A converted church in country Victoria where Aussie rock band Killing Heidi would escape to in their heyday of touring the country and the world has hit the market for the first time in more than 25 years.
'The Parish' became known as a hub for touring musicians and creatives, but for Ella and Jesse Hooper from Killing Heidi, it’s the property their late mother Helen purchased in the early 2000s and welcomed everyone from Tibetan monks to blues players; even leasing it for short stays in the years she owned it.
The Parish was owned by Ella and Jesse Hooper's late mother Helen. Picture: realestate.com.au
Now the two bedroom, one-bathroom church-conversion at 41 Primrose Street in Violet Town is on the market for the first time in more than 25 years with a price guide of $560,000 - $610,000.
It’s where singer/songwriter Ella Hooper recorded her solo album Small Town Temple in 2023, which was nominated for an Australian Music Prize Award and debuted at No. 1 on the Australian Country Charts in the same year.
Ella Hooper sitting by the front door at The Parish. Picture: Supplied
It’s within these famed walls where Hooper sat for days to write the songs that made the final cut - and the church window was used as the album cover art.
“I wrote Small Town Temple as a complete love letter to The Parish and what it meant to me,” Ella Hooper told realestate.com.au.
The converted church has two bedrooms, one bathroom plus separate toilet and a commercial kitchen. Picture: realestate.com.au
Parting with a property that nurtured her own talent, hosted many others, and where the late Helen held many celebrations, is somewhat bittersweet for Hooper. But the time for a custodianship change has gently arrived for the Hooper siblings.
It’ll make the perfect regional tree-change for those ready to leave the city for starry night skies.
Ella Hooper recording the film clip for Small Town Temple at the church. Picture: Supplied
The church itself was plucked from a little township Caniambo, 160km north of Melbourne and a mere 20-minute drive from Violet Town and transferred to Primrose St, then converted into a home - which comes with a large hall that doubled as a live music venue in its heyday.
Ella’s mother lived in the home next door to The Parish, but it’s here the siblings spent most of their time. There’s even two bedrooms that were always a back-up if Jesse or Ella ever wanted to drop in to escape the rat race of city life.
“Mum always was the kind of person who had great creative vision, and her partner absolutely did help her create this too,” said Hooper of her mother’s vision to save an old church and give it a new homely rebirth in the country.
The 40000sqm property is listed for $560,000 - $610,000. Picture: realestate.com.au
“The church was transported to the site from its old hippy track backroad in Caniambo to Primrose St. The town had plans to get rid of the church because they wanted to develop the land, and mum said she’d take it off their hands with her inheritance she got in her mid 40s from her parents,” said Hooper.
“I do remember the town taking down the power lines so the church could be on a back of a truck and moved in two halves and then sewn back together on our block in Violet Town,” she said.
The home has a commercial kitchen and 4kW solar system installed with battery-ready capability. Picture: realestate.com.au
There’s a commercial-grade kitchen suitable for large entertaining – and fit for a wedding too. The communal feel of the home is what makes it appealing for those wanting space and solidarity at once.
“Jesse and I both feel this beautiful place needs another life, of course it’s seriously sentimental to us for so many reasons from our past, but honouring our mum’s vision of what this place was is so important to us,” she said.
While Killing Heidi had already found fame as a band touring Australia and overseas by the mid 90s, the arrival of The Parish was perfect place to retreat.
Warren Jenkin, Adam Pedretti, Ella Hooper and Jesse Hooper from the band Killing Heidi at the ARIA Awards in 2000. Picture: Peter Carrette Archive/Getty
It’s where Jesse had his 21st at the property - he’s now 44 - and it’s where the siblings hung out when they needed some down time.
“Mum’s intentions were to have a creative space, somewhere that people could gather and be creative,” she said.
“And boy did we achieve that! The Parish has a wonderful hall like space which means the acoustics and the energy you get with those high ceilings in a beautiful old weatherboard is just perfect. The light green paint within is a very romantic colorway that eventually got more contrasted with all her wonderful Balinese influences,” said Hooper.
The home became a hub for touring musicians and creatives over the past two decades. Picture: realestate.com.au
Artists who performed at The Parish over the last 25 years included Tenzin Cheogal - a Tibetan-Australian monk who performed with Patti Smith and Lou Reed’s wife Laurie Anderson - as well as Dan Warner, Tracy Bartram and JoJo Smith – a local blues legend.
“I remember seeing Tenzin – an incredible Tibetan monk and a globally celebrated performer who came down from Brisbane to play a concert at The Parish,” recalled Hooper.
“There was a complete blackout in the country that night, but it didn't stop the show. We lit candles and kept going – and because it's a church, you could hear every single note. It was one of those magical nights where you say to yourself - I can't believe I'm seeing this in Violet Town,” she said.
Violet Town itself is known for its creative community. Picture: realestate.com.au
And of course, with the success of Killing Heidi’s debut album Reflector in 2000 and self-titled follow up in 2004, The Parish became a place of refuge from the glaring lights of the touring world.
“In our absolute heyday of touring the country and the world, we had this place to come back to,” said Hooper.
“We would bring friends and other musicians that wanted to chill out with us. It’s a beautiful wide-open space, where you’d find instruments all around and we could use the home when Mum wasn’t renting it. So many beautiful memories were made here.”
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