Mount Gambier church being converted into Airbnb to become place of worship again

An old Mount Gambier church that was being converted into an Airbnb will instead host Christian services again in a reversal of the trend of religious buildings taking on secular uses.

The former Primitive Methodist church on Herbert Street, which was built in 1869, is set to be converted into a Greek Orthodox church.

The Greek Orthodox Diocese of Adelaide officially took ownership of the small property on Tuesday after winning development approval for the conversion last month.

"We came as visitors and left as owners and that was very special, very moving," the head of the diocese, Bishop Silouan of Adelaide, said.

Full worship experience

Previously, Greek Orthodox divine liturgies have been held every three months on a Saturday in the Mount Gambier Anglican Church or occasionally on a Sunday at the Hellenic Hall.

Bishop Silouan said worship could happen anywhere, but having a dedicated church where services could be held twice a month, starting on October 19, was important for followers and potential converts.

"The quaint church at Mount Gambier certainly meets all those ambitions that we have in terms of making sure we are offering the fullness of the worship experience to the visitors of the church," he said. 

Concerns from neighbours

At a meeting of the Limestone Coast Southern Regional Assessment Panel on August 21, neighbours raised concerns about traffic, parking and noise.

The church said there would be no amplified music used and that services were expected to attract 20 to 30 people on a regular Sunday, with more for Holy Week, weddings, funerals and on February 10, the date of the annual feast to honour St Haralambos.

Architect Photi Kazis said the "charming" and "humble" church's stonework and roof would need some attention, along with improving fire compliance and access for people with disability.

"There's a catchphrase that I remember from my uni days — it's 'form follows function,'" he said.

"So what you want the building to look like has to reflect what the building itself does.

"At the moment it looks like a church, so we're saying it's now going back to that original use, which is appropriate."

Bishop Silouan said census figures showed there were more people with a Greek heritage in Mount Gambier than those who attended services and he believed the parish could grow.

"The simple adage 'build it and they will come' is something that we've seen time and time again, and in that sense, such small churches are not just optional for our faithful, but necessary for their faith experience as well, and that's what we're trying to respond to," he said.

Tribulations for previous owner

The previous owner bought the property in 2022 after her offer was accepted over another from the Greek Orthodox church.

Jodi had been planning to convert the building into a three-bedroom home that could be rented out on Airbnb.

But in 2023, the building was vandalised and she faced difficulty getting tradespeople for the renovation.

Jodi had already installed a new shower, toilet and a door to the backyard when the diocese approached her last December with an offer to buy it on certain conditions, including that approval could be granted for the change of use.

She said she was sad her plans did not go ahead, but she was glad the building would be put to good use.

"I think it wanted to be a church," she said.