Floods

 In February this year many houses in the Sunraysia region of Victoria Australia were flooded due to heavy rains. In our area alone seven homes have stood abandoned for the past months awaiting insurance outcomes. Although the experience of being displaced is difficult there is a certain beauty in these houses as islands

Old houses have always been a bit of a magnet for me-

they reveal something incredibly authentic-

and tell stories-

that new houses do not understand.

The Connor House South Mildura

One of the iconic abandoned houses in the area this home stands in clear view from the road. Pete and Donnie who live across from the place sent in the image. Donnie has a fascination for empty houses and has generously shared a few from her collection. The next two reside somewhere in Koorlong Irymple.

Coburg Melbourne

I went round an took pictures of what I thought was an abandoned house on Walsh St. While I was taking pictures, a man (perhaps in his 60s) stopped to talk to me about the house. He was quite shy. Maybe had a French accent. We stood side-by-side, on the other side of the road to the house. He smelt a little like sweet baked bread. He told me that a little old couple lived there, that they sometimes walk down the street, with the old man walking slightly faster that the old lady. He’s never seen them, only heard about them. And he’d heard that sometimes a light is on at night.

Sometimes the plants in the front yard seem to spill onto the street – someone has trimmed them right back. I love the snail circle in the driveway. And I’ve never noticed that it was two storey before. A huge house. The TV aerial is the only thing new and in good condition.

The house would’ve been built well before the post-war Italian and Greek communities moved in. There are two of the same era on the street – but brick, and in perfect condition.