6 churches to convert into your business dream for sale right now in Australia
Churches all over the world have been successfully converted into stunning commercial, residential and cultural spaces.
Swapping pews for pints, many have been reborn as restaurants, cafes, craft breweries and cocktail bars, with religious-themed names such as The Confessional, State of Grace or The Altar Bar.
Capitalising on their history and architecture, often featuring high ceilings and glass-stained windows, investing in a repurposed church could be just the divine calling your next chapter needs.
Whatever its next incarnation – from unique stays to luxe homes, creative hubs to co-working spaces, yoga halls to wedding venues, libraries to bookstores – the list of worthy resurrections is infinite.
Here are six old churches praying for a buyer to get you started.
Canterbury
Noted for its architectural significance, this “incredibly rare” iconic church is located on Canterbury’s golden mile in Melbourne’s leafy east.
The decorated Gothic-style building, formerly known as the Habitat Uniting Church and more recently as the St David’s Centre, dates back to 1926.
With three properties across five titles on a sprawling 3480-square-metre corner block, an adjacent home with pretty stained glass windows is a stunning bonus.
Architects H. W. & F. B. Tompkins designed the clinker-brick church, with stained glass windows by Brooks Robinson and John Ferguson.
Daylesford
Ever dreamed of setting up a boutique B&B in picturesque Daylesford – just a short 90-minute drive north-west from Melbourne – with high ceilings, an open plan space and loads of natural light?
Built in 1865, this historic Gothic-style brick building with a tower is a prayer answered if you’re looking to invest in an artistic-minded community dotted with mineral springs and a bustling foodie scene.
Originally a Wesleyan Methodist Church, the congregation later became part of the Uniting Church, which offered it to market last year.
The church was designed to seat 600 people and sits on a 1224-square-metre lot with mature trees and landscaped gardens.
Haigslea
After more than a century of service in the community of Haigslea in South East Queensland, an hour’s drive inland from Brisbane’s CBD, this picture-perfect country church and its matchy-matchy adjacent hall are looking for their next incarnation.
Your next business venture – be it opening a yoga studio or an arts hub – can take advantage of the two separate buildings, plus a kitchenette, brightly painted interiors with high ceilings and timber floors, and a small shed.
The former Haigslea United Church held its last service in 2021 after 109 years. It spans 4047 square metres on a corner block opposite the local school.
The 1911 church has a floor space of 54 square metres and the slightly smaller 1885-built hall – which was moved to the site in 1981 – is almost 53 square metres.
Launceston
Known famously as “the old white church with the paint peeling off”, this Gothic revival-style building was built in 1859 and has become a well-known Tasmanian landmark.
Take advantage of all the hard work already done to revive the church into office space, with original flooring and arched stained glass windows adding a different touch.
The current owners, guided holiday specialist Tasmanian Walking Company, is letting go of the former Chalmers Church after buying the architectural space as their headquarters in 2023.
“True beauty comes from within, but we love the character that the shabby exterior brings to the building,” the company’s website reads.
“The church was bought and sold multiple times, and was even a residence in the 1900s. Graeme and Jodie Walker purchased the church in 2011, and the transformation of the new Chalmers began.”
The church was deconsecrated in 1981 and renovated over several years, before being tenanted by a design company, Walker Designs, in 2014 for nine years.
The church was designed by architect William Henry Clayton and named after Scottish preacher Thomas Chalmer.
Sebastapol
Ready for its new investors, this former church on a large landholding just outside Ballarat – boasts an “exceptional location” with three streetfronts and loads of passers-by.
It’s primed for rebirth as a residential development, hospitality venue or medical facility, and the new owners will have no problem advertising its new purpose, as it sits opposite a new Coles supermarket, a future fast food restaurant, and next door to a redeveloped bowls club.
With 3791 square metres to play with, the former Holy Trinity Church also comes with a hall and a residence. it is being sold by Colliers on behalf of the Anglican Diocese.
Cardinia
Cardinia’s fast-growing population makes it a great place to start, expand or relocate your business – and how could you possibly look past this little church with its vaulted timber ceilings and arched windows?
Whether you’re thinking about setting up a childcare facility, a restaurant or even a medical centre, its corner positioning opposite a school in Melbourne’s southeast fringe, about 50 kilometres from the CBD, makes sense.
The former Cardinia Presbyterian Church, built in 1915 and sold in 2021, was designed by architect James Irwin and has space to expand across 3392 square metres of land.
Cardinia Shire’s population is set to exceed 200,000 by 2041, and sits around 118,000 now. Get in while you can, and soak up that lush green grass.
