The old petrol station where John Howard worked as a boy is for sale
An old petrol station where the boy who would become Australia’s 25th prime minister once filled the tanks for Sydney motorists will go under the hammer next month.
The Dulwich Hill site, which now operates as a privately owned workshop, is to be sold in one line with an adjacent shop and residence and is expected to fetch between $3.8 million and $4.2 million.
The Wardell Road service station in Sydney’s inner west was owned by Mr Howard’s father, Lyall, and his grandfather, Walter. Young John worked there on weekends with his three older brothers – Walter, Stanley and Robert.
Back in the day: The Dulwich Hill garage owned by Lyall Howard. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
In the book John Winston Howard: The Biography, Mr Howard has fond memories of working with his father.
“I thoroughly enjoyed working in that garage. I liked selling things, I liked serving petrol,” he remembers.
Raine & Horne Commercial South Sydney-Marrickville director Luke Smith believes the property’s history might attract buyers’ attention.
John Howard as a boy. Photos: Fairfax Media Archives
Mr Howard is his Sydney office this month. Photo: Nic Walker
“It’s not out of the question that a buyer or investor with an interest in owning a slice of Australian political history may line up on auction day,” Mr Smith said.
The 455-square-metre site, at 269 and 271-275 Wardell Road, has a 2.6:1 floor space ratio which is expected to interest developers as an opportunity to land-bank.
Mr Smith said the combined sites were producing a gross return of approximately $153,868 annually, plus GST.
The site is about 100 metres from the Dulwich Hill light rail and train stations, as well as being close to schools and some of Sydney’s biggest universities.
“Buyers can look forward to achieving strong resales as part of any future redevelopment thanks to the two properties’ strategic position on the cusp of Dulwich Hill and Marrickville, which are among the Inner West’s most popular suburbs,” Mr Smith said.
“Over the last couple of years, five projects have been completed within 100 metres of this site and all of them have been very well received.”
Another site that has piqued the interest of potential buyers because of its connections with a former prime minister is also on the market.
The childhood home of Bob Hawke is for sale by expressions of interest.
Hawke House, which is now used as offices for community organisations and Centrelink, is in the South Australian town of Bordertown, near the Victorian border, where many of the locals still remember Mr Hawke as a youngster.
