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Aussie small towns among the world’s most beautiful

Port Fairy on Victoriaโ€™s Shipwreck Coast and Esperance, on Western Australiaโ€™s South Coast, have been named in Architectural Digestโ€™s 50 Most Beautiful Small Towns in the World.

The list, which is compiled annually, also includes towns such as Albarracin, in Spain, where the pink and orange coloured buildings blend seamlessly with their rocky mountain backdrop.

Then thereโ€™s Banos, in Ecuador, which is a town of about 14,000 people set in the shadow of an active volcano and surrounded by lush forests.

Thereโ€™s also the tiny town of Castle Combe, England, which has a population of just 357 people and hasnโ€™t had any new homes built since the 1600s.ย 

Castle Combe, England.

โ€œThe town is a well-preserved stretch of Cotswold stone cottages and old pubs and churches,โ€ according to Architectural Digest.

Port Fairy, with its population of 3742, is noted for its picturesque scenery, 19th Century cottages, antique shops and amazing beaches.

Penny Adamson, of Charles Stewart Real Estate, said Port Fairy was probably one of the โ€œuniquest real estate markets in Australiaโ€.

โ€œI donโ€™t think itโ€™s ever gone down in history, in terms of value,โ€ she said.

โ€œThe reason for that is, itโ€™s an 1830s-1840s fishing village, so it has got a beautiful, historic charm.

โ€œAnd to complement that historic nature, itโ€™s also got beautiful restaurants, quality shopping, beautiful art and a nice, alternative mix of culture with music and festivals that have really put the town on the map.โ€

Ms Adamson said the beaches were also an enormous drawcard for the town.

โ€œThe beaches have a beautiful easterly facing aspect, which is unusual,โ€ she said.

Port Fairy Lighthouse.

Ms Adamson said  real estate in Port Fairy offered a mixture of historic, period homes and newer builds, with property in the town tightly held. 

โ€œThereโ€™s a limited amount of property with riverfront and beachfront,โ€ she said.

โ€œA lot of those beachfront homes are generational holdings, so when they do come up (they sell well).

โ€œOne did come up recently, 36 Griffith St, which I sold in conjunction with a Melbourne agent, for $7.2 million, which is a record for Port Fairy.

โ€œItโ€™s a river to ocean property in the tea tree end of Port Fairy, which is the jewel in the crown.โ€

Ms Adamson said many buyers in Port Fairy were either local downsizers, nearby farmers looking for holiday homes or even investors from Melbourne, Horsham and even Adelaide.

Esperance is also noted for its beaches, with Architectural Digest noting theyโ€™re worth โ€œmaking the trekโ€ for.

โ€œThe coastal town has some of the most picture-perfect beaches in the country – ones teeming with kangaroos, no less – which you can enjoy between browsing farmerโ€™s markets and downing fish and chips at some waterfront restaurants,โ€ the list reads.

A kangaroo bounding across a beach at Esperance.

Professionals Esperance co-owner Paul Blackham said the region had recently been acknowledged as having some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and he said residents of the town were quite parochial. 

โ€œYou look at the beaches on the Gold Coast or somewhere up north in Queensland and you go, โ€˜thatโ€™s beautiful, but itโ€™s not a patch on what weโ€™ve gotโ€™,โ€ he said.

Mr Blackham said Esperance had a mixture of architectural styles and a median house price of about $450,000 and about half of the sales in the town were people either trading up or trading down.

Professionals Esperance co-owner Paul Blackham.

He said local farmers who had good years would often build a new home in the town.

โ€œThe goldfields, historically, depending on how the mining industry is going, thatโ€™s always been a big part of our clientele.

โ€œWhen things are a bit more affluent they can come down and maybe have a holiday home, a unit, or retire down here because thatโ€™s where theyโ€™ve come for a holiday for forever and a day.โ€

Mr Blackham said the Esperance market was holding up well and, despite interest rate rises, prices hadnโ€™t come back too much.

โ€œWe are really chasing listings,โ€ he said.

โ€œBuyers are outweighing the number of properties for sale, so while thatโ€™s in play weโ€™re not seeing prices come back yet.โ€

Mr Blackham said appearing in a list such as Architectural Digestโ€™s was a feather in the cap for the town and something residents would be immensely proud of.

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Kylie Dulhunty

Former Elite Agent Editor Kylie Dulhunty is a freelance content producer for the Elite Agent audience, leveraging her extensive copywriting and real estate expertise.