Soccer star Mark Schwarzer selling 1870s Watsons Bay harbourfront: Title Tattle
Soccer star Mark Schwarzer and his wife, Paloma, are staying in Britain, so their 1870s Watsons Bay harbourfront house has been listed for sale. The five-bedroom Victorian weatherboard is best known for its association with the Stead family. It was bought for £400 in 1917 by naturalist David Stead, when his daughter, the novelist Christina, was 14 years old. Christina, who left for London in 1928, used the locality in her books For Love Alone, The Man Who Loved Children and Seven Poor Men Of Sydney. It was built for John Harmer, a clerk in the water police office at Watsons Bay, by his father, William, a builder and ferry boat owner. During the Stead ownership the property was known as Boongarre, derived from the name of an Aborigine, Bungaree, whom Governor Lachlan Macquarie described as the chief of the Broken Bay tribe. Set on a 1,132-square-metre block, the five-bedroom house has been listed after Schwarzer did all the hard yards securing development approval for Tobias Partners alterations and extensions. He met some resistance when the likes of the US author Jonathan Franzen had asked that the house be preserved as a national heritage item. It was bought from the Pavlik family for $10.2 million in 2009. The Pavlik family bought it from the National Trust in 1991 as it had been bequeathed by Stead's third wife, botanist Thistle Harris, best known as the author of Wild Flowers Of Australia. Listing agent Brad Pillinger of Pillinger Property is quoting $12 million plus.
Silverton, the freestanding 1884 Italianate mansion at Randwick in Sydney’s east (pictured above) has been relisted by the fashion designer Lisa Ho. The four-bedroom Dutruc Street property, with elegant French provincial adornments, has $3 million plus hopes. Ho has undertaken some renovations. There is also a detached teenagers' retreat on the 630-square-metre holding. It's one of three original homes known collectively as the judges' houses in Randwick's sought-after northern precinct. It’s been listed through Pauline Goodyer at GoodyerDonnelley. The street's last big sale was when Earlswood, the 1891 residence, was sold in 2010 for $4.3 million.
The St Kilda Road, Melbourne apartment of the late Dendy Cinema co-founder Mark Josem (pictured above and below) has been listed for sale by Kay and Burton with $1.3 million-plus hopes. It occupies the whole seventh floor of the East Tower. There are therefore great views over Fawkner Park. The two-bedroom apartment comes with study lined with the photos and autographs of the big touring stars over the years: Paul Newman, James Mason, Liza Minnelli, Tony Curtis and Steve McQueen, many of whom have dined at the apartment. Mark Josem arrived in Melbourne from Poland in 1945, eventually establishing Buildex, a large home building company in 1956, which was a major contributor to the Melbourne housing boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, One of its major landmark construction projects was the Queenslodge Motel in Albert Park. In 1962 he branched out into cinema exhibition with the opening of the first of his drive-in cinemas at Sandringham. In 1969 he formed the Dendy Cinema chain with Robert Ward, which branched into distribution and then into production with films like The True story of Eskimo Nell (1975), Fantasm (1976), Blue Fire Lady (1977),;Patrick (1978), Snapshot (1979), The Naked Country (1985), Kangaroo (1986) and Club Life(1985).The complex comes with heated pool and barbecue area, tennis court and even owners' lounge. It’s been listed by Kay and Burton agents Peter Kudelka and Gary Ormrod who are taking offers until March 20. Josem died in 1986 and his widow, Ida, in January this year.
The new chief executive at the Bank of Queensland Stuart Grimshaw and Susanne Grimshaw have now listed their hillside Whale Beach weekender. It follows the recent listing of their Killara residence following his posting to the Bank of Queensland. The Grimshaws paid $3.1 million in 2009 for the four-bedroom 1970s Whale Beach Road house, which goes to March 17 auction through McGrath agent Andrew Mappin with $3 million-plus expectations. Their Killara, house which cost $3.5 million in 2003, has been listed with $4 million plus hopes through Scott Farquhar at McGrath Lindfield.
