May 2026
Never seen a house this far gone – this is in Wellington Street Cremorne, close to the silos near the river. It looks like it’s pretty original, at least since maybe the 1910s, with the kitchen out back with its stumpy chimney, the lean-to behind that possibly the bathroom or the laundry. Very rare. Be great if something like this became a museum house, but I think this place is too far gone to save, though maybe the front rooms are ok.
Commenters on my last post pointed to other decaying maybe abandoned houses around town, so here they are ! Pretty sure all were heritage listed, but some too far gone. This goes back a bit so some are gone now, others being fixed up. They’re almost all weatherboard, which gets and looks pretty bad if they’re not painted and rotting and sagging.
A bit surprised but four are in Richmond: 1,2 is 310 Mary Street, which sold in 2023, might be restored or gone by now; 3, 50 Leslie Street, currently being restored, though probably not the back half; 4, 51 Docker Street, apparently still lived in; 5, 336 Burnley Street, abandoned for ages, too far gone, sold and demolished in 2024. 6, 7 nearby in Gipps Street Abbotsford, a house that looked abandoned but was home to an old bloke, great interiors, sold in 2024. 8,9 you’ve probably passed in Merri Parade Northcote, not sagging yet, and with original rear lean-tos. 10, a cottage in Raglan Street South Melbourne, didn’t look too bad, but demolished by 2024 (replaced with a reproduction). 11,12 a pair of tiny cottages in Henry Street Fitzroy, boarded up from the early 2000s, one has been renovated recentlyish (I mean gutted and rebuilt). 13 a house in North Road Brighton, sold and demolished in 2022.
And finally the famous house in The Grove Coburg, abandoned for at least 20 years, at some point deliberately undermined, tiles taken off, Council resisted for ages, finally they got a demo permit in 2022, but not sold until this year.
Can anything be done to prevent demotion by neglect ? It’s left up to Councils, who mostly find it too hard – for instance deciding when it crosses the line to dilapidation, what to do if owners say they’re too poor, or they’re too elderly to manage repairs, and then if they just refuse, Council has go to VCAT, but they can just still not act. In other places especially the US you can get fined, but that doesn’t mean the place is fixed up. I suppose if they’re poor or elderly Council could fix it up for them, reimbursed when the family sells ? Maybe the same if abandoned for over five years ? But that would probably require State Govt legislation in a number of areas.
Storey of Melbourne 