Legendary Australian film director Bruce Beresford and his wife, novelist and screenwriter Virginia Duigan, have put their long-held Blue Mountains retreat on the market, offering buyers a rare opportunity to secure a piece of local cultural history.
The couple’s two-bedroom plus study cottage at 32 Backhouse Street, Wentworth Falls, has been listed with an asking price of $1 million to $1.1 million through Sarah Burnett and Brenton Ebzery of Raine & Horne Wentworth Falls | Leura.
Mr Beresford, 86, whose career spans more than 30 feature films including Breaker Morant, the multi-Oscar-winning Driving Miss Daisy, and Mao’s Last Dancer, has owned the home since 2007. The director spent much of his childhood in nearby Springwood and has maintained a lifelong connection to the region.
“My wife and I adore the mountains, and spent quite a lot of time in Wentworth Falls over the years,” Mr Beresford said.
“We’ve enjoyed dozens of the superb bushwalks in the area – up as far as Mount Victoria and down as far as Springwood.”
The cottage has served as a creative base for the couple during their 19-year ownership. Mr Beresford’s latest feature, The Travellers, was originally written to be set in Wentworth Falls before funding conditions required production to move to Western Australia. Meanwhile, Ms Duigan set her novel The Precipice in the Blue Mountains and is currently adapting it into a film script from the residence.
Packed with character and movie memorabilia from Mr Beresford’s cinema career, the home sits on a sun-drenched, north-facing 673-square-metre corner block. During their tenure, the owners overhauled the property’s climate control and finishes to handle the mountain climate.
“We love winter in the mountains, but it does get cold, so the first step we took was installing central heating,” he said. “Recently, a lot of woodwork was replaced – and done so skilfully it’s not detectable.”
The block features potential dual access via Mulheran Lane, offering room for a secondary dwelling, studio, or granny flat, subject to council approval.
Listing agent Sarah Burnett said the listing highlights the enduring appeal of Wentworth Falls to creative figures and lifestyle seekers alike.
“The creative community has always been an important part of Wentworth Falls’ identity,” Burnett said. “Artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers have been drawn here by the stunning natural environment, slower pace of life and strong sense of community.”
Ms Burnett noted that while the village continues to attract professionals and families taking advantage of hybrid work arrangements, its artistic roots remain central.
“More buyers from Sydney are discovering they can secure a much larger home, more land and a better lifestyle in the Blue Mountains compared to neighbourhoods closer to the CBD,” she said. “They’re not just buying a home, they’re buying a lifestyle.”
With the couple streamlining their holdings to focus on their primary residences in Sydney and London, the property goes to market as Sydney buyers continue to look toward the Blue Mountains for space, community, and value.
View the listing here.