•  
Advertisement
Home Home Tours Celebrity Homes

AFL star Tom Hawkins puts 150-acre cattle farm on the market

The Barrabool Hills sanctuary is 10 minutes from Geelong and is worth a pretty penny.
Profile picture of Hanna Marton Writer
Portrait of ex-AFL player Tom Hawkins and wife Emma Hawkins with their Barrabool farmhouse.Photography: Nicki Connolly

Many people dream of making a tree change or owning a farm, but very few have the guts to do it. With gumption in spades, Tom and Emma Hawkins did just that — purchasing a 150-acre property in Barrabool Hills for $1.7 million in 2016, while Tom was a superstar forward for AFL team, the Geelong Cats.

Tom juggled footy, cattle farming and raising three kids until he retired from the sport in 2024. His wife and high school sweetheart Emma is an influencer and the co-founder of clothing brand, Homegrown Kids. After almost a decade of making the farmstead their own — they painstakingly re-landscaped and added a dreamy pool and new kitchen island benchtop — the couple have just put it on the market.

Advertisement
Tom Hawkins' Barrabool farm house featuring a family room with a concrete fireplace and green sofa
A wood fire in the family room makes for cosy nights in to watch the footy during Victoria’s bitter winters. (Image: HF Richardson Property)

Listed through HF Richardson Property, expressions of interest close on 11 November. “This has been an incredible property for the vendors and their family,” real estate agent Matt Poustie says. “It’s only due to growing work commitments outside the Geelong area, and future farming endeavours interstate, that they’ve decided to sell.”

Pool and views of hills at Tom and Emma Hawkins' Barrabool farm.
Tom and Emma installed the pool, which comes with sweeping verdant views of the farm and Barrabool Hills district. (Image: HF Richardson Property)

‘Strathmile’ is a country estate just 10 minutes from Geelong, 30 minutes from the beach and an hour from Melbourne’s CBD. Featuring vast lawns, several dams and 13 main paddocks, it’s surely provided the Hawkins kids, Arabella (Belle), Primrose (Mimi) and Henry, with an idyllic childhood. Mimi is a keen equestrian.

For Tom and Emma, it’s been a return to their own roots. Emma also grew up riding horses on a hobby farm in nearby Deniliquin, and Tom’s family has a 3000-acre mixed-purpose farm in the NSW Riverina. They’ve embraced rural life, with Tom telling the ABC last year, “There’s a few things in life that are important to me… The three ‘Fs’ in my life, which are family, farming and football, and I think I’ve got them right in that order.”

Advertisement
Aerial view of Tom and Emma Hawkins' Barrabool farm and landscape with cattle and sheds.
Strathmile features paddocks, sheds, raised sheep pens, a shearing board, a bore and a huge water tank. (Image: HF Richardson Property)

Tom runs Angus cattle, and recently joined the Nutrien Ag Solutions livestock team. He inspired fellow Geelong Cats players to take on farming, with Jeremy Cameron and Rhys Stanley securing acreage in the last few years, as well.

“There’s always so much to do when you’ve got land — it’s never-ending — so we’re doing it in stages,” Emma told Country Style in 2022. “Stage one was to establish the landscaping and garden… When we moved in, there was no landscaping at all — it was a house in a paddock. We would be watching TV and we’d see a cow or a sheep come up to the window!”

Views of Tom and Emma Hawkins' farm from a living room window.
The views from Tom and Emma’s property are idyllic. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Advertisement

The price guide for the 6-bedroom, 4-bathroom home is $5.35 to $5.85 million, Matt told Home Beautiful. With enormous picture windows, a crackling wood fire and a sprawling deck, Strathmile is real estate heaven.

“The views from the homestead across the rolling hills to Mt Moriac are absolutely incredible,” describes Matt. “The landscape is just gorgeous and, overall, it’s a very pretty farm — and so close to Geelong!”

Take a tour of Tom and Emma Hawkins’ beloved farmstead.

Kitchen and dining

White and concrete-look kitchen in Tom and Emma Hawkins' country house kitchen.
Having been renovated prior to them purchasing the house in 2016, Tom and Emma simply updated the kitchen with a new island benchtop. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Kitchen, dining and picture window in Tom and Emma Hawkins' rural home.
Bucolic views like this make doing the dishes almost enjoyable. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Advertisement
Kitchen and dining in Tom and Emma Hawkins' Barrabool farmhouse.
Tom and Emma have created a quintessential country kitchen and dining zone. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Views of farm and pool from Tom and Emma Hawkins' country house dining room.
Postcard views, complete privacy and tranquillity make this homestead a rare and coveted property. (Image: HF Richardson Property)

Living and family rooms

Views of Tom and Emma Hawkins' farm from a large picture window in the family room, which features a green RJ Living sofa and coastal coffee table.
The family room sports an RJ Living sofa in ‘Corduroy Forest’. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Living room featuring a grand piano in Tom and Emma Hawkins' farmhouse living room.
The 150-year-old grand piano in the living room belonged to Emma’s family and had been shipped over from England. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Advertisement

Bedrooms

Main bedroom and ensuite in Tom and Emma Hawkins' farmhouse.
The main bedroom has been elevated with calming greys and greens. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Picture window, grey walls and white wardrobes in Tom and Emma Hawkins' main bedroom.
Cosy country comfort is central to the main bedroom. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Kids room featuring rabbit wallpaper in Tom and Emma Hawkins' farmhouse.
A kid’s bedroom has been tastefully updated with gorgeous bunny wallpaper. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Bedroom in Tom and Emma Hawkins' Barrabool farmhouse.
The property also features two guesthouse studios, perfect for visitors or Airbnb guests. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Advertisement

Bathroom and laundry

White bathroom featuring freestanding bathtub with picture window showing views of a farm and rolling hills.
Even the bathroom is afforded a bucolic vista. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
White and earthy laundry in Tom and Emma Hawkins' Barrabool farmhouse.
A working farm calls for a hardworking (and beautiful) laundry. (Image: HF Richardson Property)

Gardens and exterior

Wisteria arbor and outdoor tables and chairs at Tom and Emma Hawkins' Barrabool farmhouse.
Tom and Emma toiled over the landscaping, including the growing of this fairytale wisteria abor. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Driveway, trees and landscaping on Tom and Emma Hawkins' Barrabool farm.
Tom and Emma’s Barrabool Hills farm features the driveway of our dreams. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Advertisement
Angus cattle on Tom and Emma Hawkins' Barrabool farm.
Having grown up on a large property in the NSW Riverina, Tom Hawkins was no stranger to cattle farming when he and his wife Emma took on Strathmile in 2016. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Pool and deck on Tom and Emma Hawkins' Barrabool farm.
The poolside deck is designed for lazy afternoons and post-match R&R. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Wisteria, garden and front porch of Tom and Emma Hawkins' Barrabool farmhouse.
Tom and Emma purchased Strathmile for $1.7 million and, if sold, it’s expected to fetch more than $5 mil. (Image: HF Richardson Property)
Profile picture of Hanna Marton
Writer Hanna Marton

Journalist Hanna Marton has contributed to Australia’s top magazines, including Australian House & Garden, Home Beautiful, Country Style, Body & Soul, Marie Claire and Vogue. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) in Adelaide about a hundred years ago, Hanna worked on staff at Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazines, and later as a digital content producer at Healthdirect Australia followed by Homes To Love. Hanna has renovated two heritage houses (and a little Airbnb) in Sydney’s Inner West, where she lives with her husband, kids and dog. When she’s not writing about homes, health, people and places, you’ll find her on the tennis court or in the hammock with an autobiography.

Related stories

Advertisement
Advertisement