Last waltz for old country halls near the SA border

The Penola community has decided to take the old Monbulla Hall to public auction on Saturday, February 3.

Meanwhile, about 60km to the south and just outside Mount Gambier on the Princes Highway, the Springs Hall is also for sale, this one has an expected selling price of around $200,000.

People hunting for lifestyle blocks in the country are expected to show interest in converting the old halls to a private home.

The Monbulla Hall for instance is just 8km outside Penola and is on a 2.1 hectare (five acre) site.

The block hosted the Monbulla school which opened in 1984 and at its peak at peak educated 34 students.

The school closed in 1944 and children were transferred to the Penola Area School.

The hall, said to have the best dance floor in the south-east, was built on the site in 1950s as the primary meeting place for the Monbulla community.

The hall hosted cabarets, the annual June Ball, the Monbulla Christmas tree gathering and countless birthdays, bush dances and community meetings.

The land also became home to the Monbulla Tennis and Monbulla and Ramblers Cricket clubs for more than 40 years.

The old school site and hall have now been idle for many years with the Monbulla Community Committee in recess.

Recently, members of the original committee, together with new members met to plan for the future and it was decided to sell the site by public auction through TDC Livestock and Property and PPHS.

The committee members decided the sale proceeds would be donated to the Stand Like Stone Foundation, which aids community members to play sports outside their regions.

"We will all be sorry to see the hall site sold, but time moves on and the demand for these types of buildings becomes limited," Monbulla Hall Committee member Peter Balnaves said.

"This next step will be a very positive one for our community."

The auction will be held on site on February 3 at 10am.

For more information contact the selling agents Mark De Garis 0428 372124 from TDC Livestock & Property or Jo O'Connor on 0429 854910 from PPHS.

And out on the Princes Highway at Burrungule near Mount Gambier is the Springs Hall.

Agents from @Realty have invited best offers by the end of this week for the old brick and stone hall.

The Springs Hall has been the meeting place for locals for more than 70 years.

Weddings, birthdays and community gatherings have been enjoyed there.

The hall is on a 2477 square metre allotment.

The main hall has timber floors, high ceilings and a stage.

A large open kitchen offers plenty of bench and cupboard space overlooking the dining/ meals or preparation area.

A double door entrance leads to a reception area and has its own his and her toilets.

The hall has rainwater storage.

For more information contact Peter Dempsey from @Realty on 0418 854393.