With its sleek black cabinetry and chequerboard tiles, you could imagine walking to the window of 89 Vincent Street, Daylesford, and looking out over the Champs-Elysees.
Instead, the Paris-inspired apartment takes in views of Wombat Forest, tucked away in the beautiful Victorian town atop a distinctive 1890s building on the corner of Vincent Street and Central Springs Road.
The combination commercial-residential property on a 276-square-metre block is being offered by McQueen Real Estate, which has labelled the building a “rare blend of historic charm and modern versatility”.
“It’s in probably the best position in Daylesford in regards to retail,” says listing agent Kim McQueen. “It’s right up in the main street, right on the main roundabout corner, so it’s got great visibility.”
The front door opens to the multi-room ground-floor retail space, which has been home to the locally loved homewares shop Ecasa for decades, McQueen says.
“It’s probably one of Daylesford’s most loved shops,” she says. “It’s going to be greatly missed.
“We’ll be selling it [with] vacant possession, but we do have another trader that is wanting to come into the shop … at the end of the year.
“So you can either have vacant possession or, if you want, we know there’s a very keen tenant who is waiting for their lease to finish and then would love to move in.”
Timber flooring and “strip spot lighting” run throughout the shop, and it has a split-system heating and cooling system and a gas log fireplace. Multiple storage spaces and an office to the rear ensure functionality for future commercial endeavours.
Upstairs, the aforementioned two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment is also fitted with split-system heating and cooling and a fireplace in the lounge room. Renovated by the long-term owners and furnished with pieces from the shop below, other key features include a free-standing bath, Bosch appliances and heated towel rails.
The apartment, which is accessed via a private side gate, is currently used as an Airbnb, which could also provide an additional income stream for the new owners.
Beyond the building itself is a leafy, green courtyard enclosed with a wrought-iron fence. Within the courtyard, a shed/workshop provides yet more storage or creative opportunities.
It’s the possibility that really sells this property, McQueen says.
“It’s surrounded on three sides by roads, so it’s got three street frontages,” she says. “It’s got fantastic potential to further develop the block.”
A permit for a two-storey building in the rear had been obtained by the owners but has since lapsed.
“Besides that, when you’re upstairs in the apartment … it’s just done so beautifully,” McQueen says. “You’ve got the double-hung windows that open right up onto the main street.
“The view is beautiful. You look out over the main street of Daylesford across to the expansive views of Wombat Forest and the Lake Daylesford precinct.”
Ninety minutes north-west of Melbourne, Daylesford is a popular tourist destination. Established as a gold mining town in the 1850s, today the area is now better known as a spa town thanks to the nearby natural mineral springs.