FAMILY CALLS TIME ON LUXURY PUB LIVING
THE owners of a former Geelong pub are preparing to call last drinks on their time in the converted city residence.
The old Rosemary Branch Hotel has been home for Gary and Diane Buchanan for the past nine years, but time has come for the couple to move closer to children and grandchildren.
The five-bedroom property at 77 Maud St, Geelong, includes the 1850s hotel converted to a home in 1979 with a landscaped north-facing courtyard, plus a two-bedroom unit in the former stables and a large carport enclosed behind an electric gate.
Newtown agents Dale Whitford and John Moran listed the 804sq m property with $1.65 million to $1.8 million price hopes.
The words ‘Rosemary Branch Hotel’ can still be seen faintly on the front of the building and Glynn Hotel can be seen from the eastern side. The original hotel was opened in 1855. It was later home to a green grocer’s shop.
The Buchanans bought the home in 2012.
“Pasquale Cirillo did it all up in 1979 and we took it over in 2012,” Mr Buchanan said.
“We’ve done quite a bit more to it. We’ve painted and put carports in and we’ve made the unit in the backyard into a two-bedroom unit, which is really good.
“We’ve put a new kitchen in and a new laundry.”
The couple had sold a Torquay holiday unit and were looking for a permanent seachange in Geelong when they discovered the old pub.
“We were talking to Dale and we had a look at quite a lot of places in Highton and Newtown and Dale said ‘I’ve got this place, it’s not listed at the moment but go around and have a look at it’ and we fell in love with it and we bought it at auction,” Mr Buchanan said.
“It’s going to be sad to leave here, not only have we met a lot of friends, we’ve just fell in love with this place and it’s got a lot to offer.
“It’s very quiet. Unbelievably quiet. Probably one of the best streets in Geelong.”
Mr Whitford said people loved the privacy and proximity to the CBD, waterfront and Kardinia Park, while the historic nature of the building was another drawcard.
“It really brings in the light beautifully. It’s sympathetic to the rest of the house,” he said.
The open-plan living area downstairs incorporates the kitchen with stone benchtops, Bosch appliances and informal dining areas, a lounge room and family room. There’s also access to the underground cellar, plus a bedroom, bathroom and laundry. More bedrooms and a bathroom are upstairs, plus a study.