Andrew Betz with some of the historic bluestone blocks that formed the original Chas Cole building. Picture: Alison Wynd, Geelong Advertiser.

A mystery piece of Geelong’s architectural and social history, long thought lost, has been discovered in Bannockburn.

A mass of bluestone masonry that once formed the striking façade of Chas Cole & Co, a wine and spirits merchant opposite City Hall, was believed to have languished in a paddock at Batesford.

Instead, the stone blocks found a new home with the late stonemason Andrej Betz.

The stones had made their way to Batesford in the 1970s, where Presbyterian minister Stephen Sasdy had hoped to reconstruct them. His plans never came to fruition and for years the stones simply languished in a paddock overgrown with grass and weeds.

When Andrej was asked to price a collection of Chas Coles bluestones, for years a fixture at the Little Malop and Gheringhap corner, he instead purchased and relocated them for fear they would be broken up into house blocks.

It was not his first such endeavour.

A visit to the Betz Bannockburn property reveals more of Geelong’s back story. The family home there was built from bluestone salvaged from a former Geelong Advertiser home on Malop Street, between 1858 and 1865.

Chas Cole & Co in its heyday, and the former Geelong Advertiser office on Malop Street.

“Dad saw an advert around 1980 offering this bluestone in Lara,” recalls son Andrew (pictured above). “He bought it all home in 22 10-tonne loads and built the house.”

Andrej’s craftsmanship didn’t end there. Inspired by the wood-fired ovens at Winchelsea’s historic Barwon Park, and drawing from the same historic bluestone, he created an outdoor extension known as the round room, a stonemasonry masterpiece of exquisitely fashioned, cut and arranged basalt.

“He began building the outdoor room in 1994, slowly over many years,” says Andrew.

“When my sister Jo planned to marry at home and contacted a marquee company, the owner’s advice was blunt: ‘Why get a marquee? The outdoor room is spectacular. Finish it and you have your reception venue’.”

Chas Cole & Co, Gheringhap St, Geelong and plans for the building.

At the round room’s centre, a cylindrical chimney stack stands as a striking example of how relics of the past can be renewed through skill and vision.

The resulting room, built of conglomerate stone, rough-hewn brick and render, evokes a near-medieval charm. Over the years, it has hosted weddings, engagements, a funeral and countless family celebrations.

For the Betz family, it’s a reflection of Andrej’s artistic inclinations, as are the drystone walls, slate water features and polished stone sculptures in and around the building.

“Stonemasonry work was very artistic and historic to him,” Andrew explains. “Selecting and cutting stone was an artform, and required a keen eye and patience, vastly different to a modern building experience.”

The Roundhouse chimney designed and built by Andrej Betz.

Andrej passed away four years ago this February and the family are scouting about for ideas on how to utilise the small quarry sitting dormant in their back yard.

“There are probably 500 of the Chas Cole stones, of all different sizes, and as many again with the old Addy bluestone,” Andrew says.

“We would love to partner with someone who recognises the value and provenance of these stones to give them a new life, whether in restoration projects or creative constructions that honour their history.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the stones can contact Andrew at andrewbetz26@hotmail.com

This story appeared in the Geelong Advertiser 14 February 2026.