Donkey's Years: Remembering a Hunters Hill original.

There’s a quiet grace to this Federation semi in Hunters Hill - the kind that speaks to a century of family life and unbroken connection to place. Modest yet full of charm, the home has stood on its leafy peninsula street since 1913, passed through generations of the same family who have, in turn, each left their own mark. Most recently, it belonged to a woman whose deep affection for the home, the community, and all creatures great and small is still felt in every room.

Step through the front door and you sense a life well-lived - one defined by warmth, generosity, and quiet eccentricity. The pastel pinks on the walls were her choosing, introduced during remedial works in the mid-2000s. They speak to her optimism and her refusal to ever consider leaving the home she loved. “She did not give that notion any regard whatsoever,” recalls her nephew with a smile. “There’s no way she was ever going to live anywhere else. She was a local institution.”

Indeed, her connection to Hunters Hill ran deep. She was involved in countless local organisations and community causes over her lifetime, and her home was the natural gathering point for family. “There are many fond memories of Christmas and birthday dinners here,” her nephew remembers. “When we were kids, Sunday afternoons meant being spoiled rotten - all the treats we weren’t allowed at home - and watching colour TV in the ‘good room.’”

Today, the house remains filled with traces of her character. There’s the original horse-head door knocker - a nod to her father, a horseman - left in place as a gesture of continuity. And then there’s the tiny donkey, hidden somewhere in every image of the home’s listing. “Our aunt loved all animals, but donkeys were a particular favourite,” her nephew explains. “We thought it highly appropriate to include it in the photos, albeit in a subtle way, as a nod to her fondness for them. I’m certain she would have found great mirth in the notion.”

Architecturally, the home is a quintessential Federation semi, its character intact despite the passing decades. High patterned ceilings, leadlight windows, and decorative fireplaces form the bones of an elegant past, while its level 474sqm landholding presents an enviable opportunity - whether to restore, extend, or reimagine entirely (subject to council approvals). With its proximity to Woolwich cafés, waterfront parks, and the ferry, it offers both tranquility and connection, the Hunters Hill peninsula lifestyle.

Yet what truly lingers here is a century of family care and community spirit, quietly imprinting on the bricks and timber. As the home prepares for its next chapter, the family hopes it will once again ring with the laughter of children and the rhythm of everyday life.

“It’s been more than a long while since it’s heard the patter of little feet,” says her nephew. “It would be wonderful to see it restored and loved again - to have a young family breathing life back into it. That would be the icing on the cake.”

In a suburb known for enduring elegance and village charm, this is a home with heart, memory, and a legacy of quiet joy. Somewhere, no doubt, the little donkey approves.

View the listing: 53 Woolwich Road, Hunters Hill