Cockatoo mansion: couple solve mystery of hidden past – realestate.com.au

The mysterious origins of a former abandoned mansion in Melbourne’s south-east have been discovered by its new owners, who even flew interstate to do their sleuthing.

The long-vacant Cockatoo mansion was vandalized and often photographed for social media before Betty and Ben Pop bought it and got the keys in January.

As experienced renovators, the couple were undeterred by the dilapidated state of the sprawling Woori Yallock Rd property, including graffiti-painted walls and greenery growing through the windows.

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The Pops bought the house through Ranges First National Real Estate Belgrave and Cockatoo director Mick Dolphin and his colleague Anthony Iorlano for $900,000.

Mr Iorlano and Mr Dolphin said they had received hundreds of calls about the house since it was put on the market in 2024.

However, the agents didn’t know much about the history of the house, other than the fact that it was built by a couple from Eastern Europe.

In the present, Mr Pop said he and his wife planned to transform the mansion into a grand Toorak-style building with the hope of installing an infinity pool and roof garden, as seen in artists’ renders of the completed project from Berwick-based Tomic Design.

When it was put on the market in 2024, the mansion became Australia’s most viewed property on realestate.com.au this year.

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An artist’s rendering of what the mansion will look like in the future once the renovation is complete. Credit: Serge@Tomic Design, @cockatoomansion on Instagram.

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They expect it could take up to 2.5 years to complete their massive renovation and are sharing the journey with followers of the Cockatoo Mansion Renovation Project Instagram page, @cockatoomansion.

The couple have cleared the land surrounding the mansion and cleared away rubbish and plan to start renovations as soon as the council approves their plans.

As part of their research into the property’s history, the Pops have searched for old newspaper clippings and spoken to community members who have come into contact through their social media.

One community member sent Ms. Pop a story that had been published in a local newspaper, The Gazette, in 1980.

Ben and Betty Pop inside the house that has been defaced with graffiti and vandalism over the years and has stood empty. Photo: Ian Currie.

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The country house was for sale in 2015 and was sold to new owners who planned to turn it into a farm, but never got around to it. They released it in 2024.

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It describes how the original owners, a Romanian-born man named Miodrag Boljanac and his wife Radmila, spent more than eight years building their dream home.

They lived at the address with Mr Boljanac’s parents after emigrating to Australia from Yugoslavia.

Photos show statues of Roman gods lining the front steps of the house and a Union Jack flag flying on one of the porches.

The garden was full of flowers and the family also kept chickens.

The Gazette article stated that Mr. Boljanac was a frugal owner-builder who always bought materials in bulk to save costs.

The facade of the house around 2015, with statues of Roman gods along the stairs.

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At one point he bought 66 identical chandeliers.

And after finding out it would cost $250 to demolish a smaller house on land infested with white ants, he simply set it on fire after informing the local fire department of the plans and inviting the crew to attend the event in case something went wrong.

Remarkably, the Pops also found the architect who originally designed the mansion.

They traveled to Western Australia to interview Alex Tufekcic, now 89, and posted videos of the chat to Cockatoo Mansion’s Instagram.

Owner Betty Pop with the mansion’s original architect, Alex Tufekcic, who she flew to Western Australia to interview. Photo: @cockatoomansion.

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Ms Pop told the Herald Sun that Mr Tufekcic’s daughter had contacted them through the mansion’s social media pages.

After meeting his daughter in person, she introduced the Pops to her father and they later flew to Washington to interview him.

Mr. Tufekcic told Ms. Pop that he began working with the Boljanacs in 1965-66, whom he described as hardworking, humble and down-to-earth.

The Boljanacs wanted the mansion to reflect the hard work and effort they had put into building it, with “everything to be better than average,” the former architect noted.

He revealed that the family had lived for some time in a barn on the property, which has since been demolished, while construction of the mansion was underway.

A view of the townhouses’ future infinity pool. Photo: Serge@Tomic Design, @cockatoomansion.

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Ms Pop said one of the most fascinating parts of the interview was discovering that the center section of the house previously served as a balcony.

Mr Boljanac decided to close the space after acquiring a large number of windows from a factory in Dandenong.

When Ms Pop asked the story behind the mansion’s lime green interior walls, Mr Tufekcic said the color was loved by the family because it reflected the positivity of being in nature.

However, Ms. Pop’s own research has revealed that the former owners likely also believed the color would help ward off evil spirits, along with the Roman-style statues in front of the house.

The lime green walls date from the early days of the mansion. Photo: Ian Currie.

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Mr Tufekcic described the mansion as good feng shui and “a very happy place”

He also recalled the many times that local building inspectors visited the Cockatoo site to check the construction, which would result in Mr Boljanac doing his utmost to meet their demands.

“It was always like this, they said 4 inches and he did 8 inches,” Ms. Pop said.

“The judges were always very happy and apparently always left with ten chickens.”

The home’s new owners plan to preserve or pay tribute to some of the street art during the renovation. Photo: Ian Currie.

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Ms Pop said she would be happy to show Mr Tufekcic around the mansion if he visits Victoria in the future.

“I wonder if he ever came to Melbourne and walked around the house again?” she said.

She and her husband hope that their plans for the mega renovation of the mansion will make the owners happy after all the years it has been empty.

“I want to make them happy and proud,” Ms. Pop said.

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