From the main road, it looks like many other country churches, with a cross sitting atop the roof at the entrance and classic arch windows.
But as you go closer, bright yellow doors welcome you to the vestibule, and it is becomes apparent the building may have been deconsecrated.
There are still plenty of memories to be made at the former St Thomas’ Anglican Church in the hamlet of Talgarno, north-east Victoria.
The 120-year-old building is being transformed into a family home.
‘Our special place to call home’
In 2015, Julie Adebowale and her husband Adewale were living in Shanghai and searching for property to buy back in Australia. A church was not what she had in mind.
“I was looking at real estate online and put in what you can get for $50,000 and this popped up,” she said.
“I didn’t know where Talgarno was, but I knew the postcode because I am from Wangaratta. So, I thought, it’ll be fine.”
The couple bought the property sight unseen.
Nine years later, with their infant daughter, Marls in tow, they have been converting the church into what will one day be their home.
“It’s our special place to call home. No, it’s not the biggest house, but we just love it,” she said.
But it’s not just the quaint church that they love, rather the “magical” community that they’ve become part of.
“This district is just so special, there are all these beautiful people here doing their own thing, you’ve got space, but you’re not isolated,” Ms Adebowale said.
New lease on life
Just a few kilometres down the road from Talgarno is Bethanga, a small village with a rich history of religion.
The town was once home to as many as four churches but in the past 12 months the final two sacred landmarks have been sold.
While it has left the town of about 500 people without an official place of worship, it hasn’t meant the end for these century-old buildings.
As with many former churches across the country, the St Francis Catholic Church and Holy Trinity Anglican Church are both set for a second lease on life.
Agent Silviya Saric was responsible for the sale of Bethanga’s St Francis Catholic Church in October last year. More than 25,000 people viewed the online listing.
“There were heaps of interest, everybody is looking to buy the quintessential church and convert it into a residence. I think it’s a lot of people’s dreams,” she said.
“Interestingly enough, I had a couple that were married in that church, and they came along to see it with the family to show their kids where they had been married.”
The church will eventually be reimagined into a home.
It’s understood there are also plans to repurpose the nearby former Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Armstrong Street, which was sold in January.
Bethanga is one of many towns across regional Victoria that has seen an increase in the closure and sales of churches in recent years.
Data from the REA Group shows more than 30 churches have been sold across the state in the past year.
Sign of the times
Last month, St Mary’s Catholic Church Avenel north of Melbourne closed its doors after 132 years because of declining congregating numbers and the high cost of maintaining the building.
It’s now being prepared to be sold on the open market.
Father Rene Ramirez, parish priest at St Malachy’s and St Mel’s in Shepparton, would offer a mass in St Mary’s on the first and third Sundays of each month.
Before its closure, it was deconsecrated by the Bishop of Sandhurst Shane Mackinlay at a special mass to mark its transition from a sacred to a secular building.
“The closure was ritualised also, so that in a symbolic way, it communicated to the people that that was the final celebration at that building,” he said.
Many, including Father Ramirez, had never seen a church deconsecrated before.
“Some were even crying,” he said. “It sinks into you that that was really the final day that we are able to use the building for public worship.”
But with low attendance numbers, running the church was becoming a financially unsustainable project. In the past six months, only a handful of people were attending the services.
“Just the insurance alone is really very prohibitive to maintain the church plus the added cost of maintenance and the utilities,” Father Ramirez said.
Unique investment opportunity
When Nichole Miscuso and her husband were looking to add an investment property to their portfolio – a church in regional New South Wales wasn’t something they initially had in mind.
“We have friends in real estate, and they said, ‘Oh you should go and look at this little church in Kurrajong Heights,” Ms Miscusco.
“So, we went out of interest and just fell in love with it and thought, ‘This would make a great Airbnb.'”
The former St James church was built in 1889 by renowned architect Arthur Blackett. Along with its obvious charm, the church also saw childhood memories come flooding back to Ms Miscusco.
“My granny who was in Raymond Terrace, took me to her local little church that was very similar and was also built by Arthur Blackett, so it felt like a piece of my childhood too,” she said.
Today, the 130-year-old original floors remain, the altar has been retained and now hosts the fireplace.
“Everyone who stays there is just amazed by the piece of history. My husband and I feel honoured to have it and be looking after it and taking care of it,” Ms Miscusco.
The uniqueness extends beyond the building in the yard, as with many old churches you’ll find a graveyard.
“There are only five plots, but there are 19 people buried within the grounds,” Ms Miscusco said.
“Sometimes we have guests say that they love religious buildings, but it is also something different that people like to come to for special occasions. The idea that it is a church does appeal to people.”