Summerlees Park, the 220-hectare Yarramalong Valley farm (pictured above), has been listed for April auction through David Nolan at Webster Nolan with $4 million-plus hopes. Its best known as a Murray Grey stud dating back to its ownership by the late retailing heir Charles Lloyd Jones. The farm, which traded in 1970 for $81,000, was sold by Lloyd Jones in 1995 for $1.8 million to the current vendors, retired Colonel Ross Brown and his wife, Joan. The secluded Yarramalong Valley property comes with a three-bedroom homestead modelled on an 1830s colonial home with central courtyard. It was built by architect Roger Charlesworth in 1983. There are two additional cottages on the property, which has about 80 hectares of cleared paddocks. After its sale Lloyd Jones scaled down to a neighbouring 34-hectare estate with cottage, which was last sold for $1.6 million. For the past ten years Summerlees Park has been managed by David and Carol Skerry.
Peter Perini, from Corinthian Industries, Australia's largest door maker and manufacturer, and his wife, Rosslyn, have listed their Neutral Bay residence, Keynsham. The 1921 Arts and Crafts house (pictured above) sits on 1,300 square metres overlooking the harbour and last traded at $4.5 million. The restored Shellcove Road house has three bedrooms including a whole-floor main suite. There’s also a billiard room. Ray White LNS agent has $8 million-plus hopes with expressions of interest closing March 13.
Television personality broadcaster Tim Webster and his wife, Charmian, are now prepared to take $970,000 for their Kenthurst residence (pictured above). It was bought for $910,000 in 2006. They originally sought $1.085 million in May last year, which was reduced to $1.05 million towards the end of last year. Karen Allmark at Inconjunction Real Estate Galston describes it as a low-maintenance, five-bedroom pretty hideaway retreat that’s great for dog-lovers given a huge enclosed dog area. The grounds come with a salt-water pool.
The Gregory family have listed their Longueville waterfront. The Belcote Road house with its 50-metre Lane Cove River waterfrontage last traded in 1994 when bought from then AJC chairman Bob Charley and wife Nina, who’d bought it 21 years earlier for $72,500. Title Tattle seems to recall that the Charleys then bought on the Kirribilli waterfront, better known as Waterhouse country, for $1.525 million from Victor and Maria Virgona, who'd paid $1.3 million in 1990 in the John Denoon-developed apartment complex. Tom and Sherry Gregory have secured council-approved Tanner Architect $1.5 million plans for a new residence. About $5 million is being sought for the property with jetty, boat shed, deep-water mooring. There are city views from the three-level house on 712 square metres, which had its top floor added in 1985. Its vast interior has several living rooms, terraces on each level, four bedrooms and three bathrooms. There is a rumpus room, library, cellar, study, pool, sauna and double garage. Its listed through Ray White Lane Cove agent Sandra Peach.
Weroona Estate (pictured above), one of the Blue Mountain’s most significant estates, has been sold for $2.4 million through Century 21 Central Mountains Hazelbrook agent Chris Delfsma. The estate, originally established in 1905, is located in historic township of Woodford some 90 minutes from the Sydney CBD. It’s 13.7 acres (5.5 hectares) of grounds with formal gardens, level lawns, pool, cabana and gazebo and a refurbished residence designed by the assistant architect on the Sydney Opera House. The home includes a grand lounge room with a marble fireplace, formal dining and sitting rooms, a sophisticated stone kitchen with commercial oven, a huge casual entertaining room with an integrated home theatre, seven enormous bedrooms, an office, six bathrooms, outdoor entertaining terraces, and a three-car garage. The grounds also feature the original 1905 gatehouse, presenting the perfect guest cottage or caretaker’s quarters. There is also the property’s original stables, which have been updated to provide a workshop. It was once the Weroona boarding house run by Morris Cooper until the late 1990s.
