It has been nearly seven years since Letitia Edwards, her partner Jon Keetelaar, and baby Frankie took the plunge and bought the Gunbower Butter Factory – a derelict but iconic building located in the Main St of Gunbower, Victoria.
Blessed with no ceilings, no flooring and a shell of its former self, the factory was alive with birds, possums and all manner of wildlife within the run-down walls. The couple knew it would take a lot of time, dedication and money to bring their factory back to life, but they were up for the challenge.
“It was pretty overwhelming, and in hindsight, I think I put on a brave face, but this has been one of those projects where every single day there is a job to do, and mentally, that gets pretty tough,” Letitia said.
“But on the flip-side, we are about three-quarters of the way through the restoration, and we couldn’t be happier with the progress. Opening up to weddings and events has been part of the plan from day one, and we are now ready to take bookings, which we are very excited about.”
The couple established their boutique accommodation via Airbnb in 2019 and, in March this year, will host their first wedding of the season.
“It has been a long-held dream of mine to get into the wedding space finally, and I am super excited that we have made it and I get to share that experience with couples on their special day,” Letitia said.
As a wedding venue, the factory offers old-world charm and an abundance of photo opportunities, making it the perfect combination of country style, rustic charm and luxury comforts.
“We have boutique accommodation and a beautiful garden space with the humble factory as the backdrop, all on the banks of Gunbower Creek,” Letitia said.
“One of our lovely wedding couples who has booked the space for October this year told me a great story about the groom catching a 97cm cod in the creek just near our jetty. The groom will be setting up his-and-hers fishing rods during the ceremony.
“He said if the bells start to ring during the ceremony, it will have to stop, and he’ll be checking the lines as a matter of importance. It was a great story, and we are all about making sure our couple’s wedding experience is the best the day can be.
The boutique accommodation has proven to be popular, particularly over the winter months.
“With the cost of living increasing, we have been really considerate of our accommodation offering here at the factory. We welcome our guests with grazing boxes, locally handmade soaps and special treats to make sure our guests really enjoy their time away,” Letitia said.
“Guest comfort is front of mind when I receive bookings, and I enjoy the process of adding small details and special gestures to make our visitors feel really welcome,” she said.
Of course, there have been quite a few hurdles for the couple to finally make it to this point, including the COVID-19 pandemic, all the permits and paperwork and just life in general.
“It has been a juggle, especially in the early days with Frankie as a baby, and we have had to make a lot of sacrifices to reach our goals. Family holidays have been on hold while we pooled all our resources into the factory, but we are now well on our way to achieving some great outcomes,” Letitia said.
Jon initially worked in Western Australia on a fly-in-fly-out roster, but in 2022 he hung up his boots and opened his own business in Gunbower as a qualified boilermaker/welder, and he has been run off his feet ever since; increasing not only his time working on projects at the factory but also important time with his family.
Letitia said an unexpected but lovely bonus of taking on such a massive project had been the interest and involvement of extended family.
“Losing both my mum and dad in the last few years, it’s become even more important to me to create those family memories, and there is no better place to do that than here in Gunbower.
“We have an annual family celebration with cousins, aunts and uncles coming from across Australia. Everyone gets excited about what is next on the renovation calendar, and they love helping out. Working together is a great way to reconnect, and the barbecues and swims in the creek are a great bonus.
“I was born in Townsville, but my dad actually grew up in Echuca. We have found quite a lot of my family have connections back to Gunbower, and while Jon’s family originate from Elmore, I joke with him that I am more of a local than he is now.”