Monte Cristo Homestead listed for $1.9m after EOI ends

JUNEE’S world-famous Monte Cristo Homestead — internationally recognised as Australia’s most haunted house — is now being offered for $1.9 million, after a month-long Expressions of Interest campaign ended without a successful sale.

Despite strong public interest during the EOI period, which closed on Friday, December 12, no acceptable offer was received.

The historic hilltop estate, including its antique contents, has now entered its next phase of sale with a public price tag of $1.9 million.

Photo: Ray White Junee

The 6.1-acre property was formally listed for sale on November 4, 2025, by the four daughters of the late Olive Ryan, who — alongside her husband Reginald — restored the Victorian-era mansion and operated it as a heritage and tourism destination for more than six decades.

The property was transferred to the sisters following Mrs Ryan’s passing in late 2024.

Listed through Ray White Junee, the estate is being offered walk-in, walk-out, with all original furnishings, artwork, heirlooms and collected artefacts included — exactly as it has been presented to the public for decades.

Photo: Ray White Junee

Photo: Ray White Junee

The agency describes the offering as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to secure one of the Riverina’s most “recognisable and storied estates.”

The homestead itself is immense in scale, comprising 18 bedrooms and five bathrooms across its grand two-storey layout, with additional outbuildings and more than six acres of elevated grounds overlooking Junee.

Photo: Ray White Junee

Photo: Ray White Junee

There remains strong public interest in the homestead’s future, with its closure in November 2024 leaving a noticeable absence in the town’s tourism landscape.

Many locals and visitors have expressed hope that it may one day reopen to the public, given the significant role it has played in Junee’s economy and cultural identity for more than 30 years.

The listing notes the property “invites a variety of future uses,” such as a private family residence, boutique accommodation, cultural tourism experience, or heritage-focused conservation project, subject to approvals.

Naming Dispute

While the property title and contents rest with the four sisters, a separate issue has emerged regarding the use of the “Monte Cristo” name.

Their brother, Lawrence Ryan, who previously operated ghost tours at the homestead, has asserted ownership of the name via a trademark registered following his father’s death in 2014.

That trademark applies specifically to tour services, not to the real estate itself.

Mr Ryan contacted the listing agent in November, raising objections to the use of the name in the marketing material and stating that legal protections applied.

In a comment to The Daily Advertiser at the time, he said he registered the trademark to “safeguard the brand,” and claimed that the real estate listing was misleading.

The property is listed on Ray White’s website by its address, 1 Homestead Lane, however the description is headline with “Monte Cristo Circa 1885”, and the Monte Cristo name is used multiple times in the description.

The sisters have disputed those claims, stating that the use of the name refers to the historic estate itself, and not to any registered business entity.

They note that the trademark applies only to the “Monte Cristo Ghost Tours” business, and not to the house, grounds or contents.

They also point to a 2016 NSW Supreme Court ruling, which confirmed that while Mr Ryan retains the business rights associated with the tours, those rights do not extend to the property, the homestead name in a historic sense, or any of its contents.

Ray White Junee has also refuted Mr Ryan’s objections, and continues to refer to the property as “Monte Cristo” in its listing.

The sale campaign has continued unaffected and remains open.