Adam Spencer lists Newtown terrace

Not many Sydney terrace houses still have the dunny out the back, but the occasionally described coolest nerd, and former 2BL breakfast presenter, Adam Spencer does.

Though the turn of the century brick outhouse is not the huge selling point as his Newtown terrace goes up for August 6 auction.

It is a double-storey terrace offering through LJ Hooker agent Nick Moraitis, who says buyer interest is at the $1.2 million to $1.3 million level.

Some 20 groups went through yesterday's open for inspection.

The three bedroom Laura Street terrace, which was bought for $590,000 in 2002, has been styled ahead of its auction.

When he was in residence, one of the walls of the modern but modest terrace were dominated by photos of happy-looking Third World children whose sight has been restored by the Fred Hollows Foundation of which he is a huge supporter. 

The cul de sac terrace with 89 sqm living space, has one internal bathroom with a laundry and second toilet at the rear of the north facing back yard on the 145 sqm block. 

Academic George Seddon once research once that the typical Australian back yard in the cities and country towns had, throughout the first half of the 20th century, a dunny near the back fence, so that the pan could be collected from the dunny lane by the dunny man.

There have been two sales above $1.3 million on the street, with another selling last month at $1.28 million, which is exactly the suburb's median house price, according to CoreLogic. 

The listing follows the lifestyle change by the self-confessed geek several years ago.

Since 2005 Spencer has owned a Central Coast property at Copacabana with wife, Melanie Mossman, having sold his 80 ha retreat at Wog Wog, near Braidwood on the Southern Tablelands in 2010.

Spencer, the father of two, grew up in Hunters Hill, the eldest of three children, in a home that had been in the family for generations. 

This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph.