Broken Hill council recoups close to $1 million after two-day public land auction

This was the first public auction in Broken Hill since 2016 (ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde)

A two-day public land auction has resulted in nearly $1 million being recouped by the Broken Hill City Council.

Just shy of 100 lots including houses, laneways and vacant land went under the hammer during the auction.

The sections of land up for grabs had five years' or more worth of rates outstanding.

Broken Hill council general manager Jay Nankivell said the event was a positive outcome for the town and its residents.

"The last two days have gone very well," he said.

"Most importantly are those vacant blocks of land or vacant houses have been purchased.

This property on Eyre Street sold for under $40,000. (Supplied: Google Maps)

"By people that will hopefully develop new houses or renovate and put them back out into the market and go towards solving some of our housing shortage."

Some of the major purchases included a house that sold for just $38,000 and a triple block of land went for just over $100,000.

Auctioneer Cliff Wren said you would be hard-pressed to find cheaper homes anywhere in Australia.

Cliff Wren says some of the house prices are the cheapest to be found in Australia. (ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde)

"There's a particular house there we got up to around 35 thousand dollars and I'm saying to all out potential bidders this would reach national news if it ends up selling at this price," he said.

"At those 45, 50, 60-thousand-dollar numbers where do you find in a house in Australia at those prices?"

This was the first public land auction held in Broken Hill since the 2016.

A yearly event?

To prevent a massive backlog in properties similar to this year's event, Mr Nankivell said they were considering making the event a yearly occurrence.

"We will be doing this on an annual basis so we're not letting that backlog occur for five years and having 60 or 70 properties," he said.

"it is important that we're able to assist with those outstanding rates to council to make sure we can spend that money on services in the community."

This property on Argent Street which sits on three blocks of land only sold for $100,000. (Supplied: Google Maps)

Mr Nankivell said if any individual property sold for more than the outstanding rates were, the excess would be given to the owners.

"It's all based on individual properties so whatever the property sells for we'll look at the outstanding rates as well as outstanding water rates," he said.

"Then if there's any money left over at the end, then it goes back to the owners."