Top 50 homes in Victoria: The best houses from Kallista to Kew revealed Part 2
Sick of staring at your internal walls? An eccentric North Melbourne conversion full of secret spaces might be the home for you. SEE VICTORIA’S TOP 50 AND HAVE YOUR SAY.
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While most Melburnians are cooped up inside and sick of seeing their home’s interior walls, one couple is discovering life without them.
At a funky pad in North Melbourne’s iconic Gasworks, internal walls have been swapped for a three-storey steel-mesh curtain.
The quirks don’t stop there, and that’s why it’s among the Herald Sun’s Top 50 Homes.
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You don’t get to be the best by being boring, and Multiplicity architects’ overhaul of the landmark property is one that inspires big emotions and got the No. 31 spot on our list.
New owners Kent Miller-Randle and Bonnie Dixon walked away from their first inspection of the home feeling sick and angry at the thought they would miss out on the utterly unique address.
“We had to get it,” Mr Miller-Randle said.
“We are absolutely elated now. It’s the perfect place for us. You come inside and everything just blows you away.
“But the pièce de résistance is the library and all the secret little nooks and spaces you just get lost in and want to look for more. We are still discovering it all.”
Many of the home’s living spaces are exposed, including a kitchen defined by exposed beams and period architectural flourishes. But the unique steel-mesh pod at the home’s centre — so heavy it needs a specially crafted anchoring system to keep it in place — shrouds a bedroom, living space and a bathroom.
“This house describes us perfectly,” Ms Dixon said. “I love things that are old, solid and reliable with character, and Kent likes things that are shiny and unpredictable.”
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Another standout property on the list is a Phillip Island paradise with a grand homestead, a historic chapel and a private surf break.
While a sustainable retreat with its own wellbeing centre that’s as luxurious as it is eco-friendly brings serious star power to the list — superstar Melbourne musician Tones and I splashed a multimillion-dollar sum on it earlier this year.
Of course, the mega mansion that holds Victoria’s residential price record ranked highly. It sold for more than $50m in 2017 — with the buyers clearly not turned off by the ghost that has reputedly roamed its halls for 95 years.
For those who think these homes are a little out of their budgets, Mount Franklin’s Sky High at No. 13 on the list is offered as luxury accommodation, meaning you can own the set of keys for a night or two.
This list unveils 50 of Victoria’s regional gems, sustainable spaces, unique offerings, luxe addresses and heritage homesteads. To put it simply, these are the most impressive residences the Herald Sun real estate team has come across over the years.
Do you like our list? Let us know how you would have ranked the properties, or of any standout homes you believe should have made the list. Plus, stay tuned for when we reveal our readers’ choice list, as voted by you.