North East farmhouse is a living tribute to Melbourne's livestock saleyard history

The memories of this famous city selling centre literally ooze from the walls of a farmhouse which has just been offered for sale near Wangaratta.

The hobby farm's four-bedroom homestead and garage is built from the bluestone blocks levered out of hallowed ground when Australia's biggest livestock centre finally closed in 1987 after more than a century of use.

Newmarket famously occupied a 23 hectare (57 acre) site between Racecourse and Epsom roads in today's inner-city Flemington.

Melbourne's saleyards history has come to the fore again with Victorian Livestock Exchange's move to close its Pakenham saleyards in the middle of next year blaming steep rises in land taxes and council rates.

It will be the last metropolitan livestock saleyard to close its gates.

At Newmarket, millions of cattle and sheep, plus countless farmers and stock and station agents, trod those bluestone blocks now built into the walls of the Oxley farm.

Remarkably, a world record 6.5 million sheep were sold at Newmarket across 1944 during World War Two while a record 650,000 cattle were sold in 1973.

Museum Victoria grabbed branding irons, dog muzzles, signs, tools, plans, administrative documents and miscellaneous items when Newmarket closed.

There were estimated to be 1.6 million bluestone blocks at Newmarket.

About 700,000 were sold to the public after its closure for $2.50 apiece.

A fair number of them are fixed to the walls of Billian Park, a unique rural farm and lifestyle property in Oxley, on the selling market for $2 million.

Located 11km south of Wangaratta, the little farm takes in 18ha (44.5 acres) with established trees, well-maintained paddocks, and expansive infrastructure.

"Newmarket saleyards bluestone blocks have given life to Billian Park," agents from Elders Real Estate say.

This four-bedroom home offers "a perfect balance between leisure, lifestyle and farming pursuits", they said.

"The bluestone homestead which exudes substance and uniqueness."

It has polished timber floors, expansive living and dining rooms plus large double-glazed windows.

It also has an in-ground swimming pool, a shed complex with a trades workshop and toilet, machinery shed, and a hay shed.

Extensive horse structures including a stable block with float storage and a sand dressage arena.

For more information contact the selling agents from Elders Real Estate - Michael Everard on 0408 653161 and Dave Colvin on 0407 500239.

(Author's note: The writer reported on the final Newmarket sale and bought two of the bluestone blocks as a memento).