$14.2 million Watsons Bay beachfront sale through BradfieldCleary after 90 year ownership

Bidding opened at $8.5 million when a timewarp Watsons Bay beachfront was put under the BradfieldCleary hammer at auction tonight.

The deep 524 sqm street-to-beachfront block had not sold for nine decades.

The north facing holding with direct access onto Camp Cove beach was knocked down after very strong bidding at $14.2 million.

There were the five bidders for the Pitt-Webb family deceased estate holding at 17 Victoria Street, which had a recent Valuer General valuation of about $8.5 million.

One of the registered parties was a family member, auctioneer Damien Cooley revealed under auction regulations.

It currently features a single level semi-detached weatherboard cottage with garage and boatshed and steps to the beach.

It was listed by Brenton Gadsby at BradfieldCleary in conjunction with Donna Burke at Bickmore-Hutt Realty.

Most of the interested parties were playing their cards close to their chest, although the top bidder was a veteran auction room player.

But the intentions or possibly just who the prominent Sydney property developer Philip Wolanski was representing remain unconfirmed. 

Over the decades Victoria Street has been a magnate for influential owners including the neighbouring retail magnate Steven Lowy.

Other owners through the years have included adman John Singleton, the Smart family, solicitor Bill Blackshaw, accountant Ian Ferrier, the Cawood family, developer Vaughan Blank, the former Sydney head of the Swiss commodities trader Glencore, the Arve family and the entrepreneur Sam Linz.