The most expensive land sold in Australia, in terms of price per square meter for residential property, is in Sydney's inner suburbs like Paddington, with rates exceeding $25,000 per sqm, while overall record sales for single properties involve multi-million dollar mansions in Point Piper, like Scott Farquhar's $130m purchase of Uig Lodge in 2023. For farmland, the West Gippsland region in Victoria consistently commands top prices, with recent sales hitting $17,000 per acre for grazing blocks.
Paddington tops the list for having the most expensive land in the country per square metre. We look at why and what it means. Sydney's Paddington may not have the city's highest suburb records or the city's highest median prices.
In 2020, a milestone was achieved when a minuscule plot of land in Central Hong Kong, referred to as 2 Murray Road, was acquired for an astonishing $5. 2 billion USD. This sale established its reputation as the highest-valued parcel of land ever auctioned.
However, it is Northern Territory mates and pastoralists, Viv Oldfield and Donny Costello, who hold the title as Australia's largest private landholders. Their portfolio spans more than nine million hectares – larger than Tasmania and more than twice the size of Switzerland – via their Crown Point Pastoral Company.
Australia's most expensive home sold for $142m. With no registered mortgage required, Chinese-born company director Yan Zhang paid $141.55m last week for Australia's most expensive penthouse overlooking Sydney Harbour at Barangaroo.
Viv Oldfield and Donny Costello – 9 million hectares+ Central Australian businessmen. Retain the title as Australia's largest landholders with a portfolio exceeding 9.2 million hectares, or more than twice the size of Switzerland. Operations include the organic beef-focused Crown Point Pastoral Company.
Mr Little and Ms Hansen paid $19.25 million for Goodrest Mansion – also known as Simonds Hall – purchased from Christ Church Grammar School in December 2019. The property is undergoing a multi-year renovation, and has views across Fawkner Park.
The 2% property rule is a real estate investing guideline to quickly assess if a rental property could generate positive cash flow, suggesting the monthly rent should be at least 2% of the total purchase price (including necessary repairs); if a $200,000 property can't rent for $4,000/month (2% of $200k), it might not be a strong cash flow investment, helping investors filter potential deals, though it's a simplified metric not guaranteeing profitability and works best in affordable markets.
Native Title — which can include both exclusive and shared rights — covers about 40 per cent of Australia. However, it is not the same as full private ownership and can coexist with other rights, such as pastoral leases. In some cases, different Aboriginal groups can exercise Native Title rights over the same area.
The British Royal Family is often described as the world's largest landholder, with King Charles III overseeing vast assets managed through the Crown Estate. Reports estimate that land linked to the monarchy covers around 16% of the Earth's surface, about 6.6 billion acres across multiple continents.
Red Emmerson and his family control 2.44 million acres across California, Oregon, and Washington, making them America's largest private landowners in 2025. For reference, this is more than 3x Rhode Island's land area.
1. Sydney, Australia. Sydney, often known as Australia's financial hub, consistently tops the list of the wealthiest cities in the region.
The ownership of Australia's most expensive house is often debated due to off-market sales and varying definitions, but currently, a Sydney penthouse at One Sydney Harbour (owned by Yan Zhang for $142m in 2025) and Paul Little's Coonac Estate in Melbourne (sold for around $150m in early 2025) are contenders, while tech billionaire Scott Farquhar owns multiple record-holding Point Piper properties like Uig Lodge.
The cheapest land in Australia is generally found in remote regional areas, particularly in Queensland and Western Australia's outback/wheatbelt, with Bourke (NSW), Richmond (QLD), and the Yilgarn Shire (WA) often cited for low-cost farmland (around $100-$400/hectare). For cheaper residential-style blocks, look to regional towns like Gladstone (QLD) or Kalbarri (WA), where blocks can start under $100k, though inland, remote areas offer the absolute lowest prices, sometimes under $50k, but with significant lifestyle trade-offs.
The Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme provided ex-gratia payments to Stolen Generations survivors. The reparations aimed to acknowledge historical injustices faced by Stolen Generations survivors. The amount provided to each recipient was $75,000.
No, Aboriginal people don't automatically get more money in standard Centrelink payments like JobSeeker or Pensions; the amounts are the same for everyone with similar circumstances, but there are specific, culturally focused programs, like ABSTUDY for students or extra childcare subsidies, and specialized support (Indigenous Service Officers) to help close gaps from historical disadvantage, rather than extra cash.
The $20 million paid for the Aboriginal flag's copyright went to Luritja artist Harold Thomas, the flag's designer, and the license holders, with the Australian Federal Government acquiring the rights in 2022 to make the flag freely available for public use, ending long-standing disputes and licensing issues. The deal also included funding for an Indigenous student scholarship and directing royalties to NAIDOC.
The 1% rule in real estate investing is a quick guideline suggesting a property's monthly rent should be at least 1% of its purchase price to be a potentially good investment, helping screen for positive cash flow before considering other expenses like taxes, insurance, and maintenance. For a $200,000 property, this means aiming for $2,000 in monthly rent; it's a simple tool to avoid overpaying for low-yield properties but is not a precise calculation and can be less effective in expensive markets or high-growth areas.
What you can borrow is based on your salary. Most lenders will loan 4 or 4.5 times your annual income. You'll need an annual income of £160,000 to £200,000 to be approved for a £800,000 mortgage, which is significantly above the average UK annual salary, currently £39,039 (January 2026).
AB 1482:
To buy a $650,000 house in Australia, you generally need a gross annual household income between $100,000 to $140,000, with figures varying significantly by location and lender criteria, requiring a strong deposit (around $130,000 for 20%) and managing loan repayments to not exceed 30% of your income to avoid mortgage stress, often necessitating a joint income or substantial savings, as highlighted by financial experts and data from sources like Fundd, Finder, and Real Estate.
Harry Oskar Triguboff AO (born 3 March 1933) is an Australian billionaire real estate developer, and one of Australia's richest people.