Paddy Moriarty: Larrimah man’s vacant home is set to be sold at auction

The home owned by a man whose disappearance captured the world’s attention is set to be sold – but his property is not the only one in the tiny town that may soon hit the market.

Paddy Moriarty disappeared from Larrimah in 2017.

The home owned by missing Larrimah man Paddy Moriarty is on the market, but the tiny NT town may soon see an exodus of residents who are also keen to sell.

Patrick “Paddy” Moriarty was last seen leaving the Pink Panther Hotel at dusk on December 16, 2017 on the back of his red quad bike with his cattle dog Kellie in tow.

The then 70-year-old’s disappearance sparked intense and widespread media and public attention – as the town only boasted a population of about a dozen people at the time.

Paddy's Place will go under the hammer in May. Picture: Larrimah Pink Panther Hotel

Last week, Real Estate Central pitched an auction sign outside of Moriarty’s abandoned property, which is called “Paddy’s Place”.

An onsite auction date has been set for May 7.

It is understood Paddy’s Place had been held by the Public Trustee before Real Estate Central was given the responsibility last month to market the property.

Paddy’s Place is expected to be advertised online from April 8.

Tiny town of Larrimah in the Northern Territory where police are investigated the disappearance of Paddy Moriarty. Picture By Amos Aikman/The Australian

However, more real estate agents could soon be on their way to Larrimah, with multiple properties expected to test the market, according to a local source.

Speaking to the NT News, the local said there had been an expression of interest to buy the Larrimah Pink Panther Hotel, which formerly belonged to Barry Sharpe.

“There has been talk of interest in town,” the source said.

They claimed there were two other residents who were engaged in discussions to take their properties to auction.

The Pink Panther Hotel in Larrimah is among the Territory’s most iconic pubs. Picture By Amos Aikman/The Australian

A Real Estate Central spokesman declined to comment.

A 2022 coronial inquest found Moriarty and dog Kellie were “killed in the context of, and likely due, to the ongoing feud that he had with his nearest neighbours”, on the day pof his disappearance.

And while Coroner Greg Cavanagh at the time said he believed “offences may well have been committed in connection” to Moriarty’s death, the Coroners Act precluded him from finding any “particular” person may be guilty.

Paddy Moriarty’s house as picture in 2018. Picture By Amos Aikman/The Australian

Moriarty’s body has never been found and nobody has ever been charged in relation to his suspected killing.

Larrimah was once again plunged into the spotlight in October last year with the release of an HBO documentary, Last Stop Larrimah, which is available to view on Netflix in Australia.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2021 reported Larrimah as having a population of 27.