Behind the doors of an old bank in the historical village of Carcoar, the old cedar teller still stands and the vault door remains.

But where the safe should be, a line of bright tin robots stand and stare.

Warwick Powell's toy museum hosts a collection of hundreds of novelty sharpeners. ( ABC Central West: Donal Sheil )

The cheques, money bags, and banknotes are long gone from the Commercial Banking Company building, which has been transformed into the 20th Century Toy Museum.

It was one of three banks in Carcoar, in central-west New South Wales, and just one of many grand buildings that have taken on new lives as branches continue to close in droves across regional Australia.

"It's just an interesting thing about, I suppose, the illusion of our forefathers that what they were building was to last forever and the buildings might, but their purposes won't," said the museum's owner Warwick Powell.

The Commercial Banking Company building still has its original teller and vault. ( ABC Central West: Kathleen Ferguson )

From axe-murder site to home

The former City Bank across the road from the museum is serving a less quirky new purpose as a home. But it has a far darker past.

In 1893, it was the site of a double murder in which the bank manager and his wife's friend were killed with an axe by Edwin 'Bertie' Glasson who was trying to rob the bank.

Owner Andrew Baulch said there was no bad juju in the triple-brick home despite the horror that played out.

Andrew Baulch's home was the scene of a double murder in 1893. ( ABC Central West: Kathleen Ferguson )

"It has always been a lovely house from our point of view. It has never had a vibe of the two horrendous murders that were committed here," Mr Baulch said.

He said converting the old bank after it closed as an agency in 1989 into a cosy and welcoming house was not a task for the faint-hearted, especially when the bathroom, and former strongroom, had 17-inch-thick walls.

The vault door is now casually resting up against a pillar among a variety of materials in Mr Baulch's back shed.

"When we arrived, the Chubb safe door was flat on the front verandah and had been there for about 50 years," Mr Baulch said.

The old safe door has been resting in Andrew Baulch's back shed. ( ABC Central West: Kathleen Ferguson )

Homes the new norm for old banks

For Tommy Jeffs in nearby Canowindra, a community that has been fighting to claw back a banking service after it lost its last branch in 2017, living in a bank was not out of the norm.

"I've got five or six friends and we are all living in banks, so we all make comparisons between the safes and things like that," Mr Jeffs said.

The former Sydney designer runs a guesthouse at his former Bank of New South Wales building, which is 104 years old.

Tommy Jeffs and his drag character, Tallulah, have hosted many themed parties in the old bank. ( ABC Central West: Kathleen Ferguson )

He said he had a field day restoring the building to its original "grace and charm".

"To come in and put everything in it, it was like a big bloody dolls' house."

"Bank closure another nail in the coffin for Canowindra" is inscribed on a wall inside the safe. ( ABC Central West: Kathleen Ferguson )

Renowned architect's work lives on

At Berry, in southern New South Wales, the former ES&A (English, Scottish and Australian) Bank now protects another item of value — the district's history.

The building was designed in 1884 by William Wardell, the architect of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney.

The museum was designed by the architect of Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral. ( ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale )

Only two of the five banks designed in the Scottish Baronial style by Mr Wardell have survived.

June Robson from the Berry Historical Society said the building had some interesting security features.

"This bank has a mirror over the entrance to the vault, which contains the safe," Ms Robson said.

"A mounted policeman could walk along and look through the window and look through the mirror and see whether the bank manager had left the door open."

This former Bank of NSW building is now the Rosebank Art Gallery and Guesthouse. ( ABC Central West: Kathleen Ferguson )

'Odd drop in' for cash at old bank

As artists, framers and guesthouse owners, Jenny and Richard Beach are far from bankers, but that has not stopped people from coming into their home when short of cash on their country adventures.

"We have had the odd person [come] in asking if they can get money out, not joking either," Ms Beach said.

Jenny and Richard Beach often have former Bank of NSW employees stay with them. ( ABC Central West: Kathleen Ferguson )

The couple live and operate their business out of the former Bank of New South Wales building in the popular village of Millthorpe, between Orange and Bathurst.

The pair said it had been a collective effort of all its owners to preserve its history.

"I think, whoever has been here, they do hold the place quite dear to their heart and they are very, almost, proud of what it has been and what is become over the years," Ms Beach said.

She said the old, sturdy bank has been a labour of love, but one that brought them many pleasures.

"We just love sitting on the verandah and watching the world go by," Ms Beach said.