Abandoned Otway Shire council office reborn as a groovy 1970s home

News.com.au

15-05-2025

A glam 1970s-inspired conversion has given an abandoned Otway Shire office a groovy rebirth as a quirky residential home.
Once the municipal heart of Beech Forest, the distinctive brown brick building was in dire condition before current owner Lorraine Tribe revived it with a sympathetic mid-century makeover.
Ms Tribe said several years of sitting vacant had taken its toll on 6 Main Rd, Beech Forest, where the ceiling was caving in and every window smashed by vandals.
'It was absolutely disgusting,' Ms Tribe said.
'When we went to see it as you walked in the door there was this big hole in the roof and all the rain came in and it was completely flooded with mouldy carpets.
'But the most difficult part of it was that it was like Rapunzel's castle in the that the vines and blackberries had grown around it so ferociously that you couldn't even go around the property.'
The former council office, completed in 1979, was sold off in the late 1990s after the Otway Shire was abolished and amalgamated into the Colac Otway Shire and later become a private residence.
Through the dense overgrowth, Ms Tribe fell in love with its 1970s style, particularly the floor-to-ceiling windows in every room, and its solid construction.
'When you are buying properties in these treed areas it's very rare to get something that's completely fireproof,' she said.
'It has been solidly built with all metal and brick and concrete.'
She's kept as many original features as possible and beefed up the 1970s vibe with mirrored tile feature walls, chandeliers and a vintage burgundy fireplace that will have you reaching for a martini.
Visitors still arrive via the original entrance foyer with its atrium-style ceiling, while the old council chambers is now a vast living space.
Original timber office partitions have been incorporated into the redesign, where they separate a contemporary ensuite from the main bedroom.
Even the women's toilets have been retained and renovated with a floral orange theme – taking the total number of toilets at the house to five.
Ms Tribe said given the beautiful Otway setting, the floor-to-ceiling windows were the hero.
'There is no room in that building where you don't feel like the outside is inside,' she said.
Richardson, Colac agent Jake Theodore is calling for expressions of interest in the 758sq m property by May 27.
Price hopes are $850,000 to $900,000.
He said the vendors had done a magnificent renovation, as the former council chamber was in 'dire straits' when he sold it to them almost three years ago.