Port Douglas property: Port Douglas’ celebrity revival grows amid Covid backdrop
From rich listers, property moguls, shock jocks and former sporting superstars, this idyllic seaside town is home to an eclectic mix of celebrities. TAKE A LOOK
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PORT Douglas has long had a reputation as a playground for the rich and famous but the global pandemic has influenced a roaring revival of the high-end property market.
From rich listers, property moguls, shock jocks and former sporting superstars, this idyllic seaside town is home to an eclectic mix of celebrities and business heavyweights who have escaped the city lockdowns for a palm-fringed life.
Cashed up corporates – such as CSL chairman Brian McNamee, Tyro co-founder Andrew Rothwell, philanthropist Peter Scanlon and former secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Martin Parkinson – are all said to have invested, or moved, to the sleepy village in favour of the virus-ravaged south.
Chief executive of Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, Martin Fahy, also calls Port Douglas home and has even joined the local council as the independent chair of its audit committee.
Sotheby’s International Realty director Barbara Wolveridge says the tropical lifestyle, promise of anonymity and its affordability compared to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane is what’s driving the big end of town to continue to invest in the Douglas Shire.
“Prices in Melbourne and Sydney have gone berserk and we are still seen as very affordable up here, and we are,” Ms Wolveridge said.
Port Douglas is seen as an enticing option for famous celebrities who “don’t want to be hassled” as they walk down Macrossan Steet.
“The reason they come up here is because nobody worries about them. Nobody thinks, ‘oh god, there’s an AFL player’. Nobody cares,” she said.
“If you want to be seen, you go to Byron Bay. If you don’t and you want to be under the radar, you come to Port Douglas. That’s how it works.”
Ms Wolveridge has seen a huge rise in the number of influential interstate buyers looking for holiday homes in Port Douglas with the re-emergence of Covid-19 this year, and she expects the trend to continue for the next few years.
“Sydneysiders have now discovered us and quite frankly they are loving it,” she said.
Here’s a peek inside the lavish lifestyles of five of the more flamboyant celebrities who have purchased multimillion dollar getaways in Port Douglas.
FRASER BROWN:
Former Carlton footballer Fraser Brown was famous for his timing over 177 AFL games.
The rugged midfielder’s match-saving tackle on Dean Wallace in the dying stages of the 1999 preliminary final is part of football folklore.
His timing was again impeccable earlier this year when he snapped up arguably the most prestigious property in Port Douglas for a cool $8.25 million.
Formerly owned by millionaire businessman John Morris, dubbed “Mr Port Douglas” in the Far North resort town, the hilltop hideaway at 1-3 Wharf St is set over a sprawling 2390sq m block with uninterrupted views across the Coral Sea.
The five-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion has capacity for more than 100 guests and was designed to double as a corporate retreat.
Brown, who is the director of Brown Property Group, will no doubt be using that capacity on his regular jaunts north.
LLOYD WILLIAMS:
Powerful racehorse owner and property developer Lloyd Williams has been a constant on the Port Douglas property scene since the early 1990s.
The multiple Melbourne Cup winning owner has four, four bedroom houses in the exclusive Mirage Villas complex originally built by Christopher Skase.
The properties all adjoin each other surrounded by 130ha of tropical gardens alongside the 18-hole Mirage Country Club with the five-star Sheraton Grand Mirage Port Douglas Resort nearby.
Williams, 81, purchased the second pair in 2018 for $1.7 million each which are used by his wife, Suzie, their kids and grandchildren.
“We like Port Douglas, we love the beach and the village and the main street,” he told News Corp following the purchase, adding that he could not resist buying the two extra villas because they adjoin his existing two holdings.
Mr Williams is estimated to be worth more than $900m, making him one of the richest 50 people in the country.
He has owned the winner of the “race that stops a nation” a record seven times, most recently with Twilight Payment in 2020.
KYLE SANDILANDS:
Controversial commercial radio host Kyle Sandilands, 49, recently splashed a reported $1.3m on a sprawling 2.5ha tropical retreat in Mowbray, south of Port Douglas.
The KIIS FM host has even used the stunning home featuring an infinity pool, massive secluded entertainment area and stunning views towards the Coral Sea as a makeshift studio for his daily program since making the purchase in February.
In addition to the wet-edge pool, the three bedroom, three bathroom home boasts seamless indoor and outdoor living – popular in tropical climates – and a pool deck that doubles as an entertainer’s area, complete with a purpose-built pizza oven.
Sandilands landed himself in hot water recently when he made disparaging remarks about the Paralympics, labelling them as “horrific” after he watched a high jump contestant miss the mat and soccer players throw “themselves on the ground like sausages”.
PATTI MOSTYN
Internationally acclaimed rock publicist Patti Mostyn owned one of the most impressive trophy homes in Port Douglas for almost a decade before selling it just last month for a cool $6.125m, cashing on in the ballooning demand for high-end property.
Mostyn, who is famous for working with global superstars Rod Stewart, Frank Sinatra, George Michael, Sting, Elton John and even supermodel Elle Macpherson, bought the property – at 26 Island Point Road – in 2013 with her late husband, concert production pioneer Eric Robinson.
The massive three level home, known as The Glass House, offers 200 degree sweeping views to the Coral Sea and beyond over Four Mile Beach and the Port Douglas Marina.
The master suite and third bedroom have their own private balcony overlooking the tropical landscape.
Mostyn was in the bridal party for the surprise wedding of Elton John and Renate Blauel, which took place on Valentine’s Day at St Mark’s Darling Point in 1984.
Former paparazzi photographer turned mayor of Geelong Darryn Lyons owns a stunning beachfront home at Newell Beach, north of Port Douglas.
The colourful figure escaped the southern lockdown and has opened an art gallery in the seaside town, moving permanently into his lavish Newell Beach retreat.
He formerly rented the massive five bedroom, five bathroom mansion as a private holiday stay for $900 a night, where guests can laze by the pool while watching the sunset over the Coral Sea.
The home is located around 15 minutes north of Port Douglas.
He is also great friends with Kyle Sandilands, who recently attended the launch of his Wharf Street gallery filled with his own work.
Lyons is a multi-award winning photographer who went on to run his own celebrity gossip news site, Mr Paparazzi.com, along with starring on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK.
He has businesses interests in New York, London, Sydney and Geelong and appears to be a stayer in the Far North.
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Originally published as Port Douglas property: Port Douglas’ celebrity revival grows amid Covid backdrop
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