THE OLD CHURCH NEEDS A SAVIOUR

St Georges Anglican Church originally built in 1876 in Royal Park Melbourne and relocated to Bentleigh in 1925 had to be sold and removed or it was to go to the wreckers and be torn down and lost forever to make way for new housing. At a farm clearance auction in 2009 we fell in love with the structural remains of the church and the potential of using the wonderful timbers in a rebuild on our property at Fish Creek.

So to begin the journey of relocating and rebuilding from what we could salvage of the dismantled church. The rebuild, mixing the vaulted ceiling rafters, trusses, timber flooring and doors from St Georges Church with our own unique style is now a spacious, stylish residence renamed “The Church House”. It was featured in Grand Design Season 1 Episode 7.

THE PROPERTY

ALLEGRIA  (JOY OF SPIRIT)

In the artistic enclave of Fish Creek, The Church House sits at the pinnacle of our 20 acre property called Allegria,  meaning ‘joy of spirit’ in Italian.

Adding to the rural, self-sustainable appeal is the terraced kitchen garden, cultivated with loving care to produce the home-grown ingredients that make the daily fresh meals. An orchard, olive grove and vineyard have been added to the undulating landscape which simply invites you to meander uninhibitedly. Cows and sheep graze on the grassy hills with chickens gifting eggs each morning for healthy, hearty breakfasts. Native wildlife, including wallabies, wombats, kookaburras and koalas may also be glimpsed as they forage their way through the surrounding bush.