By Eleanor Wilson
Far from the cobweb adorned houses you might find in the United States of America in late October, Halloween is a holiday many Australians are still familiarising themselves with.
But Narre Warren mum Magdalena Conyers is hoping to change that.
Mrs Conyers is opening her home to locals to view her handmade spooky set up, filled with creepy clowns, spooky skeletons and even a series of handmade tombstones.
All together, the Halloween scene, which sits in the family backyard, has taken two years to prepare.
“It was my daughter’s 21st last year and we couldn’t hold a party due to Covid,” Mrs Conyers said.
“She always wanted a Halloween themed 21st so I started making all of the tombstones and such to prepare.”
Her daughter’s September birthday party, Ms Conyers said, was a hit.
So much so that she decided to keep the decorations up for Halloween.
“I’ve always loved Halloween, even as a kid. It was always a disappointment when you watch the movies as a kid with all of the Halloween decorations in America.
“I always wanted to go to something like that but you don’t see a lot of that here so i figured i might as well put a bit together.”
Making the tombstones, cob webs and skeletons has been both time and cost intensive, Mrs Conyers said.
“Whenever I get my creative energy into something I always tend to go overboard.
“I just keep adding and adding… It’s just so much fun putting it all together and I just love being creative.”
While she can’t choose a favourite decoration, she said the series of tombstones was the most difficult to create.
“The tombstones were time consuming. It involved a lot of layers, concrete, cement, painting,” she said.
“It took me about two weeks to make three of them, start to finish, because you have to muck about with them everyday, wait for the cement to dry and all of that.”
Mrs Conyers is welcoming locals to view the decorations at her home, located at 6 Murdoch Avenue, Narre Warren.
The home will welcome visitors on Sunday 30 and Monday 31 November from 3pm to 9pm.
But the decorations are not for the faint of heart, so young children might need adult supervision, she said.
