Shipping container fortress earns $110k for boomer owners
LOS ANGELES: A shipping container fortress that is one of the biggest homes of its kind in the southern hemisphere is ready for a new owner to take charge.
The 605 Bunjils Cave Rd, Black Range, home is made of 14 shipping containers and features 200 tonnes of steel, glass and concrete.
It includes four bedrooms, a home theatre, an open-plan entertainment hub, formal lounge room and a double garage as part of the extraordinary build.
Designed by Zane Smith, the $1.15m listing has been billed as a fire-resistant, termite-proof fortress.
“We originally built this to be our forever home; a place of total peace of mind where the kids could grow up climbing boulders and spotting the resident echidnas,” Mr Smith said.
“Being a project manager by trade, I wanted to build something indestructible — a total sanctuary.”
Created for life off the grid, it has extensive solar panels and batteries for energy that keep a huge kitchen and home theatre running without the energy bills.
Mr Smith said it was also home to one of the best spots to go stargazing in Victoria, as well as oriented to make the most of sunsets.
Dubbed The Boulders Estate, for a series of granite boulders found around the property, it has proven a hit on Airbnb where it has earned the current owners more than $110,000 across 84 weekends.
In the main bedroom’s ensuite, the bath tub has an impressive view of the Grampians with much of the home positioned to make the best of the vista.
The 32.37ha property comes with a 900m driveway from the front gate to the house, is regularly visited by kangaroos and echidnas, and hosts three dams.
It is 20 minutes from Halls Gap, 15 minutes from Lake Fyans and a two-hour drive from Melbourne.
Ray White Ararat director Adam Walker is handling the sale and said from the moment you saw it, you were conscious of the home’s sprawling size.
Mr Walker said he had never sold a shipping container home in his 22-or-so-year career, and noted this one “feels unbelievably solid”.
While it’s currently off grid, he noted there was a power pole nearby and there was also access to non-potable pipe water at the front of the property.
The agent added that for a weekend rental its returns were “huge” and could certainly be used to help pay for the home — which is what he expects the buyers will do with it.