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This $1.5M Australian Mansion Is Going Viral on Twitter, and You Have to See What’s In The Basement

Megan Johnson
Megan Johnson
Megan Johnson is a reporter in Boston. She got her start at the Boston Herald, where commenters would leave sweet messages like “Megan Johnson is just awful.” Now, she's a contributor to publications like People Magazine, Trulia and Architectural Digest.
published Sep 10, 2019
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At first glance of 10 Melory Crescent, you may not understand why the listing of the the sprawling Australian mansion says “Brave people only.” But step inside Woodforde House, and you’ll soon understand why. 

The two-story bluestone mansion, located in Magill, a suburb of Adelaide in South Australia, is a five-bed, two-bath estate measuring 2,618 square feet. Set on a lush, leafy site, it was built in 1856 by William Uren, who picked the spot for its fertile soil and beautiful creek setting (as one does). A viewing deck on the home’s second story allowed him to see the ships arriving at Port Adelaide with his imported leather goods. It’s the perfect slice of real estate history!

But this is where the historic home listing takes a bit of a detour. As you slide through the photo gallery, the ten-room home starts to shift from “in need of some work,” to “Oh my god, what horror movie did I step into?” By the time you hit photo 11, you’re in a basement filled with characters straight out of a haunted house: Gigantic fake tarantulas hang from the ceiling, while satanic(ish) creatures sit with terrifying masks. Head back upstairs, and things are more normal, but with unique accents like an oversized painting of Alice Cooper in the living room. By slide 14, you’re back in the death chamber basement, where an oversized Raggedy Ann-style doll sits opposite a skull lovingly placed on a table like it’s a vase of flowers.

Despite the terrifying components of the basement, the main home is still filled with (good) character. A veranda fitted with lacework balustrade wraps around three sides of the property. One of the bathrooms has a cute forest green clawfoot bathtub. Outside, a stone patio with a swimming pool and spa could be shaped up to be a stunning outdoor area, ideal for entertaining.

So what’s the story behind the mysterious estate? Well, the same family has owned the property since 1977. “The family of six best describe the fun and good times as Mrs. Bates in the Hitchcock movie,” according to the listing. Well if that doesn’t sell itself, I don’t know what does. We reached out to Anthony Toop, the property’s listing agent, who says “the vendor is a fun loving artist character, as you can see from the photos.”

According to VICE, the roots of these terrifying basement-dwelling creatures is actually quite wholesome. The family’s patriarch died and his widow moved into a retirement home. Making these scary creatures just happened to be her hobby of choice.

“The elderly owner/wife made all of these items you see,” Toop told VICE. “She used to have lots of kids parties and fun events with the family, neighbors, and with friends.”

Listed at $1.5 million AUD (~$1,030,000 USD), the property could be a stunning fixer-upper for anyone looking to put in the legwork. Of course, you could always leave it as it is and throw a bangin’ Halloween party.