What will happen to the now infamous 'Mushroom Murder' house?

7NEWS

10-07-2025

The 'mushroom murders' trial has officially ended and Erin Patterson has been found guilty of murder.
Patterson was accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a lunch of beef Wellington pastries laced with poisonous mushrooms.
The meal was served at Patterson's home in the rural town of Leongatha, and with the trial concluded, what will become of the now infamous house?
Australia has a long history of notorious homes and properties, each of which has had a somewhat troubled time on the market. Whether it's selling under market value, passing in, remaining empty, it appears that a property's history does leave a mark.
Here are some of the sales records of Australia's most infamous homes.
The home of notorious cult 'The Family'
Recently, the former headquarters of notorious cult 'The Family' hit the market with a price guide of $1.5 to $1.65 million.
This is the first time the property, previously known as the 'Santiniketan Lodge', has been on the market since it was purchased by the cult in the 1960s.
The Ferny Creek property gained infamy after it was used as the home and headquarters for the religious sect led by former yoga teacher Anne Hamilton-Byrne.
In 1987, a police raid exposed illegal adoption and child abuse. Hamilton-Byrne had more than 20 children under her control and was accused of starvation, physical abuse, brainwashing and dosing them with LSD.
The property is still currently on the market with the listing here,
The Easey Street murder house
This humble two-bedroom worker's cottage in Collingwood belies a grizzly past. 147 Easey Street, Collingwood was the site of one of Victoria's most brutal double murders.
In 1977, housemates Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Barlett were violently murdered in the home in a case that became known as the 'Easey Street murders'.
For decades the case remained unsolved, however new DNA evidence has led to a man being extradited from Italy to stand trial.
After gaining notoriety for all the wrong reasons, the house stood empty for six years after the crime. It was eventually sold 34 years later in 2011 for $571,000.
The property most recently changed hands in 2017, when it sold for $1.095 million. A figure lower than the $1.2 million range that comparable properties in the area were selling for.
The Lin family murder house
Over in North Epping, New South Wales, is the home of the brutal Lin family murders. In July 2009, news agency proprietor Min Lin, his wife, Yun Lin, their sons, Henry and Terry, and Yun Lin's sister, Irene Lin were murdered in their home.
Min's and Yun's brother-in-law Lian Bin "Robert" Xie was later charged with the murders and is serving multiple life sentences in prison.
The house remained empty until it was sold three years after the crimes in 2012 for $766,000. Records suggest that comparable properties in the area were selling in the range of $900,000 to $950,000.
A press release at the time said the contract would provide "full disclosure of events that took place in the property".
The house has since been sold again in 2021 for $1.87 million.
The Sydney apartment where Lisa Harnum was murdered
In further proof that a home's tragic past can affect its future sales, in 2015 the Sydney apartment where Lisa Harnum was murdered passed in at auction. The property was expected to fetch in excess of $2 million.
Due to disclosure laws, the property contract at the time stated: "The vendor discloses a criminal homicide occurred from the balcony of the property in July 2011 when a previous tenant occupied the property."
In 2011, Simon Gittany murdered his fiancée Lisa Harnum by throwing her from the balcony after she tried to leave him. Gittany is now serving a 26 year prison sentence.
While 1503/157 Liverpool Streethas not sold since it was built in 2010, it has been a rental and is currently available for rent at $1,900 per week.
The 'Snowtown murders' house and bank
Perhaps one of the most macabre cases in Australian history are the Snowtown 'bodies in the barrels' murders.
Between 1992 and 1999, John Justin Bunting, Robert Joe Wagner and James Spyridon Vlassakis murdered 12 people. Many of the bodies were discovered in barrels in an abandoned bank vault.
The town became infamous, particularly after the 2011 feature film, but the site itself became synonymous with the brutal murders.
The former bank, and attached four-bedroom house, has been sold four times since the grizzly discovery. It was most recently listed for sale in 2012 and sold for $190,000.
At the time the listing proclaimed the sale was a chance to "Purchase a piece of Australian History!"
The listing also noted "Buyers should note that illegal activities were conducted in the old bank building and you should enquire to the nature of these activities prior to bidding."