Sad farewell to home of five decades
CARS bogged on the streets of Nobby Beach may seem laughable now, but in the 1960s getting stuck on sandy tracks was part of daily life.
One of those residents was Leon Williamson, 92, who is preparing to farewell her family beach house.
It is the first time the property has hit the market in 50 years and is expected to attract plenty of interest when it goes under the hammer this month.
Mrs Williamson and her late husband John paid $14,500 in 1968 for the fivebedroom Mermaid Beach property in Chairlift Ave East.
Daughter Robin O’Neill said the couple moved from Hervey Bay, deciding Nobby Beach would be the place to raise their four children.
“When we moved into the house there was only bitumen from Albatross Ave to Seagull Ave so on many occasions dad and his two sons would have to assist motorists who had bogged their cars in the sandy road near Lion’s Head (between Seagull and Petrel Ave),” Mrs O’Neill said.
“It was a carefree life with sand dunes everywhere and sand up around all of the fences. We spent our days going to the beach and to school.”
Ms O’Neill recalled regularly climbing Magic Moun- tain to soak up the view.
“There was the chairlift but we always used to climb the hill,” she said.
Ms Williamson lived in the house for 50 years – she recently moved to Brisbane and reluctantly put the home on the market.
“The only changes were the aluminium windows and a new kitchen upstairs. The old kitchen went downstairs,” Mrs O’Neill said.
The residence has three bedrooms on the second floor as well as a kitchen, bathroom and living areas.
A self-contained living area and two more bedrooms are on the ground floor.
Ron London is marketing the property and said it offered a range of possibilities for investment, renovation or redevelopment.
“The property is due to go to auction on October 27.