Unique Millicent accommodation venue purchased by local family

Unique Millicent accommodation venue purchased by local family

A unique Millicent accommodation venue has recently changed hands and is currently being used by a local family as its home. The new owners said that “Evergreen at Millicent” would again have paying guests at some future stage.

Former owners Louis and Barbara Leake had spent three years renovating Millicent’s former Masonic Lodge into an upmarket BnB (bed and breakfast) and it opened for business in 2015. Millicent had never before had such an accommodation option. With the help of trades personnel, friends and plenty of ‘elbow grease’ of their own, the North Terrace building was transformed into two apartments to be known as “Evergreen at Millicent.

A few years earlier, the Leakes moved from Tamworth in New South Wales to Millicent to be closer to their son Louis (junior) and his family who farm at Kalangadoo. By renovating the former lodge building in this way, they provided living quarters for themselves and upmarket accommodation for up to nine tourists.

There were various uses of the site before the construction in 1956 of a meeting place for the Millicent Masonic Lodge. In the earliest days of Millicent in the 1870s and 1880s it was a killing place for animals in order for the local residents to have fresh meat. Following that, a building was erected as a place of worship for the Baptist Church.

This was removed to make way for the lodge building. After becoming surplus to the requirements of the Millicent Masonic Lodge, the North Terrace building was listed for sale with a local agent midway through 2012.

Located on a 1011 square metre land holding, the lodge building comprised two halls, kitchen, toilets and other rooms and had ample space for off-street parking. The Millicent Masonic Lodge dates back to 1917 and it was officially formed two years later.

After selling its purpose-built rooms on North Terrace to the Leakes, the Millicent Masonic Lodge held its regular meetings at the Millicent and District Community Club. The Millicent Masonic Lodge branch is currently in recess.

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