Melbourne's Real Housewives amid Mildura grey nomad caravan push
Marvellous Melbourne is set to hit our television screens on the Arena, Foxtel channel this Sunday night when the first installment of Australia’s Real Housewives reality broadcasting phenomenon premieres.
It's been billed as a mix of Kim, Kim and Kimmie. An antipodean mix of Kim Kardashian, along with Kim Cattrall from Sex and the City, and then of course our own Fountain Lakes temptress, Kim Craig, nee Day.
Our property contrarians Jonathan Chancellor and Margie Blok both contend Sydney should next feature in the global franchise which also is filmed in New York, Beverly Hills, New Jersey, Atlanta, Orange County, the first in 2006, and Miami, among other US post codes. Even Vancouver, Canada. Two other versions, The Real Housewives of Athens and The Real Housewives of Israel, disappeared without trace.
Sydney Sunday Telegraph columnist Ros Reines wrote Sydney was the flashy heart and soul of the nation, and Melbourne just wasn't going to make much of a splash. "Don't get me wrong, that city has plenty going for it including some quirky shops, interesting little wine bars in laneways, pretty gardens and some major sporting fixtures including the Melbourne Cup and the Grand Prix."
Even cultural commentator Bernard Salt expressed surprised at the choice of city.
The Real Housewives of Melbourne (left to right): Lydia, Gina, Jackie, Andrea, Chyka and Janet, picture courtesy of Arena TV
HE SAID:
Move over Melbourne, or is it Mildura? The Aussie version of the Real Housewives franchise should really have always been in Sydney, the sparkling harbour city with hoardes of housewives who could provide all the excitement, opulence, aspirational glitz and excess associated with this show.
It remains to be seen if Melbourne’s Real Housewives - Chyka Keebaugh, Lydia Schiavello, Jackie Gillies, Janet Roach, Andrea Moss and Gina Liano – makes for compelling viewing.
I have my doubts that the Melbournites will be quite able to step into the big glamourous shoes set by their US counterparts such as the divorcees Camille Grammer, Kelly Killoren-Benisom and the singing countess, LuAnn de Lesseps.
Indeed Janet Roach, the Real Housewives of Melbourne champagne sipping millioniare property developer, is my big worry. Her spiel says fabulous and fun is the only way to describe the blonde bombshell who after leaving husband number two overnight is now living life to the max re-discovering herself, her freedom and what makes her happy. "Developing a massive over-55s lifestyle village in Mildura" is her current big project. So I made my enquiries in the small river town, and she'd certainly not yet left any impressions. A little more sleuthing only to uncover it's actually a caravan park she has planned. Presumably for grey nomads. It's actually a vineyard site just outside of Mildura, about 18 acres currently growing grapes for dried sultanas.
Apparently the deal's settlement awaits the upcoming harvest in the district known for its dry summers and mild winters - and being a great place for a round of golf on a Peter Thompson-designed course. Mildura is situated in north western Victoria, in the Sunraysia district, some 500 kilometres from Melbourne, on the mighty Murray River.
I gather the Gympie-born Janet Roach, aka Janet Forshaw, was interested in one of the two neighbouring caravan parks, and finding it not quite suitable, she then rang the vendor Joseph Nocera direct. He's going to keep his automotive works, I understand, which might be handy for those nomad oil changes. He was wanting $1.5 million for the bigger entire holding on Cureton Avenue (pictured below), but Janet isn't taking the lot. The suggestion from town planning sources is that she's proposing around 190 caravan sites.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2014/02/21/mil]}
Do you reckon anyone in Sydney with caravan park plans for Umina would get a word in edgeways in any Sydney Real Housewives series?
But I might be a tad too snobbish as the latest IBISWorld report out this week indicated travel service providers, especially cruise ship and caravan park operators, are enjoying a surge in activity from baby boomers keen to spend their hard-earned cash while they are in good health.
They say more grey nomads are hitting the open road, which is boosting revenue for the caravan parks and camping grounds industry. The industry is forecast to grow at an annualised 1.9% over the five years through 2013-14 to $1.4 billion despite the number of camping grounds declining.
