Caulfield’s Southern Indoor Bowls Club listed

Caulfield’s Southern Indoor Bowls Club has been listed for sale with price expectations of around $9 million.

The bowls club at 350 Hawthorn Road was established over five decades ago back in 1968.

In recent years however given the improvement in technology and better management of outdoor bowls surfaces, the once popular-sporting venue has become redundant.

The three-level building has 10 full-sized rinks and a mezzanine bar and lounge.

Savills Australia’s Clinton Baxter, Nick Peden and Glenn Ye have been appointed to market the expansive 2,295 square metre property.

Baxter said its size and development potential will drive the sale of the building which will be sold with vacant possession, except for a rooftop telecommunications lease.

“The property occupies a huge site with a 45-metre frontage to Hawthorn Road, has rear laneway access and is zoned for Commercial 1, providing excellent future development versatility,” Baxter said.

“It represents an outstanding opportunity to develop, owner-occupy or value-add for a wide range of possible uses.”

About two thirds of the land is occupied by a large three-level building comprising two indoor bowling rinks, but Baxter said indoor bowling facilities were being replaced with more versatile outdoor lawns.

“The combination of a dryer climate, far better drainage systems and the use of synthetic grass means that bowlers can now typically play year round on outdoor bowling greens,” he said.

“With membership dwindling, the Southern Indoor Bowls Club has elected to sell up and distribute the significant funds to local lawn bowling clubs.”