Populated by a small army of shearwater penguins and shadowed by the pink granite Hazards mountain range, Picnic Island is one of the most recognisable of Tasmania’s nine freehold islands. For just under 20 years, Picnic Island has been operated as one of Australia’s best off-grid short-term rentals by Clem Newton-Brown and his family who have now decided to put it up for sale, seeking a cool $5 million.
The 6,750-square-metre island is known for its abundant bird life and dramatic offering, anchored around a luxury lodge, jetty and function desk. Famous guests have included David Walsh and Catriona Roundtree, both of whom have stayed on the island with their families before.
Guests typically pay $3,330 per night for a minimum two-night stay on the island, which is located on the Freycinet Peninsula and can be reached via a short tinnie boat ride. The island is a short distance from the beaches of Wine Glass Bay and the town of Coles Bay, which places it quite close to the famous Saffire Freycinet.
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Exact pricing for the prospective sale is yet to be confirmed but numerous reports place to figure close to the $5 million mark. That includes the island and everything on it. Of course, the penguins aren’t for sale. They are just there doing their own thing, and guests regularly cite watching them burrow into their hideouts at night as one of the more unique experiences on the island.
“Over the summer months, it is as good as anything you will find in the Meditteranean with crystal clear water and abundant seafood,” Newtown-Brown told AFR before adding that it was all becoming too difficult to run from his home in Melbourne.
“We are fully set up for everything you’d need for off-grid living.”
Scott Newton from Knight Frank Hobart and Rob Curtain from Sotheby’s International are the appointed selling agents and a formal marketing campaign to sell the island is said to begin soon.
Until then, check the couch and see if you’ve got a spare $5 million lying around. Because it’s not every day a property like Picnic Island comes up for sale.
