Shane Warne reluctantly pulls up stumps on Brighton
Retired spin bowler Shane Warne has revealed to the Herald Sun Confidential columnist Luke Dennehy that putting his Brighton mansion for sale was a "bittersweet" decision given, in part, he had put his heart and soul into renovating the heritage property.
But his living arrangements now with fiance Elizabeth Hurley meant it was the right time to sell.
He will be buying something smaller to spend his estimated 120 to 140 days in Australia with his children - spacing out his visits every five or six weeks for two or three weeks.
''I love Melbourne, I think it's the best city in the world,'' he said.
Luke Dennehy suggested Warne had an offer to sell the mansion for $20 million late in 2011, but the timing wasn't right.
''I was just about to start the Big Bash and the house was finally finished after two years of renovations,'' Warne told him.
''Elizabeth and her son Damian were coming out for Christmas and my kids wanted to be in the house they had been waiting two years for.
''At that stage I had no intention of ever moving again.
''The past 10 to 15 years I'd probably had six houses, and my intention and vision for this house was to build absolutely everything I wanted so I wouldn't have to move again.
''I spent a lot of time doing up. I've got theatres, entertaining areas, huge wine cellars, a big pool area, a tennis court, I think a 6000 square metre underground basement.
''But obviously things have changed. It's a pretty special home, and it's sad to let it go.
The Brighton real estate agent J.P. Dixon has the William Street property listed at $15 million.
When it was listed last year Sportsbet.com.au briefly took bets on what the property would fetch.
It had $10 million to $12 million as the favourite price bracket, with the odds at $2.60.
Selling for less than $10 million was the next closest bet at $3, while more than $20 million dropped back from $3 odds in August to a less impressive $13 just before the betting board was removed.
The Brighton property will set a new price record in the bayside suburb if it sells for more than $15.6 million.
It was totally renovated by Warne and features a gym, cinema, basement garage, tennis court, and a pool with Warne's cricket number, 23, inscribed on the bottom.
Warne paid $8.55 million for the heritage listed home in 2009, which he shared with partner Simone Callaghan and their three children before the couple split in 2010.
A few months later, the mansion - decked out with privacy shields along the fence line - became the scene of an almost riotous media scrum when the English actress and model Liz Hurley came to stay after months of flirtation on Twitter.
They are now set to marry at some time.
