A beach shed in Mount Eliza, located on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula, has been listed for an astonishing price of up to $300,000. This tiny structure, officially known as Beach Box 15 at Earimil North Beach, has ignited widespread outrage across Australia as the country grapples with a severe housing crisis. The listing, advertised on the property site Domain, has drawn incredulous reactions from the public, many of whom are struggling to afford traditional homes.
The beach box, described as a “pretty-in-pink” retreat, measures no larger than a typical garden shed. It boasts no bedrooms, no bathroom, no kitchen, and no plumbing, yet is marketed as a “perfect summer sanctuary.” The property was purchased by its current owners in 2010, when the housing market was vastly different, although the original sale price remains unknown.
Locals and commentators have been quick to express their disbelief over the price tag attached to what many view as merely a storage unit. Comments on social media include sarcastic remarks such as, “That’s it – a perfect house for first home buyers – bring a mattress to sleep on,” and “It’s not a property, it’s a garden shed!” Others highlighted that similar properties were valued between $35,000 and $40,000 in the early 2000s, underscoring the dramatic rise in housing costs.
Despite the backlash, the listing emphasizes idyllic features such as “slow, sun-drenched days by the sea” and panoramic views of the bay and city. The beach box offers proximity to the shoreline, making it appealing for holidaymakers who wish to store beach essentials. For many Australians, the notion of such a shed being priced so high feels like an insult, especially when the median dwelling price in Melbourne has reached $872,500.
The uproar surrounding the beach box listing coincides with alarming data from Cotality, a property analytics firm, which indicates that housing affordability in Australia is currently at an all-time low. According to their recent Housing Affordability Report, home values have surged by 47.3% since March 2020, pushing the median dwelling price up by $280,000. In contrast, median household incomes rose by only 15%, creating a significant gap between wages and property prices.
Eliza Owen, head of research at Cotality, noted that three out of four key affordability measures, including the price-to-income ratio, have reached record highs. She remarked, “For first home buyers, the metrics are pretty disappointing. There’s this real disparity between where incomes are and where property prices are that shows a kind of structural shift in who can access the market.”
While Melbourne offers some relief compared to Sydney, where the median dwelling value is now 10 times the average income, the exorbitant beach box price highlights that affordability pressures are permeating even the smallest segments of the property market. Since 2020, over one million new households have formed nationwide, while only 880,000 new dwellings have been completed. This supply shortfall continues to exacerbate the housing crisis.
The Mount Eliza beach box listing has become a symbol of broader anxieties regarding the housing market in Australia. Once a simple seaside convenience, it now represents a quarter-million-dollar status symbol. For frustrated Australians, this situation raises uncomfortable questions about the viability of owning a home and pursuing the so-called Great Australian Dream.
