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ABC sells former Ripponlea studios

Famed Countdown studios have now been sold, and expected to become luxury apartments.

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ABC’s historic Ripponlea studios have been sold to a property developer for about $30 million, likely to be turned into luxury apartments.

Once home to Countdown, Seachange, Kath & Kim, Spicks & Specks and Bellbird,  ABC vacated the premises in 2017 for its redeveloped Southbank site. It went back on the market in early May after failing to sell in 2018.

The Age reports a last ditch plea by the local Glen Eira Council for the state and federal governments to halt the sale and keep the site in public hands fell on deaf ears.

The council had hoped to save the studio’s unique soundproof stage for community use and convert parts of the site into affordable housing and public open space.

A final sale price and developer have not been revealed.

The buildings also have a heritage overlay which is likely to complicate future development.

Woolworths earlier paid up to $50 million for a former ABC administration site in nearby Selwyn Street but locals have mounted a campaign to stop a tower in residential streets.

6 Responses

  1. Oh say it isn’t so!!! Thank goodness for memories and mind’s eye images and photos of course. I had the enormous pleasure of visiting and working there for a gig back in the late 90’s and 2000. Fabulous place; like Gore Hill in Sydney, historical locations.

      1. thank you David, I so appreciate seeing these again. Those long corridors and the make up room brings back memories. I met Sigrid Thornton in there, I was interviewing her for a talk show and we chatted for a while in make up, before using the Cafe/Seachange set for the interview. It may have been rustic, like Gore Hill, but so laden in cultural history and memories for all who worked there. There was great pride and affection emanating from all staff I encountered, Thanks again for this,

  2. I wonder what the price was back in 2018? Given how hot the property market is today the value may have increased over the last 2 years or so.

    1. According to The Age, the ABC was hoping flor around $40m back in 2018.
      The earlier sale was discontinued pending an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to heritage list the property.

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