5 reasons to move to Murrumbateman in 2024

Formerly the town you “passed through” on the way to Yass, the small town of Murrumbateman is finally coming into its own: with stunning new eateries, a new school and proximity to some of the region’s most acclaimed cool climate wineries.

Sales agents for Sunningdale Estate, Marcus Cataldo and Troy Thompson, give us their top five reasons for slowing down and embracing small town living in 2024.

The chicken schnitty at Murrumbateman Country Inn.

The food at the Inn is good – really good – but Marcus can’t go past the chicken schnitzel.

“I’m a pepper sauce man,” he says.

“And when you pair it with a Carlton Draught, it’s about as good as it gets.”

Located within walking distance of Sunningdale Estate, it’s dinner sorted every Friday night (and Saturday … and Sunday …)

A gorgeous country school.

Officially 12 months old in Term 1, 2024, the brand new school at Murrumbateman is home to stunning modern amenities including flexible learning spaces, a library, hall, canteen, special education learning unit and covered outdoor learning area.

With a capacity for 370 students, it’s the kind of school where the kids know each other's names – no matter what age – and teachers have time to spend with individual students. When the kids reach high school age, Gold Creek School is just 22 minutes away.

The sourdough at Clementine Bakery.

If you’re a fan of the sourdough bread at Yass’s Clementine Bakery, you’ll be thrilled to learn you can now buy it in Murrumbateman. Clementine recently opened at Fairley Square, in the heart of town, and offers five types of sourdough, sweet pastries, croissants and sausage rolls.

Grab a single-origin filtered coffee, a pastry and a table outside, and enjoy.

Your favourite podcast, to and from work.

Murrumbateman is about a 30-minute podcast episode from Civic, or 15 minutes from the outskirts of Gungahlin. The Barton Highway upgrade project — worth a whopping $200 million — is about 50 per cent complete, and expected to be fully complete by the end of 2024.

The Olleyville Restaurant at Shaw Vineyard Estate.

Shaw is one of the Canberra’s region’s most famous labels and the restaurant at the estate is “breathtaking” says Troy Thompson.

“The cellar door is an architectural masterpiece,” he says.

“Shaw has a long long list of award-winning wines, including international acclaim for its Shiraz, Cab Sav and Merlot.

“But what you might not know is that they have an incredible restaurant on site, with steak you can cut with a butter knife.”

Build your dream home

Boutique land development Sunningdale Estate is selling now in the heart of Murrumbateman. The estate’s fully serviced blocks – featuring town water, sewerage, electricity and NBN – will be ready to build on from the end of 2024. A range of plans from trusted builders are available.

“For a third of the sqm rate of blocks in Canberra, your dollar buys you more in so many ways,” Troy says.

Blocks from 1500sqm–6300sqm are available, and prices start from $590,000.

Head to sunningdaleestate.com.au or contact Troy 0408 694 917 or Marcus 0401 744 964 from LJ Hooker Country for more information.