Abandoned places Melbourne: Wheelers Hill gym, Burwood East nursery

From a trashed gym to a neglected nursery, these are the derelict properties in Melbourne’s east you don’t want to live next to.

The abandoned derelict former Lifestyle gym in Wheelers Hill is one of several abandoned sites in the east.

From former gyms and restaurants, to old nurseries and a huge brickworks, there’s no shortage of abandoned eyesores across Melbourne’s east.
We take a look at some of the worst and find out what is planned for them.

WHEELERS HILL GYM

The Ferntree Gully Rd site has been abandoned since the gym closed in 2016.

The derelict former gym has become a haven for vandals since closing in 2016.

Leader previously reported the former Lifestyle Fitness gym had been trashed with graffiti, smashed windows and walls, and floors covered in litter, with neighbours desperate for it to be torn down.

A fence has now been erected around the site, with household rubbish, including couches, dumped nearby.

A permit allows for up to 65 townhouses to be built at the site.

Monash Mayor Brian Little said the permit required the project to start by July 30 this year.

He said there had been no application at this stage for a permit extension.

BURWOOD EAST NURSERY

The former nursery on Burwood Highway has become a graffiti-covered eyesore, with rubbish dumping and vandalism rife at the site.

The former Garden Sheds Galore and Paradise Gardens Nursery Cafe site has been vacant for years, with the buildings now covered in graffiti and windows smashed.

Whitehorse Council general manager of corporate services Peter Smith told Leader last December the council was working with the owner of the former nursery site to remove graffiti and rubbish.

FOOD STAR RESTAURANT

The former smorgasbord restaurant is now covered in graffiti.

The former Burwood Highway smorgasbord favourite is now covered in graffiti, as it awaits demolition ahead of a planned apartment development.

The restaurant was shut down several years ago after being slapped with $85,000 fines for shocking food safety breaches and has been slated for a massive high-rise development.

The site, opposite Westfield Knox, is earmarked for an eight-storey, 94-apartment building plus luxury townhouses.

CANAAN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT CENTRE

The Box Hill South abandoned school site.

The former student accommodation building in Hay St Box Hill South has deteriorated into a concrete playground for vandals and opportunistic teenagers.

But there’s relief in sight for fed up neighbours with The Golden Age group paying $61m for the 50,116sq m site earlier this year, with plans to turn it into a state-of-the-art townhouse precinct.

ON IT BURGERS FERNTREE GULLY

Rubbish dumped at the former On It Burgers restaurant in Ferntree Gully.

The former On It Burgers restaurant on Burwood Highway remains vacant, after the business closed last year.

Rubbish has now been dumped outside the restaurant, formerly home to a KFC, with one of the windows smashed.

Knox Council city strategy and integrity director Matt Kelleher said the council had not received any planning applications for the site.

“If vacant properties pose a safety risk or are deemed unsightly, council can order the owner to clean up or take action to prevent vandals, or we can undertake this work directly at the owner’s expense,” Mr Kelleher said.

NUNAWADING BRICKWORKS SITE

Hundreds of oBikes at the former Nunawading Brickworks site several years ago.

One of the largest blocks of land in the eastern suburbs, the former Nunawading Brickworks site has been vacant for years.

A Whitehorse Council spokesperson said a permit for the site, at 56-74 Station St, allowed for the development of 173 dwellings, buildings and works in a heritage overlay, along with the construction of roads and a public park.

The permit will expire if the works are not started by January 2023, or if the developer doesn’t seek an extension of time to their existing permit.

The site is still covered by a heritage overlay which protects the historic chimney.

“The site has an active permit that enables development to occur. It is a decision for the permit holder as to when or if they decide to act on that permit,” the council spokesperson said.

Leader previously reported Norcal Station Developments bought the old Daniel Robertson Brickworks site for $21.7 million in 2013, clearing the block but leaving the historical chimney in place.

Whitehorse councillor Ben Stennett said last year it was time to see some action at the site.

“The land is an eyesore and residents have been waiting for seven years for something to happen.”