Latest news with #train carriage
News.com.au
21-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Mystery shopping CEO lists home with converted train carriage
The Aussie founder of a mystery shopping company has listed the quirky property where he ran the business from an original Queensland Railways carriage once part of The Sunlander. Secret Customer Australia managing director Peter Martin and his wife Zena bought the Moreton Bay parcel for $682,500 fifteen years ago, adding the converted train carriage to the existing timber family home. 'I was running my own business from home and started with one bedroom being converted into an office,' Mr Martin said. 'Converting a shed was an enormous amount of money so I found the train carriage online. 'There's a lot of history to it – it's an original staff sleeper carriage, number 1471, from Queensland Railways' The Sunlander (1952) which now sits at the front of the property with privacy hedging.' Mr Martin said the carriage had top and bottom bunks which were removed and replaced with custom-made desks, along with a meeting room and five offices. He has headed up Secret Customer Australia since 2012, a company offering business owners undercover visits by 'secret shoppers' who report back on the customer service they received. The niche industry has enjoyed a resurgence during the cost of living crunch, as a popular side hustle for Aussies looking to boost their income by reporting on their shopping experience at client businesses. Mystery shoppers received between $20 and $80 per job, according to Secret Customer's website. The Martins' five-bedroom two-bathroom property at 52 Ray Booker Court, Kobble Creek is marketed by Ray White Rural Dayboro Eumundi agent Vicki Pain via private treaty. Known as 'Twin Peaks', the 5ha property is anchored by the 'chalet-style' home with spectacular mountain views plus a pool and spacious entertaining decks. There's also fenced paddocks for farm animals, a dam, and a four-wheel drive track. 'It's not often something like this comes to market — there's certainly some charm and uniqueness to this property,' Ms Pain said. 'It is only 42km from Brisbane's CBD and creates one of the best lifestyle property markets, attracting retirees looking for space or families with great schools and an excellent local community.' Qld home earns six times the average salary The Martins and their two children had relocated to coastal Agnes Water, leaving behind an alpaca and five goats, which could also be included in the property sale. 'The kids were very sad to leave,' Mr Martin said. 'We would often let the animals roam free. Sometimes we would take in chickens and ducks – it kind of became a little animal orphanage. 'This was possible as we added a full 1.8m vermin-proof fence around the entire property, making it very secure for any animal.' Mr Martin said another young family would be best suited to the 'quirky wooden home'. 'While it's a rural area, the home is so close to the city,' he said. 'We have really enjoyed the views and the kids have spent lots of time outdoors. 'There's a large gaming deck next to the pool too.' The property has undergone some renovations including a new kitchen, pool deck and retaining walls.
Fox News
19-07-2025
- Fox News
Man transforms 128-year-old railway carriage into unique stay that guests 'adore'
A retired wallpaper designer has turned a 19th-century train carriage into a luxury Airbnb stay at a former railway station. Nigel Brooke, 68, lives in an old train station in England where he's restored a Great Western Railway carriage from 1895. Although trains stopped running through the area in the 1950s, guests today can book a night in the vintage carriage for about $260 thanks to Brooke's $35,000 restoration project. "It is beautiful, and it's quite unique here," Brooke said, as news agency SWNS reported. The exterior has been repainted using original colors sourced from historic railway drawings, while the interior features period wallpaper, a bed and a stove. "I designed all that interior decor, but it was led by original pieces that I found during the restoration," Brooke said. The carriage originally ran on a metropolitan railway line before it was decommissioned in 1940. "It was just chocolate brown everywhere," he told SWNS. "It became a workman's carriage, static somewhere." "It is beautiful, and it's quite unique here." Brooke bought the carriage for about $10,000. He had it transported by road to its current location, he said. It now stands on concrete walls built to align it with the station platform, offering step-free access for guests. "One side was covered in tin - that must have been put there in the '50s or '40s to protect one side," he said. Despite the age of the structure, much of the original oak frame was in good condition. "What I had to do was take each piece off carefully that was rotten and replicate it and rebuild it, using the original bits," Brooke told SWNS. "It's quite early, 1895, for a carriage - it's getting toward disintegration at that age if they've not been restored," he added. "This will be good for a long time now." Brooke originally bought the station in the 1980s when he was in his 30s. He said he was fortunate to find such a historic property. "I was quite lucky to acquire such a nice old historic building," he said. The Airbnb offering has proved popular with guests who are drawn to its charm and railway heritage, SWNS noted. Brooke is now planning to expand his offering by converting the station's old waiting room into an additional guest space with an ensuite bathroom. "I may turn one of the waiting rooms into an Airbnb with an ensuite, so when people stay in this carriage, if they've got friends they can stay in the waiting room at the station house," he said. "People absolutely adore it. There's a lot of history here," Brooke told SWNS. SWNS reported that the restored carriage is already drawing interest from travelers eager to experience a piece of the past in vintage luxury. Travel