Senior travellers currently account for 26.5% of the industry’s visitor nights – a figure IBISWorld expects will increase over the next decade.
Anyway when not getting the requisite approvals for the Mildura caravan park, Janet Roach keeps hereself busy on trying to grow truffles on the Mornington Peninsula under the business name, Mont Rouge Truffiere. She's previously known to have dabbled in property development at Diamond Creek and South Morang.
SHE SAID:
Jonathan tells me he will be watching Downton Abbey on Channel 7, but he is spot on when it comes to the conclusion that it is Sydney with the wealth of material for the Real Housewives juggernaut which no one admits to watching, but everyone secretly does.
Popular Sydney lunchtime restaurants, including Catalina, Chiswick and Bather’s Pavillion, would be the first place to unearth an abundance of talent to fill a sextet of sirens to star in the show.
In fact, Judy McMahon, Catalina’s chatelaine, could be Sydney’s answer to Lisa Vanderpump, a restaurateur and long-standing cast member of The Real Housewives of Beverley Hills. I understand Jonathan is a big fan of Lisa Vanderpump, one of the most popular Real Housewives.
And Sheeva Tavakoli, the wife of Sydney plastic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli (who live in a $16.35 million harbourfront mansion at Darling Point) is the perfect Sydneysider to take the place of Toorak’s Andrea Moss who’s married to Melbourne plastic surgeon Dr Chris Moss.
Of course, a hot contender for Gina Liano’s legal spot is Sydney beauty and well-dressed barrister, Louise McBride, who lived in a clifftop mansion at Whale Beach before moving to an apartment in Potts Point, with plenty enough wardrobe space for her impressive couturier collection. It would be fun if she could pop over to Bomera to vist the $12.5 million landmark Italianate Potts Point sandstone mansion owned by Leanne Catelan who would also be a terrific Real Housewives candidate given her experience with family stoushes.
Leanne, the daughter of Ray Catelan, the late entrepreneur once behind real estate data company RP Data, and her sister Michelle - daughters from the first of Ray’s three marriages - were involved in a battle over their father’s estate following his 2011 death.
Tiffany's stores in the city and at Westfield Bondi Junction also could be locations to discover potential Real Housewives following in the footsteps of Joyce Giraud, a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, who was spotted shopping last week with her husband Michael Ohoven at Tiffany’s store on Rodeo Drive. With her red and black polka dot mini dress, black platform heels and huge shopping bags, the 38-year-old was hard to miss.
Hair salons are another obvious hunting ground for Real Housewives talent. Heading the Sydney list is the first floor Double Bay digs of celebrity snipper Joh Bailey, with its hundreds of well coiffed clients who live in multi-million dollar eastern suburbs homes.
And for that vital real estate ingredient in Sydney, where property is almost a religion, why not an estate agent – perhaps D’Leanne Lewis, Alison Coopes or Victoria Morish? Although, flamboyant World Square city agent, Monika Tu, of Black Diamondz, might give the eastern suburbs gals a run for their money.
Given Sydney has so much to offer Real Housewives, Jonathan and I quickly cobbled together a list of suggestions for Foxtel’s executive director of television, Brian Walsh, who hopes Melbourne's offering enthralls, bemuses and dazzles. Hopefully the cameras don't visit Mildura too often!
Brian Walsh needn't actually stray far from his own highrise home to find the Real Housewifes of 2011, tres girly, but should he wish to diversify the series elsewhere, here are our suggestions:
Real Housewives of Mosman – the lower north shore’s beautiful harbour suburb with a smorgasbord of sporting types including horse trainer Gai Waterhouse, Sally Kahlbetzer (wife of polo player Markus Kahlbetzer who paid $18 million for Mandolong House, a vast non-waterfront estate) and a gaggle of rugby wives including Erica Gregan (wife of George Gregan), Julie Kearns (wife of Phil Kearns) and Lara Eales (wife of John Eales) who all reside in magnificent homes.
