Flinders Shire mayor welcomes sale of 34 land parcels in Hughenden

The council decided to release 48 land parcels in the three communities to help solve the acute housing shortage, and to help drive economic growth in the shire.

At the conclusion of the online auction, 34 lots had been sold, ranging in price from $5500 to 20,000.

The auction attracted 371 registered bidders.

Cr McNamara said the remaining 14 blocks would now be sold to the highest bidder.

"They were all blank land, close to services - we were hoping for buyers who would either be putting a house on the land and living in it, or renting it out," she said.

"We hope this will help house those here trying to find somewhere to live, whether they be grape farmers, contractors, railway workers, health professionals or people doing work for the council.

"At the moment they're staying in temporary accommodation or at local hotels.

"In a way, this is just catching up with demand."

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She said that while a couple of the purchasers were locals, many have out of town addresses.

Under the conditions of the sale, buyers have to build on their land within two years, or have a good reason why they haven't.

Cr McNamara said council had ascertained there was a two-year wait for modular housing, hence the period of grace being that length.

"We did this to encourage development - whether it's tradesmen, empty nesters, retirees who've bought, we can't tell," she said. "I'm just very excited by the prospect of having new people come to town."

The council hasn't stipulated that people have to live in the houses they put up, which it felt was a flaw with previous cheap land sale schemes remote councils had tried.