Stockton holiday park cabins that were relocated to Crown Land almost four years ago are now being transferred to their new owners, with the proceeds used to pay for erosion works.
The 16 cabins were moved to the eastern side of the Stockton pool in February 2020 as a precaution ahead of Cyclone Uesi, which was predicted to cause severe coastal erosion.
Newcastle Council voted in May in this to sell the cabins, including fixtures, fittings and furniture by public auction for 85 per cent or more of their value.
The cabins consist of a variety of two and three bedroom buildings.
"The cabins were sold at auction in August 2023 with the purchaser required to gain any permits or approvals prior to the removal of the cabins. The sale price was $1,356,000 including GST," a council spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The cabins are scheduled to be removed by the purchaser by mid-December.
The money from the sale will be transferred to the Rawson Reserve Trust fund, where profits from the holiday park are invested and used to maintain and upgrade facilities on the Stockton beachfront.
Residents who noticed the removal of the first cabins this week took the Stockton Community Facebook page to express their surprise at their removal.
One suggested the cabins had been sold as a single lot and were being transferred to a cotton farm on the Queensland border.
Council chief executive Jeremy Bath told the Newcastle Herald in May that it was decided the best option was to auction off the cabins.
"They are sitting on Aboriginal land and have sat there for the last three years and therefore need to be moved," he said.
"We've had conversations with local elders as well as Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council, where we have assured them they will not sit there indefinitely.
"They are cabins that aren't being lived in, and month by month they are deteriorating in condition and deteriorating in value."
