Hope of club selling off soon

Austinmer Bowling club will have a buyer by the end of the week despite failing to sell at auction last Friday, the listing agent for the property has said.

Travis Machan from Colliers International said offers have been pouring in since the failed auction, with interest from the Austinmer community, local developers and prospective buyers from Sydney.

“We’re dealing with quite a large umber of genuine interested parties at the moment and its very likely that the sale will occur some time this week,” he said.

The auction was passed in at $1.15 million on Friday, the attempt not enough to secure the historic site.

Austinmer Bowling Club had to close late last year.

The club and its supporters made a valiant effort to keep the doors open but by the time the club closed down there were only 25 bowlers left.

Even employing volunteers as bar workers, wait staff and cleaners couldn’t keep the club, which was founded in 1936, from going under.

Earlier this year former President of the club Dick Salm blamed their club’s poor position and too much local competition for their steady demise.

Mr Salm estimated that the building and grounds would be worth at least $2 million.

Early this week Mr Machan said a number of offers above $1.5 million had been received but said it was likely to be sold well above that amount.

Mr Machan said the poor result at Friday’s auction could have been the result of overestimation as to how much money the property would actually attract from interested parties.

“I think a lot of people assumed it would have sold for a lot more to be honest,” he said.

The proceeds from the sale will probably be passed on to another bowling club.

The club was a large part of community life in Austinmer for many locals in decades gone by.