A four-decade-old gothic castle with a tower and wooden chandelier has been voted our most iconic property listing on realestate.com.au this month.
Quirky properties can be very divisive - think bold, eclectic eye-catchers, or homes made in unusual places like castles or trains.
54 Gardiner Road in Waterford Queensland was crowned Australia's quirkiest home. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
The finalists in our latest realestate.com.au 'iconic listing' social media poll, which asked viewers for the quirkiest home, would likely have gained lovers and haters alike.
Our fairytale winner certainly wasn't for everyone, but had fans battling it out on the ground.
'The Castle Rumble' at 54 Gardiner Road, a six-bedroom gothic affair on more than four hectares in Waterford - halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast - sold for $8 million.
It's a sweet win for the British owner, a castle fanatic who snagged the block for $25,000 back in 1985 to build his dream.
Like something out of The Canterbury Tales. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
Now downsizing, his 40-year-old, four-storey castle makes quite the impression with goblins hunched menacingly on stone columns, a massive handcrafted wooden door, two levels of leadlight dormer windows, and a stone tower with battlements (as if Queensland needs defending).
Inside, the place is grand and Tudor-like. The living room features a wood-burning stove and a dramatic, drop-down timber chandelier, while the majestic dining room boasts carved wooden panels and a dry bar.
Outside, there's a tropical twist: a wraparound wooden verandah - rare for gothic castles - to take in the vast, enchanting gardens.
Goblins greet you as you enter the property. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
Agent Sunny Singh at Ray White Rochedale calls it one of his most iconic sales ever.
"It's not a normal home. I don't think I'll get another chance in my life to sell a castle," he said.
While some people didn't like Castle Rumble, others adored it, he said.
The extremely large block for the area seals the deal, with Development Approval to subdivide into three lots, or potentially more than 100 300sqm residential parcels STCA.
The castle needs a little TLC but happily, Mr Singh said the new owners plan to keep it - so this iconic landmark is expected to live on.
Fit for a king or queen. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
Love them or loathe them, the runners-up in our poll were also a vibrant and playful crew.
Looking out over Pittwater on Sydney's Northern Beaches, 104 Iluka Road, Palm Beach drops you right into a mid-century Palm Springs holiday — for a guide price of $21m.
Pass the crazy-pave walls and pink and white awnings and you enter pure dreamland: a pink kitchen offset with giant white birds on pink wallpaper, an art-deco bar with geometric flair, lush green carpets, and a terrace with epic water views — complete with a yellow slide zipping you down to the lawn.
Palm Springs or Palm Beach? This quirky home was our poll's runner up. Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
Meanwhile, design lovers who like city views may prefer 1502/184 Forbes Street, Darlinghurst.
This modernist two-bedroom gem sits in Harry Seidler’s 43-storey Horizon Building, with its iconic scalloped concrete waves. Inside, this place is pure quirk: pink walls, mirrored ceilings and a see-through pink tub on a marble plinth - all for $3.95m.
Pink is so in, Darling(hurst). Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
Our final runner-up was a quirky one-bedroom home inside a train, where balcony and platform merge as one.
This stationary abode rests at 35 Riches Road, Sarsfield in coastal East Gippsland and enjoys a permanent view of trees and fields, all for $595,000.
Inside, it offers a sleek galley kitchen, bathroom, dining room, lounge with cosy combustion heater, and curtained bedroom. But charming touches of its Victorian Railways era remain, including the driver's cab complete with controls and grab handles - so you don't fall over.
Do you still need to touch on? Picture: realestate.com.au/sold
This month, viewers are voting on Australia's most iconic tiny homes.
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