“An eyesore” for The Basin: Mechanics stands unused for eight-and-a-half years

Driving through The Basin, quaint shopfronts, bookshops, cafes and restaurants all stand out.

However, an abandoned mechanics shop front at 1300 Mountain Highway in The Basin, with fuel pumps left unused and graffiti covering the site, has also been a mainstay along the strip for years.

The Eastern Melburnian spoke to Hillview Motors and Tyres owner Ian Hevrich, who owned and operated the site from 2001 until he sold it to a partnership in 2016. Henrich said initial plans were to develop it into a service station and convenience store.

However, he said the partnership split up not long after the sale.

“I couldn’t tell you who owned it,” Ian said.

The property has been sold twice since then, according to property records, once in January 2022 and again in June 2024.

Ian said being a local of The Basin himself, and having to drive past the property he once cared for, was a shame.

“It’s an eyesore,” he said.

“It looks like The Bronx.

“It’s disheartening for me because I used to keep the thing mowed and cleaned.”

First built by BP in 1965, the site has operated as a petrol station for decades.

Ian has since moved Hillview to the current site on Isa Way in Boronia.