The 10‑metre strip, long registered to a farmer who died in 1959, surfaced when the Queanbeyan‑Palerang Regional Council began collecting overdue rates in 2023.
The council’s audit revealed the parcel had sat idle for 65 years; heirs had no claim, and the land had been treated as part of neighboring farms.
Gina Greentree learned of the auction when a council notice appeared on a community Facebook page. The family, who have farmed the surrounding land for three generations, faced the shock of paying a premium to keep the strip.
The auction attracted 87 bidders for 24 parcels, with the 10‑metre strip fetching $19,000, more than five times its estimated value of $3,500.
Council officials said the sale was mandatory under state law, and that the land could not be transferred privately without a public auction.
The outcome will set a precedent for similar neglected parcels across New South Wales, and the council expects to recover the unpaid rates and restore accurate titles.