Caretaker’s 22-year stay sparks ownership battle over Frederick McCubbin’s former home

A historic 30-room house where Australian painter Frederick McCubbin created some of his best-known works is at the centre of a legal dispute over its ownership. It is known as Fontainebleau; the property stands in Mount Macedon in regional Victoria and was the only home McCubbin owned in the early 1900s.The two-storey house is now in a neglected condition. The dispute involves its five joint proprietors and Trevor Hoare, a caretaker who has lived there for 22 years. According to the ABC News, the Supreme Court of Victoria has heard the dispute, while Hoare’s ownership application remains under assessment by Land Use Victoria.How did McCubbin’s former 30-room home become part of a legal disputeFontainebleau is a sprawling, two-storey timber and fibro residence in Mount Macedon, about an hour’s drive north of Melbourne. Frederick McCubbin, one of Australia’s best-known impressionist painters, stayed there during weekends and holidays while continuing his teaching role at the National Gallery of Victoria School in Melbourne.The house is where he painted works including ‘The Pioneer’, alongside other paintings inspired by the surrounding area. The property has been listed on the Victo...