Have a look what’s happening inside one of Colac’s most beloved homes.
For the past decade, Leigh and Jan Rich have been restoring the Balnagowan mansion to its former grandeur.
Built in 1892 for Alexander Graham Ross, the 130-year-old home has played an important role in Colac’s history for generations.
“So many people tell us how they were married here, how they took wedding photos on the staircase,” Jan said.
Balnagowan has had a long list of owners and alterations, serving as a gentlemen’s retreat, a private hospital in the 1950s, a reception venue, function centre and a residence.
Jan and Leigh bought the property in 2011 and moved from Melbourne in 2012, following a spate of fires and vandalism.
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Where To Buy“When we came, this place was boarded up.”
The move allowed Leigh, a builder, to slowly tick along with restoring the mansion – which had broken windows, crumbling walls and “cracks so big you could fit your hand through them”.
He spent months working on the walls, calling on the wisdom of a veteran renderer and filling and repainting walls and ceilings until the rooms glowed once again.
Now, the bulk of the mansion’s ground floor is restored, and Jan has worked to furnish and style each room with its own charm.
She has acquired the furniture and décor pieces over time from second-hand stores, op shops, Facebook marketplace and even the side of the road.
“I’ve had great enjoyment from it (fitting out the home),” Jan said.
“I think each piece has a story to tell.”
The couple have restored magnificent stained-glass windows that vandals had kicked in and thrown rocks through. The home’s iconic waterfall cathedral glass is now only made in one place in Canada, but they have acquired enough to restore the whole house.
There’s so much in the home that is still original – from the famous walnut staircase to ornate and irreplaceable doors, incredible feature lead-lighting to kauri pine parquetry floors.
There’s an elaborately carved original fireplace in the main bedroom and bench seats from Colac’s 1800s courthouse in the billiard and sunrooms.
Nearly everything about the building is grand, but Jan said the couple had worked to ensure it was homely and a great spot to relax for a drink or two.
The north-facing sunroom is their favourite space, a warm and well-lit add-on to the home that faces Lake Colac and Balnagowan’s gardens.
The room has also become the venue for Balnagowan Avenue’s get-together street drinks for neighbours, and Leigh said the neighbourhood was hugely supportive of the restoration.
“Once people saw what we were doing with the outside, it was incredible,” Leigh said.
“There is so much love and interest for this place.”
Visitors and drive-bys are commonplace at Balnagowan, with private tour buses frequently coasting past. The expansive private property is also often mistaken for a public reserve, but Leigh and Jan weren’t keen to put a fence up.
“We love to show the house off, because we’re pretty happy with how it turned out,” Jan said.
They said one of the best things about Balnagowan was the neighbourhood.
“We were talking about this the other night – I think one of the things we love most are our neighbours, they’re fantastic,” Leigh said.
The home is not heritage-listed, most likely because of the large number of alterations, but it’s steeped in history – and Leigh estimates its palm tree to be about 120 years old.
“There’s a photo from the 1950s and it only reaches halfway up the house,” he said.
The road to restoration has been challenging and expensive – Leigh estimates he has put $5 million into Balnagowan’s mansion and grounds, and there’s more work to come on the roof and upper level, pending permit approval from Colac Otway Shire Council.
But it’s been a labour of love and the Riches are proud to call the huge project home.
