Buy Echuca's old fire station and get a house free
Echuca’s firefighters have moved on to bigger and better digs, leaving the Victorian town’s old fire station vacant and ready for a buyer.
The 1262-square-metre site at 245-249 Pakenham Street has been part of the community since the 1880s, with the station used as a venue for dances in the 1950s – and even wedding receptions.
As well as the fire station, a new owner will have a shed, a parcel of vacant land and a house.
The fire station for sale in Pakenham Street, Echuca, comes with a house as well. Photo: Supplied
The two- to three-bedroom house was built in 1939, replacing the original dwelling on the site, and was originally home to station officers. After the last station officer moved out in 2001, the house was used for administration.
The Lambden building, named after a former brigade captain, Harry Lambden, was built in 1942.
The fire station was built in 1968. Photo: Supplied
The property was formerly Echuca Fire Brigade headquarters. Photo: Echuca Fire Brigade/Facebook
The High Street-facing building provided back-up storage for fire trucks when the main fire station was used for community and social events.
The original fire station was demolished and replaced with the current fire station building in 1968.
The big shed facing High Street is named after former brigade captain Harry Lambden. Photo: Supplied
The Country Fire Authority’s Echuca fireys moved into their new, much bigger digs in High Street, near the Murray Valley Highway, in February 2016.
Agents Steve Pain and Andrew Lochhead, of Century 21 Rich River Real Estate, have already received 18 inquiries and sent out about 14 contracts.
The new Echuca fire brigade headquarters.
A government valuer will provide a reserve price before the auction but Mr Pain has been quoting a price guide of around $1.1 million, plus GST, based on a previous sale of a former service station nearby.
He says the market is tight in Echuca at the moment, with an unusually wet winter meaning homeowners need more time to prepare properties for the traditionally busy spring marketing period.
The effect has also flowed on to non-residential real estate.
“There’s not a lot of commercial stock around and there’s buyers waiting,” Mr Pain says.
The fire station for sale in Pakenham Street, Echuca. Photo: Supplied
Echuca is about 200 kilometres north of Melbourne. The town was established at the point on the Murray River closest to Victoria’s capital and became Australia’s biggest inland port in the late 1880s, famous for its paddle steamers.
Mr Pain says there is a heritage overlay in the town although the fire station site has no official heritage significance of its own.
A 34-metre high water tower on a corner lot adjacent to the property is an artefact in itself, presiding over the town since it was built in 1915.
The tower was designed by civil engineer Sir John Monash, who was also an Australian military commander in World War 1.
The fire station for sale in Pakenham Street, Echuca, is next door to a water tower built in 1915. Photo: Supplied
According to the Commercial Real Estate listing, there is potential to redevelop the Commercial 1-zoned fire station site – subject to council approval – for various purposes including residential, retail, offices, accommodation or even apartments.
Echuca has a long history of bushfires and major floods because of its position near the junction of the Campaspe and Murray rivers, according to the CFA.
The new station will be close to Ambulance Victoria, the SES and the Echuca Rescue Squad.
The old Echuca fire station will be sold at auction on October 7, 2016 on site at 11am. See the listing for more details.
Get a weekly roundup of the latest news from Commercial Real Estate, delivered straight to your inbox!
