Waterfront properties in Australia don't go cheap, but with over 30,000 kilometers of coastline to go around, surely there are options available for the less cashed up.

The good news is that affordable waterfront properties can still be found, but put on your hiking boots because you'll have to be prepared to search.

Demographer and property advisor, Bernard Salt and RP Data’s property analyst, Michael McNamarra recommend heading to places like Nambucca Shire NSW, the Moruya River on NSW’s south coast, parts of South Australia’s Limestone Coast, Victoria’s Prom Country, the northern most tip of the Great Ocean Road, the last couple of pockets on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Cairn’s northern beaches and the southern tip and north western areas of Tasmania.

Queensland

If you’re after an affordable waterfront property in Queensland you’ll probably have to settle for a unit.

Houses are generally over $1 million apart from Hervey Bay, where Raine & Horne’s Graham Cockerill says you’ll find two and three-bedroom waterfront homes from $650,000. Two-bedroom units in Hervey Bay are $320,000 plus.

At Yorkey’s Knob, 15 minutes north of Cairns, LJ Hooker’s Sue Cooper has two-bedroom waterfront units for $325,000. 

At Caloundra two-bedroom units with ocean views are around $400,000.

Raine & Horne’s Darren Lockwood says that Kawana Waters near Mooloolabah is the most affordable area of the Sunshine Coast. $300,000 will get you a two-bedroom waterfront unit on Mooloolah River. If you want uninterrupted harbour and beach views you’ll need to cough up $650,000 for a unit at Port Cartwright.

Further south at Paradise Point on the Gold Coast, a luxury marina development on the point has units selling off the plan for $500,00 plus.

New South Wales

Property analyst, Michael McNamarra says suburbs such as Gymea Bay, Yowie Bay and Lugarno in the Sutherland Shire and Riverstone and Windsor on the Hawkesbury River are some of the last places in Sydney where waterfront property is available for under $1 million.

Heading south, Raine & Horne’s Tanja Werkmann has a two-bedroom fibro waterfront cottage on her books at Curleys Bay near Nowra for $305,000. At Orient Point, a three-bedroom newly renovated house on the river is going for $345,000.

On the St Georges Basin, Raine & Horne’s Kathy Lewis is selling waterfront reserve properties for $450,000 and absolute water frontages for $700,000.

North of Sydney to Nambucca Heads and $600,000 will get you a lovely home on the water and $179,000 will buy land at Valla Beach.

At Hyland Park, a suburb of Nambucca Heads, waterfront properties are selling for under $400,000. Ditto on the Clarence River at Urunga.

LJ Hooker’s Barry Booth has a number of former resort units with absolute beach frontages on his books in Coff’s Harbour going for $250,000.

Victoria

The coastal Gippsland village of Port Welshpool is a little known gem and offers some of the most affordable waterfront land in Victoria.

Wendy Wright of PBE Real Estate, Foster recently sold two homes on the foreshore, both with excellent views of Wilson’s Promontory; a two-bedroom for $320,000 and a five-bedroom on a corner block for $570,000. Blocks of land are fetching around $265,000.

David Harris, Franchise Manager, LJ Hooker Victoria suggests Paynesville on the western side of the Gippsland lakes and Sale, where old fishing shanties sell for $150,000 plus.

At the far end of the Great Ocean Road, Dutton Way, Portland offers waterfront land for $100,000 up and a two-bedroom house for $260,000.

South Australia

Kingston on the Limestone Coast, 50kms from the historic town of Robe and 300kms from Adelaide, has waterfront properties from $650,000.
 
Tasmania

In northwest Tasmania, John Ackroyd Real Estate has beachside properties with views over Bass Strait on its books for $550,000. Those with a road between beach and house are selling for $400,000 plus.

Up the coast at Penguin, waterfront units are selling for $198,000 and Mike Dunn, LJ Hooker Burnie has properties with water frontages at Preservation Bay, just east of Penguin, for $385,000.

At Primrose Sand, 35 minutes out of Hobart and still on septic, waterfront homes are selling for $150,000 and land for $100,000.

Leaving the best until last. In Huon Valley on the Huon River, on the southern tip of Tassie, you’ll find some very quaint riverfront properties from $235,000 for two-bedroom homes.