The Scoop: Rare glimpse inside Clive Palmer’s sprawling Brisbane compound
After moving out of its iconic Paddington home in 2017 to relocate to Bowen Hills, Brisbane French fine diner Montrachet may find itself in a new location yet again. WE’VE GOT THE SCOOP
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After moving out of its iconic Paddington home in 2017 to relocate to Bowen Hills, Brisbane French fine diner Montrachet may find itself in a new location yet again.
Owner Shannon Kellam revealed he was considering relocating the institution restaurant, which on Friday celebrated 20 years in operation, from its current site on King St to a new larger space.
He said a bigger tenancy would help with the viability of the restaurant, allowing for a separate bar area for guests to enjoy a drink from the “exclusive wine list” or signature cocktails before or after a meal, which would bring in greater profits.
“We lose a lot of trade and a lot of revenue (because we don’t have a bar) because we’re very limited in how we can create revenue,” he said, with the restaurant currently operating at just 40 seats.
The move won’t happen anytime soon, however, as Montrachet is locked into a lease until 2029 in Bowen Hills.
When the time is right, though, Mr Kellam said he was considering somewhere in Brisbane CBD for the next era of the dining icon.
RARE GLIMPSE AT PALMER COMPOUND
Imagine being as rich as Clive Palmer.
We don’t need to imagine any longer, because on Wednesday we got to witness it for ourselves.
Scoop was among a group of journalists invited to Clive Palmer’s Fig Tree Pocket home where he spruiked his series of Freedom Conference shows alongside controversial US political media identity Tucker Carlson.
The property – which is a massive 1900sq m – has big black gates preventing anyone from just walking in.
But it wasn’t the gates that actually deter people – it’s the multiple security guards in black, standing outside.
Next to the gates were not one but two lion statues and further down the property were also three horse statues with jockeys on top.
One of the first things people see as soon as they pass the gates is a rotunda with large pillars holding it together. A sign on top says “44th parliament of Australia 2013-2018” – a monument to Palmer’s stint as an MP.
While journalists were not invited into the house itself, Palmer has his very own media conference room to the side.
The room has several TV screens and a framed photo of Palmer with the caption “Clivemania goes global: Top media organisations are chasing Clive Palmer in the lead up to Titanic II’s unveiling in New York.”
The media conference was extremely chaotic, with Carlson, deflecting questions from Channel 9’s Tim Arvier, and instead putting the questions back on him.
TAX OFFICE PUTS SOCIALITE IN ITS SIGHTS
After winning an $11m judgment against Gold Coast horse racing and construction identity Gerhard “Hoss” Heinrich, the tax office now has Heinrich’s socialite daughter in his sights.
The ATO this month launched Supreme Court action against Tayla Heinrich, alleging an unpaid debt.
It follows an April judgment against Mr Heinrich – a former Gold Coast Turf Club chairman whose building companies have worked on Queen’s Wharf and Cross River Rail – over millions owed by Heinrich Formwork.
Ms Heinrich, 28, is a director of companies including Heinrich Constructions Queensland, which collapsed last year.
She is also director of another collapsed company, G & H Consulting, which owns dozens of racehorses worth up to $350,000 each.
Mr Heinrich was excluded from holding a Queensland Building and Construction Commission licence until February 2027 after Heinrich Formwork and Heinrich Constructions Qld collapsed.
However, his Coast-based company Heinrich Constructions Australia still holds a licence for projects valued between $12m and $30m. Mr Heinrich’s wife Gillian – a top racehorse trainer – is sole director of that company.
ZOMBIES ON A PLANE
The buzz around Brisbane this week has been all about Zombie Plane, which has resumed filming at Screen Queensland’s studios in Hemmant.
Screen Queensland confirmed the zombie action film is in full swing, with additional scenes shot this week after initial filming last year.
Starring martial arts legend Chuck Norris, ’90s rap star Vanilla Ice and Aussie icon Sophie Monk, the plot features high-profile passengers fighting zombies on a flight from Brisbane to LA, according to the production company Radioactive Pictures.
“Zombie Plane is a high-octane undead action mash-up of laughs and screams in equal measure,” it said.
In a surprising twist, insider sources have revealed Aussie superstars Amy Shark and Natalie Bassingthwaighte have reportedly joined the cast.
