You’ll find Bunnings Warehouse stores all over Australia, with new locations and expanded stores appearing on a regular basis.
Birth
A decade ago I was in the empty streets of an industrial estate south of Caroline Springs, where a new Bunnings Warehouse store was taking shape.
The iconic grand entrance was there.
But inside there wasn’t a floor.
Just rebar waiting a concrete pour.
By 2014 the streets of the industrial estate were starting to fill up.
Google Street View
And by 2020 Bunnings had disappeared behind a sea of tilt-slab concrete.
Google Street View
Death
While on Millers Road in Altona North was an unlucky Bunnings Warehouse store.
Locked up and ready to be demolished.
Replaced by a brand new $47 million, 17,000-square metre store next door.
And rebirth
Out on High Street in Epping I found a familiar green shed, but it was no longer a Bunnings Warehouse – but a furniture store.
Bunnings moved to a new site on Cooper Street in late 2015.
You will soon have another death/birth scenario. Bunnings Northland on Chifley Drive is closing, to be replaced by Bunnings Preston on Bell Street.
Another instance at Mentone of a move of about 300m on Nepean Hwy about 3-4 years back. Made it nearer the station. Then they moved the station inconveniently south.
The old Corio Bunnings (replaced by the North Geelong store) is now a truck dealership. It’s had a big repaint and reno to make it less Bunnings-ish.
It was located as far north as you can go in Geelong without leaving it – https://www.google.com/maps/@-38.0688349,144.3777366,3a,75y,202.69h,77.39t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sp3rYqGaCXLbAoPnyhsD7hw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Yet for many years it was the only Bunnings in Geelong, until the store at Waurn Ponds opened.
Do you happen to know what is happening at the old Bunnings Epping site? I think it had been going to be the site for a new German supermarket (can’t recall the name). There was also some dispute about the planning zone or scheme or precinct plan, between the City of Whittlesea Council and another body (perhaps the supermarket chain, perhaps another group). Right now, it is demolished and is empty land. I can’t keep up!
Kaufland is the German supermarket that was going to open in Australia, then changed their mind.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/kaufland-offloads-key-sites-to-woolworths-and-aventus-20200625-p5568v.html
Yes, Kaufland bought the site and demolished the building in preparation for building their supermarket just before they gave up on the whole idea.
On a similar note, some years back the Pipeworks Market up the road in Campbellfield closed and the site was sold to Ikea, who knocked down the old buildings and prepared the site ready to pour a new concrete slab for a new building, and then changed their mind. Years later it’s still a perfectly prepared flat site, with weeds slowly encroaching.
It looks Ikea finally disposed of the site in Campbellfield in late 2020.
https://www.realestatesource.com.au/ikea-sells-campbellfields-ex-pipeworks-market-as-industrial-development-site/
Meanwhile the warehouse on the Kaufland site at 81 – 85 Ashley Street, Braybrook is getting rebuilt for a new owner.
https://www.pelligra.com/portfolio/ashley-street/
Facebook link to a Friends of Merri Creek post just before that date notifying readers of it being for sale, with later comments by people saying it had been sold.
https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofMerriCreek/posts/3553485094729350
The adress of the old bunnings in epping is 650 High St
Epping VIC 3076. Look at it on google maps. It is demolished now. Furniture and bedding centre closed.