

“They asked questions before going back to a panel to discuss and select the homes and a couple of weeks later they rang to say that Burnima would be included in the series,” Mr Ricketts said.

“They were looking for something out of the ordinary and Burnima’s amazing early history caught their attention.

The television crew arrived at Burnima Homestead during May and spent two days filming.

“The crew was amazed to uncover a period homestead depicting an intact and complete representation of how the wealthy lived in the late Victorian period of 1890’s.

“They quickly honed in on the fact that there were two resident ghosts,” he said.

Burnima Homestead is an 1890’s late Victorian Gothic style homestead built by grazier Henry Tollemache Edwards.

Burnima comprises of the typical Victorian morning room, withdrawing room, formal dining, entrance hall, study, smoking room, billiards room, servants quarters and 10 bedrooms.

“It was expected a house comprising of some 32 rooms would in those days require a full complement of staff.

“There was a butler, house keeper, companion and five servants along with three full time gardeners, a gate keeper,  laundress, fender smith and horsemen, not to mention the farm hands.

Burnima Homestead is rare in the fact that it is a complete example of a Victorian homestead which has escaped the 50’s and 80’s updates.

Mr Ricketts said he believed the homestead to be a rare time capsule.

The Unreal Estate program is due to be aired in the next couple of months.

“I was delighted to think that a piece of the pioneering Monaro with its rich history appealed to Channel 9.

“I’m just hoping that my cat Smudgy will be on TV too,” he said.