Melbourne’s worst abandoned eyesores: KFCs near WestGate, Wheelers Hills apartments
From KFCs near the West Gate Bridge to an old gym and apartments left unfinished in Wheelers Hill, these are some of the state’s worst abandoned eyesores.
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They’re the ugly eyesores that drive neighbours mad.
Abandoned places across Melbourne often attract squatters and vandalism, with fires common.
Detectives are investigating a suspicious fire at a vacant property in St Kilda earlier this month.
And an abandoned supermarket in Melbourne’s northwest went up in flames earlier this week, with thick black smoke covering wafting as far as 6km away
An abandoned home in Clayton was also damaged in a suspicious blaze in March.
They’re also popular places for people to explore and post about on social media.
TikTok users have also flooded the app with countless videos of abandoned places across the suburbs, including mansions, shopping centres, a bunker, play centre and pub.
But there could be hope in sight for those sick of living near vacant eyesores.
An abandoned former nursery in Burwood East, left to rot for more than 10 years, was finally demolished earlier this year.
And the former Morlynn Insulators site in Yarraville, abandoned for some time, is now almost fully developed and partially occupied, following a planning permit that was issued in July 2019 allowing the construction of 98 dwellings.
There are also development plans in site for the formerly abandoned Nunawading Brickworks site and former derelict Food Star Restaurant in Wantirna South.
And demolition workers also finally took action at the old Hays International College in Box Hill, pulling the abandoned buildings down.
Here are some of the worst eyesores still standing.
KFCs near West Gate Bridge
Many fast food fans would remember stopping at these KFCs near the West Gate Bridge for a feed before a road trip. But the restaurants have now been closed and abandoned, with the inside trashed.
A Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said the Department leased the land to United Petroleum who operate the Freeway Service Centre at this location, and are responsible for managing the KFC sites.
“We are working with United Petroleum and the City of Melbourne to improve the current condition of the site,”’ the spokesperson said.
Former ARRB transport headquarters, Vermont South
Neighbours would love to see the back of the former ARRB transport headquarters.
It has been abandoned since 2017 and is suspected of housing squatters, with a fire ripping through the building in 2021.
Whitehorse Council city development director Jeff Green said the council was aware of some trespassing at the site, but this was an issue for the owner and Victoria Police.
The site is undergoing a planning scheme amendment to change the planning controls of the site, with plans for a housing estate with room for 294 dwellings.
Box Hill Brickworks
The historic site near Box Hill Aqualink and Surrey Dive, a former brickmaking facility, has been abandoned for many years, with several YouTube clips and TikTok videos showing its current state, including a large chimney which remains on the site.
Whitehorse Council city development director Jeff Green said the buildings onsite were included in the Victorian Heritage Register and were also subject to a Heritage Overlay under the Whitehorse Planning Scheme.
Mr Green said approval must first be sought from Heritage Victoria for demolition and a planning permit from the council w also required.
He said the site was also covered by the Environmental Audit Overlay due to its history as a former landfill site and the requirements of the Environment Protection Act must be met.
Mr Green said trespassing was a matter for the owner to raise with police and the council had not issued any clean-up notices to the building owners.
Wheelers Hill gym
Monash Council Mayor Tina Samardzija says the council is “fed up” with inaction at two abandoned sites in Wheelers Hill.
The derelict former Lifestyle Fitness gym is still in a sad state. Leader previously reported back in 2017 the former gym on Ferntree Gully Rd had been trashed with graffiti, smashed windows and walls, and floors covered in litter, with neighbours desperate for it to be torn down. A big black fence now surrounds the site, which is in a prime position, opposite the Wheelers Hill Hotel. A permit, which Leader previously reported was set to expire in 2021, allowed for up to 65 townhouses to be built at the site.
But there are no current planning permits on the site.
The property has a temporary builder’s fence to prevent access by vehicles, and the building has been made secure with hoarding to prevent trespasses. This has been the result of the council liaising with residents and the owner about trespassing and vandalism on the site.
Mystery also surrounds the future of the abandoned Bellenden Apartment development across the road from the former gym. When Leader visited the site this week, the front apartments all remained vacant.
A permit allowed for the construction of a four-storey apartment building and three four-storey attached townhouses. The permit is still valid to complete the development.
The site encompasses a range of dwellings, including both fully completed and occupied ones, as well as those currently undergoing construction.
But all construction activity has currently ceased as the property is now under the control of receivers.
Currently the non-occupied areas are fully fenced off and a security guard is onsite during working hours with a roaming security guard after hours.
Cr Samardzija said the council was fed up with the inaction on these sites and as with all vacant properties in Monash, the council would prefer to see appropriate development on these sites.
Cr Samardzija said the council worked closely with both property owners to ensure the sites are secured appropriately, have security where required, are maintained including regular grass mowing, and a graffiti removal regime is in place.
Berkeley Living Retirement Village, Patterson Lakes
Last year Kingston Council called on Consumer Affairs Victoria to acquire the former Berkeley Living complex, dubbed a “ghetto” by nearby residents, to ensure the site was not left abandoned for years to come.
Then Mayor Steve Staikos said the community and council was deeply concerned that the
privately-owned site, which was shut down in 2017, has attracted ongoing graffiti, vandalism and other concerning safety issues.
Neighbours have lobbied for the village to be demolished and turned into a park to stop petty criminals circling the property.
The Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria has filed an application in the Supreme Court of Victoria to recover in-going contributions paid by former residents of Berkeley Living Retirement Village.
The Supreme Court can make a range of orders if it determines the Director’s application is successful. These orders may include the sale of the site and how any proceeds would be distributed.
On It Burgers Ferntree Gully
Will burgers ever be flipped or seafood enjoyed at this once popular restaurant site again? Locals sure hope so, with the site abandoned for many years and listed for sale last year.
As well as On It Burgers, the site was also once home to a Barnacle Bills seafood restaurant and KFC.
Described as a “rare corner site” on Burwood Highway’s Golden Mile, the site would suit multiple potential development designs, including repurposing the existing building, appealing to an owner occupier, developer or investor.
Mooroopna Hospital
Social media is flooded with stories about The Grey Nurse, who reportedly haunts the abandoned former Mooroopna Hospital in the state’s northeast.
According to the North-East Victoria Supernatural Facebook page, the legend is that a nurse from the early 1900s haunts the hospital and is there to protect it as a heritage site.
According to the Historical Society of Mooroopna the historic hospital, which dates back to 1876, was gutted by fire in 2011. Photos from the site show a number of abandoned, damaged buildings.
Warburton Hospital
Although empty for many years, the old Warburton Hospital is still in pristine condition on the inside – and many locals would love to see it reopen as a working hospital.
It was listed for sale in 2020.
The Herald Sun reported it had been immaculately maintained since it closed its doors over a decade ago, and still has sheets on its beds and an operating theatre ready to go.
And there is hope the town’s old Weet-Bix factory could also soon reopen its doors after sitting vacant for more than 20 years.
A spokesman for the owner of the historic Warburton Sanitarium building, which has been vacant since the factory closed in 1997, confirmed he wanted to see it “rejuvenated and reactivated into an operational resort and conference facility”, with a planning permit application set to be lodged with Yarra Ranges Council this year.
Do you know of any other abandoned places in Victoria? Tell us below.
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