Southport, Tasmania: The southernmost township in Australia, where you can buy oceanfront property for $425,000

It takes just an hour and a half in a car to get from Hobart in Tasmania to the southernmost township in Australia, but it may as well be a world away, such is the magnitude of the peace and quiet.

Hidden away past kilometres of picturesque bushland and acres of farming, Southport is a beachfront oasis looking out over the Tasman Sea, straddled by a lagoon conservation area and, in short, the end of the line as far as fuel and food goes.

It is officially home to the southernmost permanent settlement in Australia and, perhaps more importantly if you’re a local, home to the southernmost pub in the nation, the Southport Tavern.

This remote but geographically significant town is something of a well-kept local secret, says real estate agent Nyal Merdivenci of EIS Property, and the relative few who own a property there would prefer to keep it that way.

“Generally Southport is very tightly held,” he says. “The people who live there are entrenched there and love it. The people who don’t live there but holiday there are also entrenched there and it’s very rare that property ever changes hands, to be honest.”

Property in the region of Huon-Bruny, which encompasses Huon Valley, Geeveston, Dover, Cygnet and Bruny Island, is sought after and expensive. House prices have more than doubled there over the past five years, according to property data from Domain, and the median price for a house hit $1.31 million in December last year.

That’s at least half a million dollars more than the median cost of a house in Hobart ($737,650) and hundreds of thousands of dollars more than house prices in Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

Southport itself is not nearly as expensive as the broader region, though, and a beach house – or shack, as is more common – can be acquired for as little as $425,000.

Merdivenci is currently selling a two-bedroom beach shack that could not get any closer to the edge of the sand if it tried.

SOLD - Price Withheld

159 Kingfish Beach Road, Southport TAS 7109

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“Yep, you’re right on that pristine, white, sandy beach,” he says. “Fish from your house. It’s just such a relaxed, tranquil setting.

“Where else can you buy something absolutely waterfront for under $500,000 like this? You’re on the beach, and the access you have to the beach … it’s quite unheard of for that price level.”

The catch? There’s a Crown lease in place – a 30-year lease that commenced on October 1, 2012 – which is the reason the property is so cheap to start with, Merdivenci says. Properties with a Crown lease are not able to be rented out on platforms like Airbnb, so it suits people who either want to live in the home permanently or keep it as a weekender.

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“Without the Crown lease this place would be worth $1 million. Along the beachfront, most of the places are all Crown leases – there are 26 of them – but the fact is, this is a very tightly held area, very popular and this is a great way to secure a place.”

Nikita Andrews of Harcourts Huon Valley is selling another beach house with spectacular ocean views at Southport, and although it’s not positioned right on the beachfront, it’s a regular freehold-titled property that has been used as an Airbnb up until very recently.

The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is set on an elevated 736 square metres of land just two streets back from the beachfront and is asking for offers over $650,000.

Best Offer Over $650,000

1 Seaview Street, Southport TAS 7109

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“Interestingly, the interest I have had so far has been from expats – people who know the area, they’re originally from Hobart but now live overseas and want to have their own piece of the region,” Andrews says.

“The other people I’ve had interested are a couple who are looking to live there full-time. It’s a mixed bag, but I’d say generally, the majority of people who buy here are those who live locally, say in the Huon Valley region or in Hobart, and therefore know that Southport exists and spend all their weekends and holidays here.

“Most of the properties that are owned here are very tightly held …. they’re usually kept in families for generations and tend to get passed down through family. Then there’s a handful who live there full time.”

Andrews says Southport is definitely more of a diving or fishing township, rather than swimming.

“Look there are locals who aren’t as scared of the colder water,” she laughs, “but they’d still use a wetsuit. Ultimately this is a beautiful stretch to fish from and it’s a pretty amazing part of the world that a lot of people like to visit, holiday at, camp … it’s a bit of a local’s secret, which is why property here comes up for sale so rarely.

“This is one of the most peaceful spots you could ever find. If you’re into fishing, this is it. You can fish every day, walk out to the water, walk on the beach. It’s just perfect.”