World’s largest underground motel up for sale in the NSW outback- for the same price as an average house in Sydney or Melbourne

The world’s largest underground accommodation – the famous White Cliffs Underground Motel in outback NSW – is up for sale, offering a unique investment or lifestyle opportunity in the State’s ‘wild, wild west’.

With potential for expansion, enhancement or repurpose as an exclusive wellness sanctuary in the desert, the iconic White Cliffs Underground Motel has been placed on the market for an undisclosed selling price on par with the cost of an average house in Sydney or Melbourne.

Resting on the arid plains of outback NSW like a UFO, the tiny and wonderfully wacky outpost of White Cliffs conceals under its ochre sands the unique and extraordinary White Cliffs Underground Motel, a 48-room cave hotel complete with a licensed restaurant, café, bar, underground conference facility, museum and accommodation for the owner/manager and staff.

One of only three ‘dugout’ motels in Australia but the largest with 48 subterranean rooms, the iconic White Cliffs Underground Motel is being sold by Outback NSW hospitality group, Out of the Ordinary Outback, which purchased the unusual property in 2016

The quirky, opal mining township of White Cliffs is located in outback NSW, 1025km from Sydney and 781km north-east of Adelaide – far enough away to offer the raw allure of an outback road trip but close enough for easy access, with a sealed road all the way!

With a population of just 150, the remote desert hamlet of White Cliffs flaunts its raw, raffish charm and colourful characters in abundance, with the lunar-like landscape dotted with thousands of opal diggings made by treasure hunters seeking their fortune ever since opals were discovered here in 1884.

The White Cliffs Underground Motel dates back to the early 1900s when opal miners sought sleeping quarters away from the heat. It later became a family home and opened as a motel in 1989, attracting guests from across Australia and around the world who enjoy a constant, underground temperature of 22 degrees year-round.

Out of the Ordinary Outback owner and passionate outback lover, Scott Smith, said the sale offered a lucrative investment or lifestyle opportunity for a new buyer with vision to take the famed destination motel to a new level.

“For the same cost as a house in Sydney or Melbourne, an inspired buyer seeking a new investment prospect or an adventure-filled life in the outback can own this famous motel and craft a new vision for it,” Mr Smith said. “Approved development plans offer a clear path for enhancing the property including a possible new future as a desert wellness retreat. This distinctive and exciting property offers endless opportunities.”