Gnomes are where the heart is: Brisbane home looking for new statuette lover

Brisbane’s gnome kitsch wonderland – at 281 The Esplanade at Wynnum – has been listed for July 7 auction.

It was apparently about three decades ago that the late sign painter Doug Wildermuth started rescuing broken gnomes from flea markets before patching them up, painting them, naming them and installing them in his front yard.

The foreshore reserve property comes with around 200 ornaments concreted with steel rods into its front yard.

The six Wildermuth family grandchildren naively hope it’s not all for the wrecker’s ball.

The 607-square-metre property is expected to go to auction on July 7 at 11am onsite through Belle agent Sharyn MacAuley.

“Renovate or remove, the choice is yours,” she says.

The block with 1952 three-bedroom house on the corner of Picton Parade was originally owned by the family, who subdivided the land having owned the holding for 60 years.

It comes with views to Moreton and Stradbroke islands.

The last sales on the foreshore strip was at $950,000 in 2006 for an 840-square-metre holding and $788,000 for a 600-square-metre holding in 2007. The gnome’s neighbouring property of 1,200 square metres fetched $1.15 million in 2004.