Beach shacks... to preserve or demolish?
THE Gold Coast’s humble beach shacks are becoming few and far between.
Once a staple of the beachside real estate scene, their presence has waned as the city has grown.
Now, when one hits the market, it seems to drum up a heap of interest.
But should we be doing more to keep a part of our history alive?
It’s hard to know when many are privately owned, passed down from generations, and often in a deteriorating state.
REIQ Gold Coast zone chairman Andrew Henderson said most beach shacks were originally built as holiday homes and weekenders.
“A lot of them were built quite cheaply out of asbestos as a place to come to the Gold Coast and enjoy the beach,” Mr Henderson said.
“The affordability was there back then to have a cheap holiday shack by the beach.
“Now the dynamics of the city have changed and they’re being turned into extra large modern family homes that are lived in permanently.”
He said most buyers who snapped up shacks were chasing a beachside lot to build their dream home.
“The few that are left have already got people who have plans or have secured the land to build on at a future time,” he said.
“Obviously it’s a significantly different time of dwelling that is replacing what is being knocked over.”
Last week two shacks, held in different families for decades, hit the market.
Both up for auction and in prime locations – Budds Beach and Koala Park – they offer buyers a chance to secure real estate in highly sought-after pockets of Surfers Paradise and Burleigh Heads.
One of the properties at 3 Guyra Ave, Burleigh Heads was built in 1963 and has been owned by the same family for the past 59 years.
“It was one of the first homes built in Koala Park and it’s still in original condition with its Pink bathroom and kitchen cupboards,” said marketing agent Claudia Young, of Black & Young Burleigh Heads.
“It was honestly like stepping back into time.
“It’s in such great condition though.”
Further north in Surfers Paradise, and siblings Frank Hall, Marylou Doody, and Veronica Tobin, are auctioning their parents’ – the late Tom and Jewel Hall – shack at 34 Pine Ave, Surfers Paradise.
Their family built the shack in the early 1950s.
“It was set up as a holiday home and fisherman retreat,” Frank Hall, now based in Townsville, said.
“My father was a keen fisherman.
“We used to go down there from Brisbane religiously.”
Mr Hall said he was unsure what his parents paid for the block, but said it would have been in pounds and probably “only three figures”.
The three-bedroom shack is in original condition although the kitchen has been updated.
“We would love to keep it but we are really just keeping nostalgia now,” Mr Hall said.
“It’s not really the family holiday home anymore.
“We’ve had our kids grow up going down there and even our grandkids but it’s an inheritance now.
“We have to all agree and it’s time to move on.”
The property is on the market through Harcourts Coastal’s Katrina Keegan and Penelope Nicholls.