46 Knights Park Cres, Bannockburn, is selling via expressions of interest for $1.6m to $1.7m.
A forgotten piece of Geelong’s past has been revealed at a Bannockburn house built from the remnants of a historic newspaper office.
Late stonemason Andrej Betz used salvaged bluestone from the former Geelong Advertiser building to construct his dream family residence in the 1980s.
He couldn’t pass up the chance to save the blocks, once part of a wall at the newspaper’s mid-1800s home in Malop St, when they came up for sale.
RELATED: Lost facade of history building discovered in Bannockburn
Family selling Art Deco ‘castle’ after 90 years
Chance to revive historic Geelong brewery site
In turn, they became the cornerstone of a one-of-a-kind, four-bedroom house showcasing his master craftsmanship.
Four years after Mr Betz’s death, his family is selling his 2ha property at 46 Knights Park Cres, Bannockburn, for the first time.
The grounds contain another extraordinary legacy – a circular medieval-like building labelled the ‘Round Room’.
Mr Betz designed and built the stand-alone addition around a cylindrical fireplace and wood-fired pizza oven, initially as a wedding venue for his children.
It has hosted many milestones over the decades and spills out to an open-air ‘dance floor’.
The original owner’s son Andrew Betz has also discovered bluestone bricks from the original Chas Cole building in the backyard. Picture: Alison Wynd
The ‘round room’ has hosted several family weddings, taking advantage of the outdoor dance floor and bar.
A circular open fireplace and wood-fired pizza oven is the centrepiece of the space.
Mr Betz’s son Andrew said the blocks used to build the house originally stood down the side of the Carlton Hotel.
“He acquired that wall and then thought ‘I need somewhere to put it’, so went and bought some land out at Bannockburn, five acres,” he said.
“The house was built over a period of time.”
He said the round room was another labour of love that took more than a decade to complete, with other family members pitching in to get the job done.
The paved outdoor dance floor was added ahead of Andrew’s own wedding in 2014, this time using salvaged house brick that the soon-to-be-groom hand cleaned and laid himself.
“It is a place of connection for family and also community. The amount of people that have washed through that house for parties is just huge so it has been a really great spot for a lot of us to spend our time,” he said.
The formal lounge has a bluestone open fireplace and a timber-lined ceiling.
Slate floors flow throughout the open-plan kitchen and living zone.
This bespoke water feature is another display of craftsmanship.
Geelong Real Estate Co listing agent Michaela Miller has set a $1.6m to $1.7m price guide for an expressions of interest campaign closing on April 2.
She said the appeal of the property lay primarily in its versatility, whether as a private home, commercial venue or development site.
“The interest we have had at the moment has been people looking at a development opportunities purely because it can be subdivided,” she said.
“If you look at the land component, five acres in Bannockburn, there’s really nothing on the market.”
She’s set a $1.6m to $1.7m price guide for the expressions of interest campaign closing on April 2.
English (US) · 