For what seems like years, people have been asking about this place or trying to get in, only to be chased off by caretakers or alarms. Cameras have always been in place. It got to the point where the Sergeant at Cockburn Police Station went on the radio one morning and made it clear, this place was not abandoned and people needed to stay away.

 

The story floating around was always the same. The owner had gone back overseas to tend to his sick parents and got stuck there when COVID hit.

 

It eventually hit the market in September 2024, with an asking price of $80 million. ​

 

About the mansion

Described as a Chinese-style Confucius Mansion, with a fusion of Huizhou and Jingpai architectural styles, the site spans two adjoining rural lots totalling 4.48 hectares. Construction took place between 2014 and 2017 before stopping at around 90% complete. It was never finished.

 

The site included:

• Two large Chinese-style residences, one for day-to-day living and the other for entertaining

• A temple and “Confucius garden” complex

• Multiple courtyards

• Conference halls, dining areas and large internal spaces

• More than 80 rooms including 10 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms

There was also a separate area used for construction and maintenance, including sheds and storage for materials and equipment.

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It was designed to be:

• a multigenerational family compound

• with cultural and ceremonial space

• a place for hosting, meetings and functions

It also included a temple, multiple kitchens, a library, a multifunctional theatre, a museum and an event hall, making it feel more like a private estate combined with a cultural centre.

 

The temple and “Confucius Gardens”

Confucian temples are traditionally tied to ceremony, learning, cultural identity and respect for ancestors. They’re not the same as typical religious temples, they’re more about philosophy, order and social structure.

 

The “Confucius garden” would have followed traditional Chinese garden design principles, usually made up of enclosed courtyards, pathways, controlled views, water features, pavilions and landscaped elements, all deliberately arranged and designed. The garden itself was based on the Confucius gardens in Beijing.

 

A separate home at the rear of the gardens was intended for James Tan’s elderly parents, with the garden planned to be used for intercultural events supported by both the Western Australian and Chinese Governments.

 

Tan had previously donated fountains to Elizabeth Quay and has also been a long-time supporter of UWA.

 

Why it was built like this

The layout follows Feng shui principles, which is standard in traditional Chinese architecture. It focuses on orientation, building placement, balance, energy flow and long-term prosperity.

 

Who built it

The project was commissioned by Chinese billionaire James Tan and built by Apex Construction (proposed to be deregistered by ASIC on 5 November 2025).

 

PT Supplies Group Pty Ltd, established in December 2015, was responsible for managing parts of the construction and supplying materials, including importing steel from China. A large portion of materials were brought in from overseas to maintain a specific architectural style, rather than using standard local materials. They were voluntarily deregistered on 5 April 2019.

 

The Confucius mansion reportedly cost $75 million to build, including $250,000 of gracilis bamboo, statues that have been stolen and a $1.5 million rose garden that has since died.

 

Why construction stopped

Construction stopped when the owner returned to China due to family reasons. COVID then hit, and he never came back.

 

Without the person funding and directing the project on site, everything stalled. It was nearly finished, but not to a point where it could actually be used.

 

Workplace Incident

In 2018, PT Supplies Group Pty Ltd was charged over a serious workplace incident on the site. On 27 February 2018, when the main residence had largely been completed and workers were living on site, a 19-year-old labourer suffered catastrophic injuries. He had no prior construction experience, no forklift licence, no formal training and limited English. He hadn’t been shown how to carry out a pre-start check, didn’t know what one was and didn’t have a manual he could read in his own language.

 

Despite this, he was directed by the Director to "clear a fire break of pallets of bricks/tiles and debris and with the help of another employee, they worked into the early evening”.

 

While working, he noticed the chain on the forklift was out of place. He attempted to manually adjust it using both hands when the chain suddenly tensioned and trapped his hands. He remained trapped for some time before emergency services were eventually called but paramedics were unable to free his hands. Fire and Emergency Services arrived later and were eventually able to release them.

 

The employee was rushed to hospital, where multiple fingers on both hands were amputated.

 

PT Supplies Group Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to:

• Failing to provide a safe working environment, causing serious harm - Fined $220,000

• Failing to notify authorities of the injury - Fined $20,000

 

Comments on Facebook also mention seeing workers on nine metre high scaffolding towers without any handrail or safety protections.

 

Selling the site

An auction was scheduled for 28 June 2024 but the site ended up selling beforehand for a fraction of the original $80 million expectation, going for just $4.29 million.

 

It was bought sight unseen by a Victorian-based non-profit organisation with a head office in China. Despite not inspecting the property, they were already aware of it, understood its cultural significance and were keen to acquire it, with plans to complete the build and use it for Asian cultural purposes.

 

Since then, the site has continued to deteriorate. I’ve never really had any interest in going out there, partly because of the cameras and alarms. From what I’ve seen though, it’s been gutted, trashed and graffitied.