Real Housewives of Vaucluse – no shortage of talent here including Erica Packer (estranged wife of billionaire James Packer), Susie Kelly (a founder of Industrie Clothing), Sanchia Brahimi (wife of chef Guillaume Brahimi), Ann Cam (missus of carpenter Scott Cam who paid $4.6 million for a three-level residence last year), Mariana Ipkendanz (the London-based Brazillian beauty who’s yet to occupy the Peter Stutchbury designed waterfront mansion which her husband has on the market for $60 million) and breakfast radio’s Jackie O who recently renovated a $2.7 million house with husband Lee Henderson.
Real Housewives of Sylvania Waters – no respectable wife in “The Waters” would participate in a Real Housewives show considering the infamy and repercussions for Noelene Donaher, Australia’s first reality television star who, 20 years ago, had a spectacular burst of fame after starring in the BBC fly-on-the-wall series named after the suburb. But wouldn’t it be wonderful for the Real Housewives series to snare say Susan Stevens, wife of Glenn Stevens, Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia who apparently plays the guitar at his local Baptist Church? However, it’s much more likely that the couple would agree to participate in the fabulous ABC series, Family Confidential.
Real Housewives of Centennial Park – a small suburb with gracious parkside mansions and a bevy of suitable Real Housewives talent including society lioness Skye Leckie (wife of former Channel Seven boss, David Leckie, who spends weekends with her family at their Southern Highlands farm), Lisa Vandenberg (wife of spin doctor/wheeler dealer Grant Vandenberg) and Catherine Honan (a daughter of squillionarie Dick Honan, chairman of the ethanol producing Manildra Group, who owns a vast Hunters Hill waterfront home and a $10.05 million weekender at Palm Beach). Pity Divonne Holmes a Court sold out a few years ago.
Real Housewives of Sutherland Shire – a domain of WAGS and footballers wives including Lee Furlong (wife of cricketer Shane Watson), Sara Leonardi (art gallery owner and wife of cricketer Glenn McGrath) and Rebecca Stevens (wife of footballer Jason Stevens, a celebate author who wrote Worth The Wait). Of course, Jonathan’s pick of The Shire is the genetically blessed 27-year-old celebrity model, Tahyna Tozzi, who last month tied the knot with her professional dancer fiance, Tristan McManus, while Margie’s choice is Rachel Gilbert, a fashion designer and wife of former television chippy, Tom Williams.
Real Housewives of Palm Beach - sun kissed starlets should be easy to round up in this northern beaches peninsula playground whose circa 1880 white lighthouse and golden sands already are etched in the minds of millions of viewers who tune into the television series, Home and Away. As well as some of the most expensive and exclusive beachside holiday shacks in Sydney, Palmy has dozens of potential Real Housewives including Heidi Middleton (Sass and Bide designer), Bec Cartwright (wife of tennis player Lleyton Hewitt), Shay Lewis-Thorp (a daughter of the late property developer Bernard Lewis who owns $7.4 million beachfront holiday house), Carrie Hayes Bellotti (Aspen spa/yoga studio owner and wife of banker Steve Bellotti who own an $8.4 million Iluka Road beachfront residence) and Belinda Henry (wife of banker Paul Henry) - sadly, blonde glamourpuss Amanda Nankervis no long lives in the swanky summer playground where she once reigned supreme.
Real Housewives of Point Piper - Angela Fleming, the widow of grocery tycoon Jim Fleming who recently bought a harboufront apartment, Tiffany Tilley, who briefly turned her hand at selling children's designer clothes, and is the wife of Ben Tilley, who has recently rekindled his friendship with old school mate, James Packer. Then you'd toss up between Julia Ross, Kristy Hinze and Jodie Meares, who still owns there on the peninsula, but might well depart when she marries the rock-star fiance, former INXS frontman Jon Stevens.
Undoubtedly Brian Walsh will find his way into Queensland.
Real Housewives of the Gold Coast - hard to know where to start but you'd have to find a cameo role for A-Team Gold Coast socialite Donrecka "Chanel, Chanel, Chanel" Issakidis, wife of property developer husband Michael. She once had a gold-edged Rolls Royce key.