Shopfront, silos, church and a home next to the pub – big slice of country town for sale

A million dollars won’t even get a roof over your head in much of Australia, but the tidy sum could secure a major stake in one sleepy rural town.

For the cost of a modest Melbourne house, or a compact Sydney apartment, a resourceful purchaser could acquire a grain silo, a church, a couple of warehouses, and multiple residences in Woodstock just outside of Cowra, NSW – all for less than $1.2 million.

Alternatively, each listing could be bought separately for as little as $150,000.

Once a bustling mining centre, Woodstock was first visited by Europeans in the mid 1800s as eager pioneers foraged for gold and copper in the region. Some gold was discovered nearby, but the town was better known for its copper deposits.

At its height, Woodstock was home to approximately 8000 people – including high profile bushrangers such as Ben Hall who roamed through – with eight hotels, several shops, banks, churches, and an active train line.

Today the gold is gone, replaced by fields of yellow as hundreds of hectares of canola crops and wheat farms frame Woodstock throughout spring.

The train line has been suspended since the 1980s, and the population has now dropped below 800 people, but the quiet rural town still has plenty to offer according to real estate agent, Danielle Pye of Agri Rural NSW.

“There’s a lovely school, a bowling club, a popular pub, and good community connection in Woodstock,” Ms Pye said.

“You’ve got the Wyangala Dam not very far away, as well as Orange, Bathurst, and Blayney. You’re in the middle of beautiful farming country, with modern conveniences like a new hospital in Cowra just 20 minutes away.”

Ms Pye, alongside her colleague Josh Keefe, currently has a three-bedroom cottage for sale on Waugoola St in Woodstock with a price guide of $295,000.

The partially updated house with one bathroom and a carport sits on 943sqm and is within walking distance of both the Woodstock Bowling Club and Woodstock Hotel. It also features a fireplace, air-conditioning, a 10-panel solar system with inverter, plus an electric hot water system.

The agents have also just listed a unique deceased estate on separate titles including a multi residential building in need of a full renovation on Parkes St, and a pair of warehouses on Rankin St.

Both properties are on the market for $150,000 each with an online auction opening on October 31.

Lot A and B on Parkes St features an original shopfront and house from the 1950s as well as a historic two storey building dating back to the 1800s.

Pye explained that the 847sqm site could potentially become a five-bedroom residence with 543sqm of living space under roof. There are several wood-burning fireplaces, two original bathrooms, a laundry and an old shopfront.

Due to its state of disrepair, the “blank canvas” is available only for viewings at the house hunters’ own risk, according to Ms Pye.

“They have to sign waiver before visiting, because it needs extensive renovation. It’s definitely not liveable at the moment but there’s so much potential.”

Despite the inhabitable condition, the listing has piqued a considerable amount of interest in just four days on market.

“We’ve had nine serious inquiries, and I’ve already shown a couple of people through. You just rarely find that size of property for that amount of money. Some have just been interested in the houses, others with the nearby sheds as well,” she said.

“There’s no heritage listing, so a buyer could do what they want, according to council approval. Bringing it all back to its former glory would be magnificent for the town. Others have done that across the road, and it’s beautiful.”

The second half of the deceased estate includes a 1283sqm block housing two freestanding buildings on Rankin St; a brick two-room structure with original blue stone foundations which could be transformed into a studio, workshop, or weekend retreat.

The second standalone building on the same site is an old grain storage shed, also ripe for restoration. This pair of warehouses adjoins the Parkes St property at the rear of the block.

“In Covid times, a lot of people came to the region looking for lifestyle and affordability, then we had a bit of a lull. Now we’re starting to see investors coming out this way again as prices and interest rates drop. There’s definitely more buyer activity now.”

Although it is situated in the Central West region of NSW, Woodstock is approximately 20 minutes from Cowra, an hour from Orange, one hour from Bathurst, or two and a half hours from Canberra.

Other Woodstock listings include an old grain silo on Noyeau St, which has been listed with a price tag of $290,000.

It features 4200 tonnes of shed storage and 800 tonnes of silo storage, with an on-site weigh bridge. The Woodstock Silo Complex, formerly part of the GrainCorp network, is on 1.2ha across two titles and is listed through James Brown of Barton Real Estate.

A former church on Carrington St is perhaps one of Woodstock’s most iconic landmarks recently for sale. Held privately for more than 20 years, the ex place of worship on 2023sqm in the centre of town has had some alterations, but still presents as a renovator’s delight for $310,000 with Stephen Haslam of Cowra Real Estate, who has recently received an offer.

The church has a timber kitchen with breakfast bar, a yet to be completed bathroom and ample space to personalise further.

The post Shopfront, silos, church and a home next to the pub – big slice of country town for sale appeared first on realestate.com.au.