An alien-shaped dome home lands on the market on the outskirts of Melbourne

It has attracted attention – both positive and negative – over the years for its unique shape, but now the Ballan dome home dubbed The Roundhouse can be yours for $1,450,000.

It was originally intended to be one of many, but the Moorabool Shire Council wouldn’t approve plans for seven to be built on a different 2000-square-metre block.

So owner Tony Clarke built his own in a spot near the Ballan train station during 2007 and 2008 with the help of his son and a builder, Randy South, flown in from the US.

Tony was inspired by a course he took in Texas on building monolithic dome structures. He felt their ability to withstand high winds – even tornadoes – and retain stable temperatures would suit them to the windy and relatively cold area north of Melbourne.

After it was built, Tony reported that the local residents were happy with the structure. “Everyone is very impressed by The Roundhouse. They are really surprised at how big it is inside and the number of rooms.”

The Roundhouse is three storeys tall and comes with six bedrooms and five bathrooms, and is completely off the grid – powered by solar, with a wind-powered generator and diesel generator as back-ups.  

Tony told local radio station 3BA recently that the home would be good for a large family or someone looking to open a bed and breakfast, and noted that people often visited to admire the house.

It is now listed privately with the listing noting the proximity to the station and farmland zoning, as well as a potential sub-division, as some of the other, non-dome selling points.