Private investors splashed out almost $66 million on petrol stations – including two owned by the Rich List Shahin family – as well as supermarkets, a specialist laboratory, a pet store and a veterinary clinic at a blockbuster commercial property auction in Melbourne on Wednesday.

At the same time as deals were getting done, much of the focus was on selling agent Burgess Rawson – which puts together and hosts the regular portfolio auction series – with speculation swirling that real estate giant CBRE was in talks to buy the firm for about $30 million.