Former Essendon player Peter Banfield lists $2.2m-$2.4m Ashburton home featuring reverse living, golf course views and resort-style entertaining zones.
Former Essendon player Peter Banfield’s has listed his Ashburton family home for sale in one of the suburb’s most tightly held pockets.
Banfield, who came through Essendon during the Kevin Sheedy era, began his AFL career in the mid-1980s before building a journey across multiple clubs and coaching roles.
He later moved into coaching across the AFL, including roles linked to St Kilda, Melbourne and Essendon’s Bendigo Bombers program.
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These days he works as development and alumni manager at Mazenod College, while his wife Kathy has built a long-running career as a conveyancer.
Earlier in his playing career, Banfield was part of the original Brisbane Bears squad, a pioneering group that helped establish the AFL in Queensland during its national expansion.
“I’m incredibly proud to be an original Bear,” he said.
Architectural staircase connects the home’s reverse-living layout, linking private ground-floor bedrooms with the light-filled upstairs living zone.
Peter Banfield, now development and alumni manager at Mazenod College, is selling his Ashburton family home. Picture: Hamish Blair
“We were the first ones to really take that leap, moving up to Queensland and helping establish the AFL there.
“It was uncharted territory at the time.”
He later continued his career in South Australia with West Adelaide, where he won a best and fairest before eventually transitioning into coaching.
Banfield and his wife Kathy have listed the four-bedroom residence at 45 Solway St with a $2.1m-$2.3m price guide, as they prepare for their next chapter after years beside Malvern Valley Golf Course.
Upstairs living area opens to a balcony with golf course views, forming the heart of the home’s reverse-living design.
The kitchen is complemented by a fully equipped butler’s pantry, adding functionality to the home’s entertainer-focused layout.
He said his early years under Kevin Sheedy and Kevin Morris had a lasting impact on his approach both on and off the field.
“At a young age, they really instilled the fundamentals — work ethic, discipline, respect,” he said.
“Those values have stayed with me well beyond football and have played a big role in shaping who I am today.”
His time in coaching also included working alongside Neale Daniher, who he described as “a beautiful human being”.
Peter Banfield in action for Essendon during a 1984 clash, before going on to build a career across multiple clubs and coaching roles.
“But more than anything, it was who he is as a person,” Banfield said.
“Just a genuinely great human being.”
The contemporary home is centred on a reverse-living design, with its upstairs living zone and balcony positioned to take in sweeping views across the neighbouring fairways.
A heated plunge spa, private courtyards and multiple indoor and outdoor living zones give the property a resort-style with the layout designed for both entertaining and day-to-day family living.
Peter Banfield during his coaching tenure at Old Scotch, part of a long career in football following his playing days.
Modern bathroom features high-end finishes and a freestanding bath, reflecting the home’s polished contemporary design.
Banfield said the elevated design had reshaped how he and Kathy used the home, with the upstairs level becoming the natural hub.
“It’s where everything happens, you’re up there with the light and the views,” he said.
The flexible floorplan also delivers the separation buyers are increasingly chasing, while still keeping the home feeling open and connected throughout.
Banfield said it would be Ashburton’s community feel and long-term appeal that would be hardest to leave behind.
“It’s a place people don’t tend to leave, that’s probably what we’ll miss the most,” he said.
Remote double garage with additional off-street parking provides practical family functionality in a tightly held Ashburton pocket.
Heated plunge spa and private courtyard create a resort-style outdoor retreat ideal for entertaining.
The location is expected to be a key drawcard in the campaign, with Gardiners Creek Trail nearby and schools, transport and shopping all within easy reach.
Banfield’s father was also a longtime Herald Sun sports editor.
Ray White Judd White Group’s Andrew Dimashki and Dexter Prack of Ray White are handling the campaign.
The property is scheduled to go to auction on Saturday, April 18, at 10am
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