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| Tram House |
| Shirl visits a cosy home built from three original Melbourne trams. |
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Shirl visits one of the most unusual residences we've seen on the show — a home built from Melbourne's last three surviving A class tram carriages. In their original condition but with all the mod cons, owners Wally & Cristel have spent 17 happy years there and have decided it's time to sell up and move to Tasmania to be near the sea and their grandson.
These spacious trams were built in Adelaide in 1910 and are numbered 1, 5, and 6. In service until 1931, they were the first electric overhead trams for the Prahran and Malvern Tramways Trust and spent just 20 years in service. They were transported from Melbourne to Ferny Creek in the 1930s by bullock cart after retirement and are still true to original form.
Made primarily from a mixture of timber, the trams contain cherry wood, rosewood, teak and oak. There are original leadlight windows as well as brass fittings. Many of the tram signs are also preserved, for example "Spitting is strictly prohibited" and "It is a conductor's duty to issue a ticket for every fare taken and to punch the same upon issue".
A previous owner and handyman renovated in the 1970s but Cristel and Wally decided to also add an extension to the trams. Keeping with the unique style, they added a passage with cupboards, a big bedroom with 17ft wardrobes, a laundry and a bathroom with spa. The extra storage space was a big factor as there is very little wall space that isn't windows. They do however, have storage space between tram roofs and underneath the house.
There are currently two bedrooms with a third room used as an art and craft room. Also, two bathrooms and toilets including the 'throne room' which is at the front of the tram where the driver sat. They watch TV on the mezzanine level that looks down on the lounge room and there is also a garden shed which could be made into a teenagers' room.
Cristel and Wally have loved the ambience of living in their tram house and feel it's cosy and friendly. "It's a great home for entertaining both indoor and outdoor. Our friends fight for a dinner invitation. The lounge, dining, kitchen area is open plan with the tram windows taken out and made into a bar".
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