Brisbane house at centre of radiation scare has sold for $1.3m
A Brisbane property that was once the subject of a police raid for stolen radioactive material has sold for $1.3m at auction. Check it out!
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A Brisbane property that was the subject of a police raid where stolen radioactive material was allegedly located has sold for $1.3m at auction.
The Public Trustee took 46 Morley St at Toowong to auction at 2pm today, with potential buyers pre-warned that they were unable to conduct internal inspections and that the property would be sold “as is, where is”.
A Public Trustee spokesman said that all standard checks on the property were carried out and no concerns were raised regarding this material.
“Due to the property’s deteriorated condition inspections were not possible ahead of auction,” he said.
It was described as a ‘character home’ that was in ‘desperate need of some love and attention’.
But news reports from January 2002 revealed its colourful history.
Qld police charged a university laboratory technician with two counts of stealing and one count of possessing radioactive material after a large quantity of chemicals was found at the property.
It is understood the technician recently passed away at the home.
Photographs taken at the time show police removing amounts of explosive and radioactive chemicals from the property.
News reports at the time said that ammonium nitrate was found among more than 200 containers of chemicals seized at the Toowong residence.
Police declared a state of emergency and evacuated 30 residents, cordoning off seven streets.
Police found the substances in unmarked containers.
It is not known what the outcome of the charges were, but there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by the family.
Regardless, the ‘beautiful pre-war detached workers cottage’ attracted plenty of attention, with listings at record lows and inner-city blocks in short supply.
Listing pictures show a window boarded up and vines growing from the gutters.
The toilet and bathroom are a disaster, while the walls in other rooms are in need of a serious wash. The flooring is anyone’s guess and the kitchen, forget it.
But it sits on a 632sqm block of prime real estate, and is close to sought-after schools, amenities and the Brisbane River.
“This home offers the best of both worlds … leafy suburban living just minutes from the city,” the listing says.
“This property has the potential to be a great family home in a great location.”
Bidding started at $700,000 with the auctioneer declaring the owner of this property “passed away in this home”.
“It is what it is,” he said. “It is a renovator’s delight.”
The auctioneer noted that Toowong was a tightly-held suburb, with few transactions.
Bidding crept up to $1.2 million, with the property declared in the market.
A Public Trustee spokesman confirmed that there were 28 bids in total, with a whopping 19 registered bidders.
The auction attracted a crowd of up to 70, 28 bids in total and lasted about six minutes.
Originally published as Brisbane house at centre of radiation scare has sold for $1.3m
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