Former Ladbrokes CEO Dean Shannon lists Maleny equestrian estate
Dean Shannon, the former Ladbrokes Australia CEO, has had an affiliation with horses, and not just through his work.
The keen horse enthusiast and wife Kelly, who shares his love of horses, recently sold an equestrian properties in the Gold Coast hinterland, and is now seeking to sell another in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
The 42 hectare Sunshine Coast property in Maleny is one of Australia's most impressive equestrian facilities, located an hour from the Doomben race track.
When Shannon paid $7 million for the property in 2009, he changed the name from Tengarra Park to Montana Park.
The stable complex is the focal point.
It features 10 double-sized broodmare boxes, two stallion boxes, wash bays, a vet room, horse scales, tack room, rug room and feed room.
The stable complex had been the showpiece of the previous owners, show jumping couple David and Pam Courtice, who developed the property from a run-down dairy farm with 100-year-old fencing, pig pens and barbed wire.
The Courtices’ two-year transformation attracted intense local sticky-beaking as mud turned into green paddocks, and impressive timber fencing was erected to define the perimeter of the picture postcard property.
There's now 45 post and rail paddocks and two Olympic size dressage arenas.
Not just a luxury property for horses, the main regular old human residence spans a vast 1,800 sqm and has five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a steam room, massage room and dressing rooms.
The entertaining spaces have views of the Glass House Mountains.
Ray White Buderim agents Lew Pottinger and Nathan Nicholl are marketing the equine complex for a July 29 auction.
Shannon's $7 million purchase in 2009 has been unrivalled in Maleny, the small locality 40 kilometres south-west of the Sunshine Coast.
Before the sale in 2006 to the Courtice's, the dairy property had been in the Evans family for nine decades.
It was sold by Ray and Robyn Evans.
Ray's father Evan Evans had taken over the farm in 1942.
Regular rainfall together with an irrigation licence from a permanent creek and eight mega litre dam make Montana Park virtually drought proof.