Wanted: Buyer to breathe new life into former Edithburgh School

Several former SA schools have hit the market over the past year and proved popular among prospective buyers, but one is stuck in limbo.

Despite the acreage property’s position in a popular coastal tourist town, it has been surprisingly difficult to sell, having languished on the market for more than a year.

The former Edithburgh Primary School, a 12,120sqm land parcel surrounded by a picturesque golf course and just moments from the sea, comes with beautiful character stone buildings, indoor and outdoor basketball courts and its own playground.

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Lot 615 Giles Tce, Edithburgh.

Lot 615 Giles Tce, Edithburgh.

Lot 615 Giles Tce, Edithburgh.

Lot 615 Giles Tce, Edithburgh.

Harcourts Sheppard selling agent Nicholas Josipovic said it was ideal for lifestyle buyers, developers or those seeking to start a tourist accommodation venture.

One of several former South Australian schools currently listed for sale, Mr Josipovic said interest in Lot 615 Giles Tce had been disappointingly slow.

He blamed the location – about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Adelaide – as well as potential competition from the Edithburgh Caravan Park for the lack of a sale.

“If this was closer to Adelaide, I could have sold it in five to six weeks – not one year,’’ Mr Josipovic said.

“It’s a fairly unusual property because it doesn’t fit into a conventional residential class (of property) and it’s not the normal commercial one so … there’s uncertainty over what (potential buyers) can do with it.

“But it’s a brilliant block. There’s over 12,000sqm of land and you are surrounded by the golf course so it’s very well positioned and you are only a couple of hundred metres from the ocean front.

“I believe it should be (used for) caravan park-type accommodation. It’s one of the best spots on the Yorke Peninsula.’’

Built in 1913, Edithburgh Primary School once thrived with 200 students, serving a town that was formerly the state’s third-biggest port, shipping salt, lime and gypsum to Adelaide.

But when the final school siren sounded in 2016, there were just nine enrolments and the site was sold by the state government to the current vendor three years later.

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Lot 615 Giles Tce, Edithburgh.

Lot 615 Giles Tce, Edithburgh.

Lot 615 Giles Tce, Edithburgh.

Lot 615 Giles Tce, Edithburgh.

Mr Josipovic said it was bought “for a song’’, with property records showing the Adelaide-based vendor paid $473,000.

He said a gymnasium, which included a full-sized basketball court, was built just a short time before the school’s closure for a cost of about $1m.

“(The vendor) bought it because he thought it was a bargain – to get all that (gym and other buildings) it was very, very cheap,’’ Mr Josipovic said.

While the vendor had stayed at the property for short periods, Mr Josipovic said he was now looking to sell it for about $1.5m.

He said it was initially hoped the existing caravan park might purchase the property for overflow bookings but nothing had eventuated.

Edithburgh, home to about 520 permanent residents, is considered to be one of Australia’s best diving spots and is also popular for fishing and swimming.

Among other education facilities listed for sale, the former Glossop High School, in the Riverland, recently changed hands for more than $1.1m, while the former Glossop Primary School and kindergarten were snapped up for $280,000.

The old Tarpeena Primary School, which closed in 2011 and has since been transformed into a home, is currently listed with a $1.125m to $1.145m price guide.

In the Adelaide Hills, the former Houghton Primary School, which closed in 2014, is also on the market for an undisclosed sum.

– by Lauren Ahwan

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