Page 13: Tim Gurner’s new venture met with raised eyebrows among St Kilda rich listers

The luxury developer’s spruiking of his latest venture was met with raised eyebrows among St Kilda rich listers, where there’s still a lot of baggage around his St Moritz apartments.

Tim Gurner in the St Moritz complex in St Kilda. Picture: Aaron Francis

The back slapping and chinking of champagne glasses were ringing loudly at Docklands last week when Tim Gurner launched his latest extravaganza.

Going big is Gurner’s MO and this was certainly that — a $1.7 billion futuristic wellness and anti-ageing Utopia dubbed Elysium Fields — which he hopes revitalises the city’s still dour waterfront precinct.

But as the luxury entrepreneur was talking up the new venture, the news was being met with raised eyebrows among rich listers down St Kilda way.

Gurner’s last major project was the luxury St Moritz apartment complex, which initially grabbed headlines thanks to the late cricketing icon Shane Warne eyeing off an elaborate spread in the Pacific Grand building.

While Gurner might have moved on to his next big thing, it turns out there is still a lot of baggage around St Moritz.

The St Moritz\ apartment complex in St Kilda.

Inside one of the luxury St Moritz apartments.

Page 13 understands a number of residents are still waiting for faults in their apartments to be fixed.

And the longer it goes on the more money it’s costing Gurner in compensation and we’re talking seven figures.

At the top of the list is former Domain boss turned media baron high flyer and owner of Rae’s On Wategos Antony Catalano, who bought the 650-metre penthouse for a cool $30 million back in 2019.

The two-level apartment has two pools, seven bedrooms and four living rooms with an additional 150 square metres to accomodate the father of eight.

An artist’s impression of Tim Gurner’s plans for Elysium Fields, a wellness and_anti ageing centre in Docklands. Picture: Supplied

It’s a serious spread and “The Cat” is more than happy with the lavish outcome, but when contacted by Page 13 was still awaiting some work to be completed since settlement more than a year ago.

But signs of a cat fight over costs around $1.8million had faded when we called this week.

“We are not in dispute, I’m in complete agreement with Gurner and Crema Group Construction that there is a defect and there is complete acceptance and willingness to fix it,” Catalano said.

“Once it’s fixed we need to have a conversation about compensation.”

Watch this space.