Sandstone Potts Point 1858 Italianate trophy mansion Bomera relisted

Bomera, the Italianate sandstone mansion at Potts Point, has been relisted, but this time without the $25 million-plus hopes.

The 1858 house, designed by architect J.F. Hilly, is on 2,000 square metres on the tip of the peninsula overlooking Woolloomooloo Bay. The meticulous 2003 restoration of the estate was overseen by heritage architects Graham Brooks & Associates after the property was deemed surplus to Royal Australian Navy requirements. It comes with a five-bedroom house with regal formal rooms, a provincial-style kitchen and a grand ballroom. There is also a three-bedroom cottage in the gardens, which have a pool and a spa, and a six-car garage.

Bill Bridges from Ballard Property and Ken Jacobs at Christies International have the Wylde Street listing.

Bomera was originally on land that stretched from Wylde Street to Victoria Street along the harbour foreshore.

It was 2001 when historic Potts Point villas Bomera and Tarana were sold for about $6.55 million by the Defence Department, which acquired the 3,700-square-metre holding as fleet headquarters for the Royal Australian Navy in 1941.

The 1858 Italianate-style Bomera, built for merchant William McQuade, who helped establish Randwick racecourse, became a single dwelling. The late Victorian-style Tarana, built for McQuade's son Arthur in 1888, was converted into three apartments overseen by the manufacturer-turned-property-developer Jorge Fernandez.

Fernandez knocked back a $15 million offer to sell Bomera within a couple of years of its purchase.