New owners of infamous Snowtown bank say it is simply a house

IT is a property that will forever be attached to Australia’s worst serial killings but for the new owners of the disused Snowtown bank, it is simply a house.

IT is a property that will forever be attached to Australia’s worst serial killings but for the new owners of the disused Snowtown bank, it is simply a house.

Victorian couple Rob Vanderveen and Kryss Black bought the Railway Tce East property in August, 2012, for about $185,000 and moved from Melbourne into an adjoining four-bedroom house last year.

The former State Bank branch has been sold a handful of times in the 15 years since eight dismembered bodies were found in six barrels inside the vault at the disused bank on May 20, 1999, but few people, if any, have lived there.

Mr Vanderveen, 55, said they were simply seeking a change from the hustle and bustle of Melbourne when they settled on the old bank at Snowtown.

SPECIAL REPORT: Revisit the bodies in the barrels killings 15 years on

We were looking for a country change and a little bit of quiet,” he said.

“It is a bit like moving back in time coming from Melbourne.”

Despite Snowtown being synonymous with the serial killings, the bank vault was merely a dumping ground for eight of the 12 bodies linked to the sadistic case.

Mr Vanderveen said that they were unfazed by the property’s history.

“It was 15 years ago,” he said.

“The tourists do still keep coming past and they get out and take photos.

“Other than that though, the house is just a house.”

Calls were made for the property to be levelled after the grisly discovery.

Mr Vanderveen said they were now considering establishing a memorial centre in the old bank part of the property. The couple live in the house at its rear.

“We are looking into it as well as putting a plaque of respect for the victims,” he said.

Mr Vanderveen said establishing such a memorial could help keep tourists in town for longer than just a quick photo.

He said it could also help educate people about the case and Snowtown’s association with it.