FOR Mildura’s Fiona Forbes, a renovation project to help her cope with her husband’s cancer diagnosis turned into more than she could have hoped for.
Ms Forbes bought the old Irymple Bakery at 670 Koorlong Avenue, Irymple, at an auction in 2017, and said she was “instantly drawn to” the property.
After six months of intense renovation, the property has been transformed into a two-bedroom, one-bathroom home with a new bathroom and fully appointed kitchen.
Externally, the original bakery has been converted to a separate bedroom and large rumpus room.
“It’s just an iconic piece of Irymple’s history,” Ms Forbes said.
“It had great bones, if you could look past the rough exterior. I knew that there was so much potential, the price point was quite low and it was still in very original condition, so I went for it.”
Built in 1915, the former bakery didn’t have power to some areas and required a complete overhaul – from rewiring and re-stumping to cosmetic and practical changes to make the home more appealing.
Much to Ms Forbes delight, the renovation process uncovered some pleasant surprises.
“We never knew exactly what was going to be behind or underneath anything,” she said.
“At the auction, I remember praying that there was weatherboard behind the Masonite sheeting and, sure enough, there was.
“Under the existing carpet was a layer of lino and under that were the original floorboards, still in absolutely fantastic condition, so that was a lovely surprise.
“They actually look like the day they went down.
“There were other great little surprises to be found along the journey – sixpence and penny coins in the floorboards, and a penny from 1914 that was laid into the concrete at the front fence.
“Bread trays, horse shoes, the original proofing racks, cupboards and drawers that the bakers would have used have all been retained.”
Ms Forbes admits the balance between ensuring the property was modern and livable, while respecting its outstanding heritage, was tricky at times.
“I was determined to update the home and make it more livable and modern, while respecting and honoring the heritage of it and not changing the original structure,” she said.
“My hope was that the purchaser would be a little bit quirky, appreciate older things and fall in love with it.
“I also was really quite surprised at the amount of interest people had in the renovation.
“Irymple has this really young, positive energy, and when we were working on the property, a number of people would walk past and stop in to have a look and say how pleased they were that a piece of Irymple heritage was being retained.”
The property has since changed hands, with Ms Forbes selling her passion project in 2019.
It is now on the market. Interested buyers can contact Mark Thornton at One Agency on 0408 534 772 for more information.