REGURGITATOR FRONTMAN ON CONFRONTING CONCERT MOMENT
As Brisbane band Regurgitator wraps up their extensive 21-date Australian tour this weekend in Cairns, lead vocalist Quan Yeomans has opened up about their latest album, Invader.
The album features collaborations with some high-profile indigenous names, including rapper JK-47, who features on the track Dirty Old Men, and author Tyson Yunkaporta, whose poem The Bastard Poem No-One Wanted inspired the album’s title track.
Yeomans, who described working with Yunkaporta as a “profound experience”, told Scoop about a poignant moment during their recent Melbourne show where Yunkaporta was subjected to racial abuse.
“It was shocking, but it highlighted the need for truth-telling and education about our country’s history,” Yeomans said.
DADDY CANDYMAN
Two weeks ago, she was strutting her stuff on the catwalk at Miami Swim Week.
This week, Lucciana Beynon, 22 – daughter of Gold Coast tobacco tycoon Travers ‘The Candyman’ Beynon – was back on the Glitter Strip, cuddling her new baby brother.
She returned to the family’s opulent “Candy Shop Mansion” at Helensvale to greet her new sibling, Santiago.
“My lil brother,” she wrote in an Instagram story beneath a snap of her cradling a soundly-sleeping Santiago (top).
The baby, who was born last week, is the 52-year-old Candyman’s fifth child – and his third with second wife Taesha.
IRONMAN WEDS
Gold Coast ironman and lifeguard Jackson Maynard and his pilates instructor partner Ellie Higgison tied the knot in a romantic ceremony in South Africa this week.
The couple, who became engaged in March last year after Maynard scrawled “will you marry me” in the sand on the Goldy, wed at the luxurious Intle Boutique Hotel near Port Elizabeth.
They discovered the five-star Eastern Cape resort, which overlooks a game reserve, while in South Africa in 2016 watching their good mate, former world surf champ Joel Parkinson, compete in the Jeffreys Bay Pro.
Parkinson and wife Monica were among guests at the nuptials, along with Maynard’s parents, Gold Coast chief lifeguard Chris Maynard and wife Marsha.
PIA REFLECTS
Prominent Queensland fashion designer Pia du Pradal bid an emotional farewell to the fashion world on Tuesday night. The grand farewell was attended by 80 guests including former Queensland governor Quentin Bryce, the current Gov Dr Jeanette Young, Mary Dickinson, Catherine Baudet, Amanda Reboul, Anna Bligh, and actor Greta Scacchi, marked the end of du Pradal’s illustrious 36-year career and her upcoming move to Alice Springs.
Du Pradal, known for dressing high-profile women, opened up about the eccentric and sometimes humorous requests she received.
“We did a lot of exclusive things for Quentin,” du Pradal revealed. “Things would come up last minute, and we’d scurry around to find fabric and make it up.” One memorable request involved fitting Bryce’s female personal protection officer with a jacket that had room for a gun.
GLITTER STRIP PILE TO GO UNDER THE HAMMER
A stunning Palm Beach penthouse seized for mortgagee sale off Lisa Hookey, Gold Coast socialite and wife of former race car driver and cricketer Scott will go under the hammer in a fortnight.
Mrs Hookey had bought the absolute beachfront property just over two years ago for $5.55m.
She and husband sold their previous home in Sanctuary Cove for $5.85m in December 2020, getting $200,000 more than they had paid – though the buyer went on to re-sell it for $7.5m two years later.
Robbie Graham of Ray White Prestige Gold Coast, who is taking the penthouse to auction on behalf of the mortgagee, said the Temple penthouse was a remarkable home spanning 675sq m – suiting those who “desire space, luxury and the unique appeal of beachfront living”.
There are seven whole floor apartments in the building which was completed in 2019, and the penthouse has the luxury of three enclosed car spaces in the secure basement.
“What truly sets The Temple penthouse apart is its unique blend of luxury and exclusivity. The expansive living space, coupled with the boutique nature of the building, ensures that residents experience a sense of grandeur and privacy that is hard to find elsewhere. Moreover, the unparalleled beachfront location offers a lifestyle that is second to none on the Southern Gold Coast.”
Palm Beach is among one of the most sought after locations to buy into for those seeking a beach foothold.
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