Old Castlemaine Gaol and Bromely Collection Museum up for sale for the first time
The Old Castlemaine Gaol is up for sale.
The Old Castlemaine Gaol, home to the Bromley Collection Museum has listed, with the sale including more than $5.5m of David and Yuge Bromley’s art collection.
The heritage-listed property at 36-48 Bowden St, Castlemaine was the area’s former jail that opened in 1861 and was constructed using locally quarried sandstone and granite.
It has been listed with $10m price hopes, and Black Diamondz Group director Monika Tu said the art collection was worth more than $5.5m.
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David Bromley is a prominent Australian artist known for his portraits and his wife Yuge is a New Zealand-trained lawyer who later launched her fashion label ‘Yuge Yu’.
Co-owners of Bromley & Co, the creative duo purchased the jail in 2018 and until April 2023, they built up and installed their art collection as well as tended to the property.
Ms Bromley said it took about five years of work to develop the museum and she had received “beautiful feedback” since opening last year, but they were now ready for their next adventure.
“We think the collection is so intimately entwined with the property that it needs to be portrayed together,” Ms Bromley.
“We feel like someone else can really take on what we’ve built and add all the other layers that will really make it a world attraction.”
The expansive grounds of the property.
The carefully curated museum.
Much of the old jail was constructed using locally quarried sandstone and granite.
She added that the property was “very unique” and something she hadn’t seen on the market before.
“What we tried, even when building the museum, was portraying not just a specific genre or a specific time period of artists’ works; it reflects our collecting habits which are very diverse,” she said.
“That’s one thing I’ve really enjoyed hearing from visitors is that they want to come back and look again and again because each time they discover something new.
“(The collection) ranges from Australian artists’ works, international artists’ works, sculpture, ceramics, Asian artefacts, Egyptian artefacts; it wasn’t intended to appeal to a huge, broad audience.”
Listing director Ms Tu said she was at the jail and museum a few months ago and it gave her goosebumps.
The landscaped courtyard.
One of many rooms filled with art.
She added that she expected interest to come from local businesses as well as high net-worth international buyers.
The entire property sits on 1.73ha and the internal building area takes up nearly 3000sq m.
It is the first time the jail has been listed for sale and it’s a major tourist attraction in Castlemaine.
Inside, there are 80 former jail cells or rooms off of the central entrance foyer as well as four original watchtowers.
Also on the land is the historic Governor’s residence cottage, which has been transformed into a cafe.
It also features a large event room that opens up to a landscaped courtyard, an expansive commercial kitchen with a coolroom, two on-premise liquor licenses, two wings of the original Wardens’ residences with 11 rooms, and two brick workshops.
Expressions of interest close on 31 May 2024 unless sold prior.
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sarah.petty@news.com.au
