Church of the First Born: Bizarre cult’s former retreat listed for sale in Bright
Miles Davis is selling his property in Bright that was originally built and used by a cult. Picture: Simon Dallinger
The one-time Bright home of a religious cult centred on an “immortal” who “convinced people he was the next big one” is being sold for $3m.
With a glass-pyramid-topped chapel at its centre and its former leader meeting a bizarre end just across the road, the 441 Back Porepunkah Rd property has had locals wondering about hidden graves and “sinister” things for decades.
The Church of the Firstborn was overseen by founder Ron Clarke (no relation to the athlete), who had a patch of farmland transformed into the retreat and chapel named Christ’s Place of Restoration in the 1980s.
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It was used by the sect until the 1990s.
Current owner Miles Davis (no relation to the trumpeter) said the property, now known as The Place, had been vandalised, overgrown and felt “eerie” when he bought it in 2017.
But as he worked through the “jungle”, the 2.162ha retreat quickly became “a little bit of paradise”.
While he had been asked about graves or other “sinister” things at the property, the motorcycle industry marketing manager, who worked in Melbourne before buying the property, has only unearthed paths and infrastructure.
Mr Davis enjoys the bright interior of the property’s main building. Picture: Simon Dallinger
A newspaper ad inviting the public to attend the cult’s opening.
But he did occasionally meet a former cult member who “wandered in for a bit of a look” and would shed light on life at the retreat while it was run by Mr Clarke.
“He was an interesting character who convinced people he was the next ‘big one’, that he was immortal,” Mr Davis said.
“But he was living up the road after the cult’s wheels fell off and had a heart attack while driving past the driveway. So it all finished across from the driveway on a gum tree.”
He added there was still a chunk missing from the tree today, though the fatal incident had occurred more than seven years ago.
The 441 Back Porepunkah Rd, Bright, property features extensive grounds and infrastructure.
A brass plaque that used to hang inside the main building, dubbed the Capstone Chambers, revealed the cult had given it a glass top to reflect the missing capstone of the pyramid at Giza, Egypt, with the belief that Jesus would one day return and fit the missing piece to the ancient wonder.
When past members of the group did drop in, Mr Davis said he made a point of being respectful.
“I’m not particularly religious, even though I’m a next-generation cult owner,” Mr Davis said.
“But you never know what people have been through. There are a lot of cults that go pretty wild and crazy, but this one probably wasn’t as wild as most.
“The whole idea was to build a place of spiritual healing.”
Pictured: a place of spiritual healing.
The property’s original reception building is comparatively more modest.
In its heyday, during the 1980s and ‘90s, members would sell cakes and jams, as well as fruits and vegetables grown at the property, and were usually identified by their “quite conservative” attire.
Mr Davis said he also understood it had been kept perfectly manicured, without the use of lawnmowers or power tools, as hard work has been part of the “ethos” of the group — including polishing the garden taps once a week.
Irrespective of what had driven Mr Clarke, he had created a rather impressive property that Mr Davis said was now an “amazing botanical experience”.
A former Christian faith leader who worked in Bright said while it had been before his time, he did not believe the group had any official links with other churches in the town — though there may have been some crossover of congregation members.
When Mr Davis bought the property it had sunk into disrepair.
Vandals invaded, damaged and graffitied the cult’s former home from shortly after they left.
Mr Davis said he was open to sharing some of the items left behind by the cult, mostly just old images and clippings, if a buyer were looking to pursue his vision for the site: to turn it into a wedding and conference events venue, which he has already obtained permits for.
At present it includes a 480sq m main building used as the group’s chapel that is dominated by a glass-pyramid-topped dome, with eight small rooms to the side that were originally used for quiet prayer. It also has a small kitchenette.
A reception building and a handful of cabins are on the grounds, too.
Dickens Real Estate sales manager Gerard Gray is handling the sale and said interest had already surpassed their expectations, with most recognising the central chapel “was unbelievably well built”.
The interiors of the property have been born again.
The grounds were heavily overgrown when Mr Davis took control, with the reception centre almost entirely obfuscated by the once tidy gardens.
“That centrepiece would be eye-watering to try to replace today,” Mr Gray said.
Someone looking to make it an events space or health retreat is the most likely next owner, or it could be demolished and subdivided for development.
A permit is in place to develop the property for accommodation, as a function centre or a home, and to allow for a liquor license.
“But we have to the end of November to unearth that next sect,” Mr Gray said.
Expressions of interest for the property close on November 25.
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