ABC puts famous Elsternwick studios on the market

It was once the home of landmark Australian TV shows including Countdown, Kath and Kim and Hugh Jackman’s prison drama Corelli. And now the ABC’s Elsternwick studios are for sale.

The site of ABC TV’s first ever broadcast in 1956, the studios are due to be decommissioned next year as the ABC moves to a new facility in Southbank, marking the end of an era in Australian television.

Developers are certain to be among those vying for the prime 6155sqm site, 9km south of the Melbourne CBD. The land parcel comprises six separate titles, is zoned for mixed-use and has a 110m frontage to Selwyn St and a 41m frontage to Sinclair St, as well as a rear laneway.

Also on-site, of course, is the 5000sqm of buildings that were the scenes of thousands of moments of TV magic, including most ABC news bulletins from 1956 to 2000 and other iconic shows including SeaChange and soap opera Bellbird.

Savills’ Clinton Baxter, Jesse Radisich and Nick Peden are marketing the property, which will be sold after an expressions of interest campaign that ends on December 6.

The ABC has put its Elsternwick studios up for sale.

“This is one of those exceptional properties which very rarely hits the market. In this case favourable mixed-use zoning, abundant surrounding amenity including retail, public transport, bay beaches, and numerous prestigious schools, coupled with a levelled site with superb access from several street frontages,’’ Baxter says.

“The existing buildings date back to the 1950s and offer a wide range of potential uses in what is one of the best and most highly credentialed development locations in Melbourne.”

The studios lie just 100m from Elsternwick train station and in close proximity to the Glen Huntly Rd retail strip.