If these walls could talk

Many of our Ray White offices have some truly special stories behind them. We spoke to a few of our teams about the rich history of where they do business every day.

"Our building was built in 1908 and opened as the Savings Bank of SA, becoming the first bank on the Yorke Peninsula. It remained a bank until 2010.

“In 2012 we purchased the property and it has been very much loved by us and our community as an icon of times gone by. This image is from the original opening day of the building.”

Melissa Bussenschutt, Managing Director

“Our Miami office was originally the Federal Police building (they built it) and the plans were lost somehow so the council didn’t even have it registered. It then became a restaurant, then an insurance office.

“When we bought it, Baz Luhrmann was the tenant and was filming the Elvis movie. He had fitted the entire thing out like a 70s bordello. We bought the building in that state, he ran out his lease, finished the movie, and then we gutted it.”

Tiger Malan, CEO

“Crows Nest was the birthplace of the Ray White Group, so there is an important legacy here. My wife and I purchased the old post office building in 2022, after it ceased being run as a post office in 2018.

“The land was donated to the Queensland Government by Ray White in about 1911 and the current building was constructed in 1912. The building also housed the manual telephone exchange back in the day - which is now our boardroom!”

Geoff Trost, Principal

“Ray White Officer is in one of the suburb's oldest homes. The more than 100-year-old property, first owned by local family Hicks, became the home of my team.

“When the home at 426 Princes Highway became available I knew it was the right choice as our office. It didn't come without a lot of work, as you would expect on any property more than 100 years old. We didn't make extensions to the historically-protected property but we did spend close to $100,000 restoring life to the weatherboard home.”

Gavin Staindl, Principal

“We purchased a building in the Rockhampton CBD with the intention of building an office which could also be utilised by our western clients as offices and meeting spaces when in town.

“The building was built in 1860; the earliest information we found was that it was a cane furniture store, then we were given maps by the architect from when it was an eye specialist hospital in the early 1900's. We met a lady who had her eyes operated on here when she was 10. We have framed this map and kept it on the wall as a feature.

“It was then owned by a cobbler who would listen to the radio and write down the cricket scores and take bets on them. We found one of his old betting books where he recorded the scores in the ceiling void and it was in the Bradman times. We framed the book and it now has pride of place in the front foyer, and we also called the rooms ‘The Cobbler's Rooms’.

“We also found a penny from 1916 which has been kept and placed into the wall and also a small built-in safe which we hope to unlock one day as there is no key. It took 12 months to renovate the building and we take much pride in showing off the old bones of the building while making it a modern office space.”

Richard Brosnan, Principal

“Our office was originally built to look like a ship on the water, thus the shape of it. The building itself was built in the harbour instead of on the land. It has had many uses over the years including by real estate companies, gaming and computer companies, the health industry and a restaurant.

“We took over the ground floor and totally renovated it in 2015. There was a plan made a few years ago to redesignate the area into a tourism precinct, with the help of Shane Jones’ Economic Development funds and a plan from world acclaimed architect, Van Brandenburg.”

Peter McCrea, Principal

"The Goulburn Post building (now home to Ray White Goulburn) at 199 Auburn Street has a long history and according to some, a few residents ghosts. Ray White Goulburn started next door in 1986, and I had my first work experience there in 1999 when I was 14 years old.

“The Goulburn Post's building has plenty of history. The original owners moved to the current site in 1871. Macquarie Publications, which bought the newspaper in 1985, embarked on the next major restoration in 1993. Eight months were spent gutting the building, enabling editorial to move downstairs, closer to production. We moved into the office and made it our own in November 2021.”

Justin Gay, Principal