WA artist Sobrane is selling her restored Westpac bank masterpiece

• The property: Restored heritage bank covered in colourful murals
• Address: 21 Lowood Road, Mount Barker, Western Australia
• Price: Offers over $899,000
• Agent: The Agency, Ben Stott 0414 354 515

West Australian street artist Sobrane was looking for something specific when her property hunt began – not only a home, but a commercial space in which she could open her own gallery.

She’d been running a gallery in Broome for nine years, but wanted a place that could also function as a residence.

After

Before

Sobrane spent 10 minutes at the inspection of an old Westpac bank in Mount Barker before making an offer: she fell in love with the space, bank paraphernalia and all.

“It literally had the melamine grey desks in the bank, they’d just taken the computers and gone,” she recalls.

“It’s still got the original vault. Two of the original safes are still in there. I’ve kept them,” Sobrane says.

Doors were cut into each safe to create extra rooms, flowing on from the main bank-turned-gallery space at the front.

Moving in after COVID-19 lockdowns meant long delays for trades, so Sobrane did some of the work herself, sanding the jarrah floorboards.

After

Before

“I didn’t know how to sand a floor or anything, but I just thought, well, there’s not much else [to] do.

“I did a trip down to Bunnings and had a go myself, which was a lot of fun,” she says.

After

Before

It took six months to prepare the space before she started painting, which took over two years.

The local council, she remembers, was relaxed about the prospect of her mural works on the heritage-listed bank.

As long as she maintained the period features – like fireplaces and ornate windows – she was free to paint the happy, lurid colours you see now.

After

Before

However, Sobrane knows her colourful creations may not be to everyone’s liking: she says she’s willing to paint over her murals for the right buyer, if they’d prefer clean white walls.

“I painted it that way, because it was my gallery, you know, I’m advertising myself … the actual building itself is just as stunning.”

The 1930s bank, situated on a 1193-square-metre block, offers plenty of flexibility and includes both short-term and long-term rental options, a retail space, and a caravan on-site.

The short-stay accommodation, Bank-sia, is booked four to five nights per week on average.

Listing agent Ben Stott, of The Agency, says: “Buyers love the uniqueness of the property and the fact it offers both retail and residential opportunities.”

It also has the benefit of being on a corner block in the Mount Barker town centre.

This beauty is on the market for offers above $899,000.

$899,000

21 Lowood Road, Mount Barker WA 6324

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