Former nudist retreat at Silverdale on the market for $3.15 million

The property at 256 Avoca Road, Silverdale, has most recently been used a hobby farm, with Domain Group records showing the current owners paid $990,000 for the property in 2008.

“The current owner has got a big workshop there and a tractor in there and four-wheel drives, and it’s just been for family use,” listing agent Peter Kotzias of Ray White Commercial South Sydney said.

But the property’s history is far more interesting.

“It was a former nudist colony – probably up until the ’90s or something like that,” Mr Kotzias said.

The property next door at 260 Avoca Road was owned by the Bullen family, of Bullen Circus fame, up until it was sold in 2016, he said.

The Bullen family ran the Bullen’s African Lion Safari Park on separate properties in nearby Warragamba and later Wallacia from 1968 to 1991.

Mr Kotzias said a new owner could upgrade the main house and return the property to use as a retreat – nudist or not.

“It’s ideal for someone who wants to live there – they could build another residence for their family or make a retreat there again and build some cabins or something similar, subject to council approval.”

There is currently a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house that needs “a bit of paint and new carpet,” as well as an overgrown tennis court. Water is provided by bore, with six tanks for storage.

Mr Kotzias said prospective buyers had so far been owner-occupiers interested in building a new main residence and people in the earth-moving industry who could use the 25.19 hectares of land to store their equipment.

The property’s RU2 zoning allows for uses including agriculture, retreats, hobby farm, animal boarding and landscape material suppliers, subject to council approval.

But its location, within 10 kilometres of the new Western Sydney Airport and “aerotropolis” precinct means land bankers would likely also be interested in the property, Mr Kotzias said.

“In time [it could be rezoned],” he said.

“There’s major land owners on either side of the property and I think, given that the airport will be ready in six years’ time, and the northern side of Silverdale has been rezoned, it’s a matter of time.”

Initially slated to be sold by public auction, the campaign was switched to an expressions of interest sale during the COVID-19 pandemic.