The historic two-bedroom house at 266 Latrobe Terrace, Newtown was up for sale after being restored and renovated.
A gold rush era Victorian Gothic home linked to Geelong’s first female medical doctor has turned to gold for the home’s last owner.
The circa 1854 two-storey house had no running water or electricity, and no functional kitchen or bathroom when Paul Vandenberg bought it in 2018.
It’s nearly doubled in value following a renovation, with a local history buff recently securing the Newtown property after auction.
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Mr Vandenber, a landscape designer, completed a top-to-bottom renovation of the home at 266 Latrobe Tce, Newtown.
It showcases its early Geelong heritage, while injecting modern comforts.
The two-bedroom, two-storey villa was listed for $850,000 to $935,000 guide, and sold for close to the top of the range.
The residence was part of a duplex built by architect John Matthews as a spec home during a Victorian gold rush era housing shortage.
Landscape architect Paul Vandenberg bought the home at 266 Latrobe Tce, Newtown without power, running water, a working kitchen or bathroom in 2018. Picture: Glenn Ferguson
The first floor living room has city and bay views.
Old and new blend beautifully in the custom kitchen.
The complex later rose to prominence as the home of Geelong doctor, Mary De Garis, who lobbied for Geelong hospital’s first maternity ward to be built in the 1920s.
Jellis Craig Geelong agent Greg Matheson said the De Garis link continued to carry on, as the purchaser revealed her own connection to the author of a biography on the trailblazing medico who travelled privately to volunteer as a medical officer during World War I.
Her wartime service on the Balkans Front was commemorated in a 2024 Serbian stamp.
A 2024 Serbian stamp honoured Mary De Garis’ work during the First World War.
Geelong’s first woman doctor Mary De Garis driving a car in the 1920s
Hydronic heating features throughout the house, which has been rewired, replumbed and restumped.
Ms De Garis returned to settle in Geelong where she lobbied for the first maternity ward to be built at the hospital in the 1920s.
Mr Matheson said the heritage elements of the home were a big drawcard for buyers.
“We had two bidders, there was potential third who held back and then came to me afterwards, but it was gone,” he said.
“Both of them were heritage rich on their love of the property, the beauty that come with it, and the architecture of the period.”
Mr Matheson said it was unclear whether the buyers would go ahead with the endorsed plans to convert the old double-storey stables at the rear into a one-bedroom apartment.
The vendor, who owns Landscape Discoveries, designed the heritage-style garden.
A permit and endorsed plans are available to convert the historic stables to a one-bedroom apartment.
“It’s up to them, they are definitely both lovers of the period of that style of home and the great history of the home as well,” he said.
Mr Vandenberg said the lath and plaster had already been stripped out when he bought the villa, making it easy to envisage how the rooms could be used.
As well as signature gothic elements such as steeply pitched rooflines and timber fretwork, he’s retained exposed brickwork, fireplaces and timber lined ceilings alongside sympathetic updates.
A custom kitchen featuring a French Rosieres double oven range is now the centrepiece of the ground floor, sitting alongside a front lounge and new family bathroom.
Upstairs, a second living space connects two bedrooms, including a main suite.
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