Lote Tuqiri offloads long-held Balmain home

Having moved back to Brisbane, dual-code legend Lote Tuqiri has sold his redundant Sydney home.

Tuqiri, who rose to prominence at the Brisbane Broncos, quietly sold his long-held Balmain home over the Christmas break.

It sold after being listed with $2.38 million hopes through Peter O'Malley at Harris Partners Real Estate Balmain.

He bought the Birchgrove Road home in 2004, just after he swapped codes to rugby union to play for the NSW Waratahs. It cost him $1,425,000.

The fully renovated Victorian has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The master bedroom has a tiled terrace with harbour views, walk in wardrobe and ensuite.

French doors open from the living and dining space to an entertaining deck, also with views out over the harbour.

Tuqiri bought a luxury home in Yeronga in 2015, which prompted the $1,200 a week rental of his former Balmain residence.

He paid $1,825,000 for the three level, five bedroom Yeronga mansion with swimming pool. 

He began his career up in Brisbane before he joined the NSW Waratahs for the next six years. Over this time he racked up 67 Test caps for the Wallabies.

The Fijian-born Australian winger moved back to rugby league after a short stint with the Leicester Tigers in England. In 2010 he joined the Wests Tigers.

His final club was South Sydney Rabbitohs, where he crowned his rather unusual career with a Premiership, his second after winning one in his second season with the Broncos.

He represented Australia in both rugby league and rugby union, as well as Fiji in rugby league.

This article first appeared in The Sunday Telegraph.