Retro interiors and beachfront views are among features hidden within the Gold Coast’s cache of time capsule properties that have been held under lock and key for decades.
Now hitting the market for the first time in several generations, these prime sites in multimillion dollar neighbourhoods include a charming beach shack sandwiched between luxury homes, and a ground-floor apartment in a tightly held holiday complex.
These properties are marketed either as deceased estates, or have been listed for sale shortly after being inherited by friends and family.
Spot the beach shack
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Originally purchased for a modest five-figure sum about 40 years ago, these humble holiday homes have skyrocketed in value, now commanding massive prices due to high demand for scarce beachside real estate.
A three-bedroom, two-bathroom beachfront unit at Miami was the Gold Coast’s most-viewed listing on www.realestate.com.au among properties going to auction this week.
The Marine Pde unit was one of only three in the 1970s building – all still held by original owners – and was a much-loved holiday home of the late Terry Brumm, an Ipswich-based doctor, and his English-born wife, Isobel.
Priceless views?
Professionals agents Brooke Henley-Smith and Andrew Henderson are taking the unit to auction on Sunday on behalf of two of the couple’s daughters, Stephanie Welch and Kathryn Lain.
Ms Welch, 53, recalled school holidays and long weekends spent with her four other siblings in the 180 sqm flat.
“The family had other properties, but that was the one we really loved and stayed at the most. There were six kids, so we had the boys’ room and the girls’ room, and our childhood holidays were spent going to Magic Mountain, the old Nobby Beach arcade, and the beach,” she said.
This Miami holiday unit was the most viewed property headed to auction on the Gold Coast
It’s been styled with modern furnishings for the sale campaign
“It was all tiny beach shacks back then and we just watched the area develop, and we really noticed how different it became, and a lot of the original buildings were knocked down and rebuilt.”
Her parents lived in the unit fulltime after retirement.
Mr Henderson said the listing had raised plenty of interest among locals as no other units in the building had ever come up for sale.
It had been renovated with a new kitchen and bathroom added about 15 years ago, but retained an attractive retro coast holiday style.
One of two bathrooms
“The majority of interest has been from owner-occupiers and people wanting to use it for their own Gold Coast holidays.
“It’s also no secret that Miami is a very popular destination and has become a sought-after recreational hub like Burleigh or Broadbeach,” he said.
Mr Henderson and his brother Luke also recently sold their own late father’s Mermaid Beach shack for $6m — their childhood home — after 45 years in the family.
Another unique offering is two-bedroom, one-bathroom shack at 38 Tamborine Street, Mermaid Beach, which has been in the late Brisbane-based owner’s family for at least four decades.
38 Tamborine St, Mermaid Beach
Kitchen and bathrooms are original
“They definitely stick out nowadays among the big, new mansions at Mermaid Beach,” said marketing agent Dan Donovan, of Ray White Burleigh Group.
“They’re a throwback to the 60s and 70s and no doubt, their previous owners made some wonderful memories in them, but it’s now time for other families to make them their own.
“A lot of these properties have been empty for years, without anyone living in them. The blessing is to their adult children who inherit them — these properties are worth a fortune now.”
There’s even a rotary telephone inside
He described the home on a 405 sqm lot as a “real time capsule”, complete with original kitchen and bathroom, and even an old rotary telephone in the corner.
“It’s got huge potential – someone may well love the retro feel of it and renovate, or it could be redeveloped into a beautiful new home or duplex that suits a larger family.”
Most recent figures show 48 homes have been sold by the Public Trustee across the Gold Coast since July 2021, but that figure does not include those sold on behalf of other beneficiaries.
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