Australia set for super Saturday as auction numbers surge
Vendor confidence has returned with a vengeance but the over supply may be short lived
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This could be the weekend for buying a new home, as the number of properties going under the hammer set to surge around the country.
Data from CoreLogic has revealed 3,190 homes will be put to auction, the second highest levels this year. The highest number of properties put to market happened over the weekend leading up to Easter earlier this year, when 3,519 homes went under the hammer.
In signs that the Melbourne market is recovering, Australia’s second largest capital city is leading the charge, with 1,635 properties set to sell, a significant jump from the 1,098 properties offered the previous week. Sydney is next in line with 1,053 auctions, followed by Adelaide (207), Brisbane (197), Canberra (82) and Perth (15). It’s not such great news for would-be Tasmanian homeowners, with just one property available.
While vendor confidence appears to be rebounding, it’s not clear yet whether that will be reflected in the results. CoreLogic reported clearance rates were just 58.2 percent last week, the lowest recorded this year.
calculated across properties that have been taken to auction over the past week.
For those considering holding off, it could be a case of ‘he or she who hesitates is lost’, with auction numbers set to experience a drop the following week ahead of the Melbourne Cup. Numbers are expected to fall to 2,100. They don’t call it ‘the race that stops a nation’ for nothing.
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A landmark Watsons Bay residence formerly owned by businessman Mark Bouris has returned to the market, bringing one of the harbourside village’s most distinctive homes back into play.
The five-bedroom property at 23 Robertson Place occupies 654 square metres opposite Robertson Park, within footsteps of Watsons Bay Beach, the ferry wharf and the celebrated restaurants lining the foreshore.
Its position places the home at the centre of one of Sydney’s most recognisable harbour villages, yet its substantial proportions, private outdoor areas and garaging give it a degree of separation rarely found so close to the waterfront.
The residence was previously owned by Bouris, the founder of Wizard Home Loans and chairman of Yellow Brick Road. Property records show it last changed hands in November 2013 for $7 million, having sold for $890,000 in 1995.
That 2013 transaction was handled by prestige agent Bill Malouf through Highland Double Bay. Bouris was the vendor when the home last sold.
Architect Malcolm Sholl designed the contemporary residence around a fluid connection between its interiors and outdoor entertaining areas. Extensive glazing draws natural light into the principal rooms, while district views take in the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Travertine flooring extends through the principal living areas and out towards the terraces, reinforcing the relationship between the home and its coastal setting.
At the centre of the residence is a marble kitchen equipped with Gaggenau gas appliances and an integrated Miele coffee machine. It connects to expansive open-plan living and dining areas designed for both family life and large-scale entertaining.
Five double bedrooms are accompanied by three bathrooms and a guest powder room. Informal living spaces include a home cinema.
Outside, there’s a 23-metre lap pool and an alfresco entertainer’s terrace. Internal access from the garage and accommodation for four cars are especially valuable in the tightly held village location.
The address also carries an unusual fragment of local architectural history. Woollahra planning material identifies portions of an early Victorian cottage dating from about 1839 within the contemporary three-storey residence, placing the property within the wider Watsons Bay heritage conservation area.
The home made headlines for another reason in January 2025, when a Ferrari left the road and struck the property. Two occupants of the vehicle were taken to hospital following the incident.
The Agency’s Ben Collier has a $20 million guide.
Watsons Bay remains one of Sydney’s smallest and most tightly held prestige markets. There have only been two house sales in the suburb so far in 2026. The suburb record was set late last year when yachtie Linda Goddard paid $35.5 million for a Pacific Street waterfront.
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