Bargain buy: Dirt-cheap concrete slab in once-bustling ghost town

A sprawling site covered in concrete has hit the market in a sleepy Tasmanian town, beckoning buyers with big imaginations to revive the historic property.   The one-acre vacant lot at 51 Gould Street, Gormanston in Tasmania’s west is the former site of the town’s primary school, which blew down in high winds more than 70 years ago. The school was never rebuilt, and like most properties in the once-bustling town, the lot remains empty save for a few remnants of its past life. It’s now on the market for $115,000, and given its size and price point, could attract imaginative bargain-hunters seeking solitude amid the remote and rugged landscape. Almost the entire site is covered in concrete, except for a few patches of greenery where nature has begun to reclaim the property. The property is still owned by Tasmania’s department of education, and a few signs of the property’s educational past have been left behind, including the remains of basketball hoops and a plaque outlining the history of the site.

Most of the site is covered in “many different layers and levels of concrete and asphalt,” according to selling agent Rodney Triffett of Harcourts West Coast. “It’s a very big lot, one of the biggest in the Gormanston area,” he said. “To my knowledge you can build on it but it comes down to council approval. Rural is harder to build on than general residential.”

Mr Triffett said creative uses for the site could include a “barnhome” or “shouse”, or with a few infrastructure upgrades, a caravan park given the ample hardstand areas. Only about 20 houses remain in Gormanston, which is located about three and a half hours from both Hobart and Launceston, with most of the houses having been trucked off to different parts of the state over the years. Several caravans are parked on vacant blocks throughout the town, with some residents using mobile homes for budget accommodation. Many people who bought lots in Gormanston used the land for camping, while others had intentions to build homes or cabins, Mr Triffett said.

Gormanston’s population has dwindled over the decades, and at the 2021 census, just 32 people lived there. While was almost double the 17 recorded in the previous census, Mr Triffett said the town’s permanent population was likely much smaller. “Gormanston is pretty much a shack community,” he said. “There’s seven or eight permanent residents there.” Buyers were drawn there to the town’s affordability, peace and quiet, and proximity to nature and recreation activities such as fishing, Mr Triffett said.

A ghost town in decline

Gormanston is a shadow of its former self, with thousands of people calling the town home in its heyday when the nearby copper mine at Mount Lyell was at full production. At one point Gormanston had a council chambers, courthouse, jail and eight pubs, as well as the school, all of which are now long gone.

In 1922 the mine began to be phased out, and Gormanston has been in decline ever since. A passionate group of locals began a grassroots campaign a few years ago to pressure the local council to reinvigorate the town. In the past few years vacant lots in Gormanston have sold for as little as $30,000, while the most recent house to sell back in 2022 went for $182,500.

“It’s hard to say what will happen to the town long term,” Mr Triffett said. “It would be good to see things improve. Never say never.” While the mine has been shuttered since 2014, it changed hands late last year with new owner Sibanye-Stillwater undertaking a feasibility study to determine the next steps. The Tasmanian government has backed the mine’s reopening. Copper prices are near record highs, with the metal identified as integral to the clean energy transition.

Despite signs of progress, Mr Triffett said properties in the area tended to transact slowly, given many people were put off by the region’s remoteness and weather. “We get a lot of rain out here, and the scars of our mining history are still present in the hills,” he said. “We are a rural area, the towns are quite small and you won’t find anything like Bunnings or Kmart. Some people love that but some people don’t.” “I’ve been down here my entire life. It’s a beautiful part of the country but I understand it’s not for everyone.”