Fitzroy: Author Tony Birch sells house where he wrote notable books – realestate.com.au

Multi-award winning author Tony Birch’s Fitzroy home is ready for a new chapter after being listed at a range of $2.45 million – $2.55 million.

In 2017, Birch became the first Indigenous Australian to win the prestigious Patrick White Award for his contribution to Australian literature.

Among his many other accolades, Birch’s The White Girl won the 2020 Indigenous Writers’ Prize at the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards.

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The novel was also shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award.

Two years later, Birch’s short story collection Dark as Last Night received the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction from the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards and the Steele Rudd Award from the Queensland Literary Awards.

In 2022, Birch was appointed to the Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne.

Charlie Barham of Nelson Alexander said Birch had written a number of his award-winning books while living in the four-bedroom house on Leicester St.

The three-story residence, built in a former water filtration factory from around 1930, has a striking red brick facade that is partially covered in greenery.

The kitchen is equipped with a Bosch oven, gas hob, double dish drawer and sufficient cupboard space.

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Tony Birch worked as a firefighter for ten years before becoming a writer, poet and academic. Photo: Tony Gough.

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The property is close to cafes, shops, public transport and parks.

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Inside, the first floor features a living and dining room that opens onto a north-facing terrace with a retractable awning and barbecue.

“It has a great industrial feel but has all the modern conveniences and a green feel, which is quite hard to find in Fitzroy,” Mr Barham said.

The kitchen is equipped with stone worktops, a Bosch oven, gas hob and a double dish drawer, while the master bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe, balcony and en suite bathroom with twin beds.

A spiral staircase leads to a mezzanine floor and study with views across Fitzroy to the Melbourne skyline.

Mr Barham said the spacious home, which has a double garage, was a rarity in Melbourne’s north.

The curved staircase leads to a mezzanine floor and study with views from Fitzroy to the Melbourne CBD skyline.

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The White Girl, by Tony Birch, won the 2020 Indigenous Writers’ Prize at the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards.

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There are two bathrooms in the house, one of which is ensuite with bath, shower, underfloor heating and Italian tiles.

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“Many similar industrial buildings have been divided into smaller townhouses or apartments, so it is more difficult to find a house of this size and scale,” he said.

“Despite its central location, the house is set back and the owners comment on how quiet and private it is, despite being smack in the middle of Fitzroy.”

The property is within walking distance of Smith St and Brunswick St, the Edinburgh Gardens, the Fitzroy Pool and parks, he added.

Mr Barham said the property has been modernized over the past five years, with new oak floors installed downstairs and handmade built-in shelving.

Enjoy the fresh air while studying, writing or working from home.

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Exposed brick walls display art and personal touches.

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A bedroom that opens to the outdoors.

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More recently the master bedroom ensuite has been renovated with underfloor heating, Corian worktops and terrazzo tiles.

And for creative people, the house offers plenty of places to write, draw or do artistic work.

“They (the owners) called the downstairs library or the third-floor study overlooking the street great writing nooks,” Mr Barham said.

The house will be auctioned on February 19 at 6:30 PM.

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