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Portsea’s had its quietest summer selling season in recent memory. Few trophy listings, so even fewer actual sales. From the officially known data, the highest publicly recorded sale was $2,375,000 on the golf course on Relph Avenue. So summer’s done and dusted and Kay & Burton Portsea agent Liz Jensen is now onto her Easter listings. Dundonald (pictured above), the five-bedroom, three-bathroom 1917 limestone residence opposite Fishermans Beach, has been with the Boykett family since its construction. Set on 1,724 square metres of level Point Nepean Road lawns, it’s only been recently refreshed. More than $2.75 million is being sought. Summer's shining moment was the delayed terms settlement in December of the landmark clifftop Ilyuka to John Higgins, who ran a family paint business in Brunswick before his windfall investment in Polish breweries. Its sale – Victoria's record house sale – was officially recorded at $26 million after much speculation since its December 2010 exchange by the former Computershare director Michele O'Halloran. The 1930s Spanish Mission house was marketed by Ross Savas and the veteran agent Gerald Delany, who has since departed Kay & Burton, and despite much speculation has yet to take his open for inspection sign boards to any other agency. Ilyuka, a sprawling house built for American oil tycoon Harry Cornforth in 1929-30, was marketed globally with a campaign that included a five-minute movie set in the mansion. O'Halloran bought the mansion in 1999 for $7.5 million and then secured $1.6 million for the 742-square-metre former vegie patch in a subsequent disposal.
The property developer and yacht-racing identity George Snow and his wife, Sabrina, have abandoned plans to move into a Darling Point penthouse (pictured above). The Snows have put the penthouse on the market through Bart Doff of Laing+Simmons Double Bay and McGrath's Ben Collier as their Point Piper waterfront residence, Deauville, has not been sold. Snow, best known for twice taking line honours in the Sydney to Hobart as the owner-skipper of super-maxi yacht Brindabella, had spent $8.5 million on the penthouse with marina last March. Their five-bedroom 1935 Longworth Avenue waterfront house, which last sold for $3 million in 1993, comes with direct private access to Lady Martins Beach. More than $17 million was being sought when it went to June auction. It now sits on the books of Pillinger Real Estate.
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Construction mogul Daniel Grollo has sold his Cape Schanck holiday house (pictured above). Its sale price has not been disclosed, but the five-bedroom, four bathroom house, which offers sweeping views of Bass Strait, was listed pre-Christmas with $2 million-plus hopes. Set on the doorstep of the exclusive National Golf Club, the house sits on 3,155 square metres. It comes with three living areas, gourmet kitchen, wine cellar, theatre, bar, horizon pool and a double garage. Kay & Burton Flinders agent Andrew Hines had the listing. Grollo bought the property for $2.45 million mid-2008 following several unsuccessful sales campaigns in which the house was quoted at prices from $2.7 million to $4 million. It had been designed by Waterface Living Architecture for friends Dr Dick Merigan, a GP with a large practice in Rowville, and Paul Goss, owner of Modern Milk Supplies.
Rathven, the rarely traded 1887 Randwick residence, has been sold – almost one year after its auction. The six-bedroom, six-bathroom Italianate colonial villa that sits on a 2,117-square-metre St Marks Road block fetched around $6.3 million through Ballard Property agent Bill Bridges. The grounds come with an 18-metre pool, a spa and a tennis court. It was built by the colonial carpenter George Raffan on land that extended to the bottom of Glebe Gully, with the gardens featuring Norfolk Island pines, huge bamboos and two Port Jackson fig trees. After his arrival from Scotland in 1874, Raffan had a shop on Bridge Street near the Tank Stream. Raffan pioneered the cement industry and became a pastoralist, owning Lue and Cooyal stations at Mudgee. After its 1927 sale by Dr Abraham M. Loewenthal, Rathven operated as a boarding school for Sydney Grammar School until 1976. It was heritage listed in 1979 by then planning minister Paul Landa after 72 residential apartments were proposed for the site. It last traded, derelict, in 1982 for $410,000 when bought by gastroenterologist Dr Terry Bolin and his wife, Robin. The previous Randwick record stood at $5.45 million on Wentworth Street last year, which narrowly eclipsed the $5.3 sale in 2010 of the residence of the retired Swans coach Paul Roos and his wife, Tami.
