Affordable Private Island Paradise

Private island ownership – a dream exclusively reserved for lavish multi-millionaire business moguls and Hollywood celebrities, right? Aside from the Richard Bransons and Johnny Depps of the world, owning your own island is surely nothing more than an unattainable, fleeting fantasy…
That is, unless, you might be interested in a little slice of paradise called Wade Island in Wee Jasper, which has been listed on the market for only $600,000 to $650,000! An entire island for sale for less than the median house price in the nation’s capital ($727,914).

The 91-hectare island is located in Lake Burrinjuck, just a 90 minute drive northwest of Canberra. The current owners purchased the land over 12 years ago for $485,000 with grand ambitions to develop tourist infrastructure on the island, including self-contained holiday cabins. However, these developments never eventuated and to this day Wade Island remains a natural haven, occupied only by kangaroos, wallabies and a variety of water birds. The land is flush with greenery, rolling hills and its shoreline boasts beautiful golden sand beaches and an impressive headland.

The emerald green lake is a mecca for boating, fishing and water sports with plenty of inlets and creeks to explore. The island is only accessible from the mainland when the water level is low enough and requires entry by boat at all other times, but the relative isolation of the island only serves to enhance the charm and serenity of the place.

If you could imagine yourself living here, you haven’t missed the boat yet – the island is yet to sell despite high levels of interest from multiple parties. Listing agent Nic Salter-Harding, of LJ Hooker Dickson, said that while much of the interest has been from eco-resort developers, there have also been a number of unconventional proposals. These included turning the island into a koala sanctuary and a wagyu beef farmer wanting to relocate their livestock there to prevent poaching.

Click here to see a video of the amazing Wade Island.