Invest
Where in Sydney can you buy property for $9?
Sydneysiders have a rare opportunity to snap up a heritage-listed ferry wharf, with bidding kicking off at a record-low $9 on Tuesday afternoon.
Where in Sydney can you buy property for $9?
Sydneysiders have a rare opportunity to snap up a heritage-listed ferry wharf, with bidding kicking off at a record-low $9 on Tuesday afternoon.

Woolwich Ferry Wharf Pontoon, known to be located on the Lane Cove River, is being auctioned off this week with the bidding kicking off at only $9.
As of Wednesday evening, the price had climbed to a modest $109, following three bids.
The first wharf on the Valentia Street site was constructed in 1856 as a part of a ferry service established by Hunters Hill residents to allow for the transport of carts and drays across the river to markets at regular times.
Over the years, the wharf evolved into the steel hull pontoon it is today.

Speaking to Smart Property Investment, Shaun Clifford, business development manager for boats and marine at Grays Online, agreed that the Woolwich Ferry Wharf Pontoon auction is one of a kind.
“It’s a very unique sale, definitely not something you see for sale every day,” Mr Clifford said.
As for the $9 starting price, that too is quite unique.
“It’s very hard to put a price or value on such a unique item, so to offer the Woolwich Ferry Wharf Pontoon for auction completely unreserved and with a starting price of $9 is definitely driving a lot of excitement,” Mr Clifford added.
The sale includes the entire structure – a steel hull with one longitudinal and three transverse bulkheads, and a concrete deck slab – as well as the original drawings by Sydney Ferries dated 1989, and a Statement of Heritage Impact from the NSW government.
The pontoon was operational from 1994 to 2020 and has been removed from the original property for the sale.
The online auction will run 8 December from 1:00pm AEDT to 14 December, 7:00pm AEDT on Australia’s largest online commercial marketplace, Grays.
The seller, Polaris Marine Constructions, is offering competitive rates for the transportation, relocation and installation of the wharf.
About the author

About the author


Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more

Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more

Property
Home guarantee scheme shake-up challenges Australia’s housing market players
From 1 October 2025, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) materially widens what first-home buyers can purchase and where. By sharply lifting price caps and relaxing eligibility settings, the ...Read more

Property
GSB’s first‑home buyer play: turning policy tailwinds into market share
Great Southern Bank’s latest results show that nearly one in three of its new mortgages now go to first‑home buyers—evidence of a fast‑moving market reshaped by government guarantees, easing rates and ...Read more

Property
Why investors are fleeing and renters are scrambling in Australia's housing maze
Australia’s rental market is tightening even as individual landlords sell down. New data points to a multi‑year investor retreat tied to higher holding costs and regulatory uncertainty, while prices ...Read more

Property
Australia's 5% deposit guarantee: Unlocking gains while balancing risks in the market share race
Can a bigger government guarantee fix housing access without fuelling prices? Australia is about to find out. The Albanese government’s expanded 5% deposit pathway aims to help 70,000 buyers, remove ...Read more

Property
Australia's bold move the 5% deposit scheme shaking up the housing market
Can a government guarantee replace lenders mortgage insurance without inflating prices or risk? Canberra’s accelerated 5% deposit scheme is a bold demand-side nudge in a supply‑constrained marketRead more

Property
When rates drop but stress sticks: exploring Australia's mortgage arrears dilemma
Headline numbers suggest arrears ease as rates come down. The reality in Australia is messier: broad measures dipped into mid‑2025, yet severe delinquencies and non‑bank portfolios remain under ...Read more

Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more

Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more

Property
Home guarantee scheme shake-up challenges Australia’s housing market players
From 1 October 2025, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) materially widens what first-home buyers can purchase and where. By sharply lifting price caps and relaxing eligibility settings, the ...Read more

Property
GSB’s first‑home buyer play: turning policy tailwinds into market share
Great Southern Bank’s latest results show that nearly one in three of its new mortgages now go to first‑home buyers—evidence of a fast‑moving market reshaped by government guarantees, easing rates and ...Read more

Property
Why investors are fleeing and renters are scrambling in Australia's housing maze
Australia’s rental market is tightening even as individual landlords sell down. New data points to a multi‑year investor retreat tied to higher holding costs and regulatory uncertainty, while prices ...Read more

Property
Australia's 5% deposit guarantee: Unlocking gains while balancing risks in the market share race
Can a bigger government guarantee fix housing access without fuelling prices? Australia is about to find out. The Albanese government’s expanded 5% deposit pathway aims to help 70,000 buyers, remove ...Read more

Property
Australia's bold move the 5% deposit scheme shaking up the housing market
Can a government guarantee replace lenders mortgage insurance without inflating prices or risk? Canberra’s accelerated 5% deposit scheme is a bold demand-side nudge in a supply‑constrained marketRead more

Property
When rates drop but stress sticks: exploring Australia's mortgage arrears dilemma
Headline numbers suggest arrears ease as rates come down. The reality in Australia is messier: broad measures dipped into mid‑2025, yet severe delinquencies and non‑bank portfolios remain under ...Read more