Trentham Commercial Hotel: Old pub sold, oddities remain for sale

Author:ahsan

The former Trentham Commercial Hotel at 51 High St, Trentham - for herald sun real estate

The former Trentham Commercial Hotel at 51 High St, Trentham has sold.

A former Trentham hotel chock-full of oddities has been sold — and the buyer has foregone an offer to have their pick.

It comes as sales in the Daylesford region have tripled as Melburnians look to retreat from the big smoke, according to the agency behind the deal.

From a bumper car built in the ‘70s, to antique pharmacy display cabinets and a mechanised piano player rescued from a shooting gallery in Queensland, the old Commercial Hotel at 51 High Street has had some unusual guests in recent years.

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Despite the $1.523 million sale being on the high side of the property’s $1.45-$1.595 million asking price and owners Slaven and Jean Berglez offering to throw in some items, a lot of their collection is still up for grabs.

“The buyer has not asked for any of the items,” Ms Berglez said.

Slaven and Jean Berglez with some of the oddities they have collected. Picture: Alex Coppel

With a sea-change ahead of them, the pair are open to offers on many of the items including John, the mechanised piano player, and an old meat safe, via their Wooden Duck page on Facebook — though they are pulling a few items from the sales list.

“Slaven wants to keep the telephone box,” she added.

Photos throughout the hotel show the extent of the Berglez’s collection.

The pair said they would miss all the great stories locals used to share with them about the hotel and the town’s past, but said they intended to extend happy hour at their next residence to compensate.

In addition to enjoying stories from the locals, the new owner plans to turn the local landmark into a sprawling family home, according to Belle Property Hocking Stuart’s Will Walton.

The main street view from the hotel’s upstairs balcony is one of the best in town.

“We believe it will be a family home,” Mr Walton said.

“They are originally from Melbourne, but had been living locally and I understand they love the building.”

He said the buyers had emerged with immediate interest for the former hotel and made an offer well above those being discussed by three other parties.

Even the one-time hotel’s kitchen features a range of unusual items.

Mr Walton said the hotel’s sale had been the first in a surge in sales for the region.

“Normally we do 8-10 sales a month,” Mr Walton said.

“We expect to get to 24 this month — and that’s almost all Melbourne buyers.”

He said feedback from buyers had revealed a mix of thinking, from wanting to put the city’s higher exposure to COVID-19 behind them to appreciating the benefits of country life in anticipation of working more from home in the future.