Two super rare warehouses surface near Sydney's new $836m fish market
Neighbouring commercial warehouses drawing New York-style loft comparisons on Glebe’s tightly-held Bridge Road have been listed for sale just days apart, creating an extremely rare back-to-back opportunity in a precinct being reshaped by major public and private investment on Sydney’s fringe.
Located next door to one another on the western harbour’s edge, just moments from the city’s fancy new $836 Sydney Fish Market, the listings comprise a long-held “blank canvas” at 43-47 Bridge Road for $10 million-plus, and a creative office conversion at 41 Bridge Road asking $12 million.
Large commercial assets trade hands along the well-located strip infrequently; one agent says there have been only two transactions in the past decade. “In the past 10 years, there have only been two substantial commercial freehold properties on Bridge Road sold,” said Anthony Pirrottina, director and joint head of South Sydney at Knight Frank. “One of them was literally nine years ago, and the other was two or three years ago.”
The first of the two offerings to hit the market was 43-47 Bridge Road, spanning 1191 square metres of floor area on a 765-square-metre land parcel. It is owner-occupied by an antique furniture store, Orient House, which is set to vacate in August.
Held by two private investors since the late 1990s, the co-listed freehold is being offered through Pirrottina and his Knight Frank colleague Demi Carigliano, in conjunction with McGrath chief executive officer John McGrath.
Campaign interest to date has been strong and broad, Pirrottina said, thanks to flexible mixed-use planning controls that allow for residential or commercial uses, positioning the site with strong potential for adaptive reuse or future redevelopment, subject to council approvals.
“It’s a real mix of owner-occupiers, land-bank investors and potentially even some developers,” he said. “Some buyers are looking at converting it to residential. Others are looking at keeping it commercial and owner-occupying, or renovating it and leaving it as commercial for the foreseeable future.”
The two-storey building is defined by its warehouse bones, including high ceilings and sawtooth roofing on the upper level, as seen in Big Apple’s loft conversions – a character-led offering rarely found so close to the CBD.
Adding to its appeal is on-site parking, with eight car spaces, including four double garages.
“That’s pretty rare for any CBD-fringe location,” Pirrottina said.
McGrath added: “This is the most exciting location in Sydney at present for a building of this type. The building reminds me of one of those classic New York loft warehouses just waiting for its next adventure.”
The property sits about two kilometres west of the Sydney CBD, with the Glebe light rail stop just metres away and 230 metres from the Sydney Fish Market, which has rapidly emerged as one of the city’s most significant new destinations since opening a few weeks ago.
The Multiplex-built seafood hotspot threw its doors open on January 19, designed by Danish architecture studio 3XN/GXN. The precinct is about 20 per cent larger than the old market, featuring 40 retailers including waterfront restaurants, bars and cafes, fresh seafood and produce vendors, and specialty food stores, all sheltered beneath a dramatic 200-metre-wide canopy-style roof.
The market’s waterside wharves allow commercial fishing vessels to unload their catch directly, while its proximity has helped sharpen investor focus on the surrounding commercial stock.
“There’s a lot of buzz around this part of Sydney at the moment just with the new fish markets opening, and then Wentworth Park as well,” Pirrottina said.
Further transformation is expected nearby at Wentworth Park, located about 350 metres from the properties. Used for greyhound racing since the 1930s, the venue is set to close after the NSW government announced late last year that the lease would not be renewed, bringing racing at the site to an end in September 2027 to make way for a mixed-use site.
“There’s plans to shut it and basically redevelop it into a big combination of residential apartments, retail and affordable housing,” Pirrottina said.
Next door, the slightly larger 41 Bridge Road offers a different take, with much of the heavy lifting already done. The early-century industrial site has been transformed into an architect-designed creative office space spanning 1513 square metres on an 800-square-metre land parcel, with the Glebe Light Rail stop on its doorstep.
Featuring an original sandstone façade, the two-storey conversion boasts exposed timber beams, double-height ceilings and an abundance of natural light. The freehold is tenanted by a publishing agency and fitted out with a mix of open-plan work zones, private offices and meeting rooms, complemented by breakout areas, kitchenettes and end-of-trip facilities, with five rear parking spots.
The co-listed site is being marketed by IB Property’s Steffan Ippolito, in conjunction with BresicWhitney’s Shannan Whitney, who describes it as “exceptionally rare”. It has the bones to continue as a high-performing workspace or to be repositioned as a development opportunity, subject to approvals.
Like its neighbour, the cavenous building benefits from immediate access to excellent public transport and the broader amenity of the Glebe and Pyrmont precincts, including the future Pyrmont Metro Station, Broadway Shopping Centre and the University of Sydney, all within about one kilometre.
“So far, the campaign is going great with a decent amount of enquiry from both developers and owner-occupiers looking to buy a large freehold which is on the light rail, close to the new metro and moments walk to the new fish markets,” said Ippolito.
41 Bridge Road, Glebe, is for sale via expressions of interest, closing at 4pm on Thursday, March 12.
43-47 Bridge Road, Glebe, is for sale via expressions of interest, closing at 4pm on Tuesday, March 10.
