Kel Sullivan from Dillon and Sons at Dungog said the sale price was above reserve expectation with the buyers from the Central Coast  outbidding a strong field of potential buyers on June 17.

“There was a huge crowd at the auction, unlike anything we’ve seen before,” he said.

“There was a lot of local connection to the church and we issued 18 contracts prior to the auction. There was a lot of interest.”

The church, no longer used by the Anglican Diocese, was deconsecrated several months ago.

“There was probably just as much interest in the church contents as the property itself and everything sold on the day,” said Mr Sullivan.

“The cheapest church pew was $500.

“There were 14 pews sold, all red cedar and the majority of them went to local families who had some ties to the church.”

The entire lining of the inside of the church,  including the floor boards, the walls and the ceilings was red cedar. 

The former church was built in 1924 and sits on two acres fronting the Allyn River.

The St James’ Church at Martins Creek was passed in at auction on the same day and is currently under offer. All the contents of the church were also sold including the manufactured pews.