VACANCY FOR NEW LORD OF THE MANOR
A GRAND castle is on the market in Victoria, offering a royal opportunity for any wannabe kings or queens.
Reg Fazzani spent two years building the medieval mansion from 2006, including laying about 20,000 bluestone blocks “like giant Lego”, and has ruled over it since.
But the 86-year-old has decided to downsize – and buyers will need about $1.5m to court his royal residence in Willung South, midway between Traralgon and Yarram in the Gippsland region.
CoreLogic records show Mr Fazzani listed the 2.4ha property in 2016 and 2018, during which it lingered on the market for a total of 579 days.
But listing agent Peter Bellingham, of Ray White Rural, is confident the third time will be the charm.
“There’s so much people could do with this place. It could a holiday rental, a boutique hotel or a wedding venue – the grounds are beautiful,” Mr Bellingham said.
Mr Fazzani designed and built the home, laying the bricks, framing the windows and doors, and crafting the ironwork fencing and gates.
“I even made my own curtains,” he said. “I’m not a builder, I’m not skilled at anything in particular. I’m just a doer.
“I played in castles in England when I was a child.”
The centrepiece of Mirabilia Castle is its grand hall – “a massive room equivalent in size to about half a dozen normal people’s lounge rooms”, where Mr Fazzani held “big medieval feasts” attended by up to 60 costumed guests.
“We had a French minstrel walking around (and) I dressed up as the king,” he said.
He estimated he had shown more than 5000 people through the castle.
“I don’t charge people, I just have a tin for charity,” he said.
Mr Fazzani also intends to donate much of the proceeds of the sale to cancer research, World Vision and the Fred Hollows Foundation.