Nine Melbourne men with luxury lifestyles only money can buy
From crypto kings to comedians, AFL stars to Melbourne empire heirs, new money to old, brash and bougie to ‘society’ style — here are nine of the state’s rich young things.
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Some unashamedly flaunt their cool cars, dream boats and flashy houses while others try to keep their vast property portfolios and multi-millionaire status quiet, but all are young, rich and enjoy the sort of lush weddings and enviable lifestyles only loads of money can buy. From crypto kings to comedians, AFL stars to Melbourne empire heirs, new money to old, brash and bougie to ‘society’ style — here are nine of the state’s rich young things.
Adrian Portelli — ‘Mr Lambo’
Better known as ‘The Lambo Guy’ or ‘Mr Lambo’, Adrian Portelli shot to fame through his aggressive bidding on hit series The Block.
He also craned a $3m McLaren sports car into a $39m “weekender” penthouse on the 57th floor of a new apartment tower in Melbourne that he claimed to have bought.
Believed to be a billionaire, Melbourne businessman Adrian Portelli has also been on a European luxury car buying spree.
He travelled to Europe — dropping in to Monte Carlo of course — to add to his car collection and has hinted there may be more flash car purchases to come.
Before he went overseas he also bought a new Maybach and is giving away his Bentley. He added a yellow HSV GTS Coupe to his collection and in June he bought a Lamborghini Huracan STO.
Portelli owns more than 20 properties across Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia and is entering into developments in New South Wales.
He owns 40-plus cars and enjoys splashing around and sharing his wealth.
He has given away millions of dollars and cars to members of his LMCT+ tech business.
The Herald Sun on Sunday revealed a lottery business run by Portelli was under investigation by authorities in two states for allegedly breaking gambling laws.
LMCT+ operates legally using a loophole in the law, but gambling regulators in Victoria and South Australia have launched investigations into the business.
Anti-gambling activists have also called for the loophole to be closed.
Zed Nasheet — self-made real estate success
He was born poor and failed his VCE at Dandenong High, but brash Melbourne real estate agent Zed Nasheet has let nothing stop him becoming a multi-millionaire and he’s happy to tell the world about his self-made success.
Known for his ostentatious ad campaigns that include him rapping about real estate while sipping champagne in a private jet, the self-confessed “refugee boy” happily flashes his expensive cars and suits and makes no secret of the fact he’d like to be a reality TV star.
The owner of Zed Real Estate, which he runs with his brothers, is a long way from the tiny, two-bedroom apartment he shared with his family of six and another family of eight in war-torn Afghanistan and, later, the prejudice he experienced in Pakistan, after his family fled the Taliban.
“I have nothing good to say about my childhood but I am who I am because of where I’ve come from. A lot of people take Australia for granted but I’m the proudest Aussie. There’s no better country in the world to live, and that’s where my hunger comes from,” Mr Nasheet told the Herald Sun in 2019.
His Zed Nasheet Real Estate website now boasts that “it seems Zed has the Midas touch — everything that is for zale he turns to zold.”
Edward Craven — crypto king
Melbourne 27-year-old crypto gambling magnate Edward Craven is the nation’s youngest billionaire, with an estimated $2.01bn fortune.
Although Craven made a name for himself only quite recently, he has been quietly building one of the biggest online gambling entities in the world, Stake.com, for the best part of a decade with his American business partner Bijan Tehrani.
Profits from the business allowed Craven to pay about $120m for two mansions in Melbourne’s Toorak last year, including the so-called “ghost mansion” that has sat idle for several decades, for a record $80m.
Stake is regulated in Curacao but Craven is understood to still spend much of his time in Melbourne.
Stake claims to take $US400m in bets every day from customers around the world, though the industry it operates in is banned in countries such as Australia and the US.
Conrad Lucas – heir to restaurant empire
The dashing son of influential Melbourne restaurateur Chris Lucas, Conrad Lucas is married to Mecca Australia executive Bridget Bond and enjoys the sort of luxe lifestyle that allows him to jet off to Venice for family weddings, attended by fellow well-heeled socialites. Conrad and Bridget recently tied the knot themselves in Capri, Italy.
Harry Fox — heir to trucking empire
The grandson of billionaire trucking magnate Lindsay Fox, Harry Fox tied the knot with stunning Kristen Fowler late last year in one of Melbourne’s most talked-about society weddings, after earlier proposing on board the luxury 650ft MV Seabourn Quest, during his grandfather’s epic, overseas 85th birthday celebrations.
The nuptials themselves took place at the Toorak residence of Lindsay Fox and the reception at the State Library of Victoria, with former Channel 10 weatherman and celebrant Mike Larkan the MC.
Bride Kristen Fowler is a model who works as a senior associate at PwC Australia. Guests at the wedding included footballers Luke McDonald and Jack Billings plus actor Krista Vendy and members of the Hachem and De Lutis families. The couple’s dream honeymoon was enjoyed at top hotels and destinations throughout Europe.
William Myer — heir to retail empire
William Myer, the son of Fiona and Sidney Myer and great grandson of Sidney Myer who founded the Myer department store in 1900, married wife Sarah in the Toorak family home in one of the most stunning weddings of 2021. Will’s brother Ed married model Georgia Connolly the year before. Sidney Myer opened the iconic eight-level Bourke Street Myer Emporium in 1914. It was the showpiece of the grand Myer empire, which eventually expanded to 60 stores across Australia. The Bourke St shop was the biggest department store in the southern hemisphere and the fifth largest in the world.
Justin Kestelman — businessman
Melbourne businessman Justin Kestelman is the son of NBL owner and rich-lister Larry Kestelman. His marriage to Melbourne socialite Sophia Pafitis earlier this year took place at The Trust in the city followed by a night of dancing at South Yarra bar and restaurant, Yugen, at the bottom of the $700m Capital Grand high-rise development owned by Kestelman. Kestelman founded home decor brand Hommey
Dusty Martin — football star
Tigers star Dustin Martin has enjoyed more than sporting success — despite signing an astonishing $9m contract across seven years just before Richmond’s flag in 2017.
He is also arguably one of the game’s most marketable commodities, having negotiated lucrative deals with brands like Bonds, Kennedy Watches and Nike, and has a massive, savvy property portfolio said be worth about $14m in 2021.
The Richmond player famously went on a spending spree in inner-city Richmond, splashing $8.75m on four converted warehouses in the same street, and bought a luxury $1.7m beachfront apartment in Port Melbourne in 2021.
He and manager Ralph Carr have previously bought a $4.8m plush Abbotsford home as well as a $3m home in the same suburb which lines the Yarra River.
Martin’s expensive taste also applies to his cars, though unfortunately the superstar’s $150,000 Range Rover was allegedly stolen and used in a wild crime spree.
Watches are another favourite, and he’s been pictured wearing a IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar watch worth $64,000.
“(He is) not only one of the best players that has ever played the game, he is probably the most bankable sports brand in Australia,” Carr has said.
“I always thought with the right support and guidance he would become Australia’s Michael Jordan or David Beckham.
“He has real reach, real sell-through and will have strong currency well after he retires.”
Andy Lee — comedian
Comedian Andy Lee is showing he’s serious about property with multimillion moves in the real estate game.
Lee spent $8.5m in 2021 on a dilapidated mansion on the banks of the Yarra River and has won approval from the local council to carry out a $5m renovation on the property, that he estimates will take the best part of two years to complete.
In the meantime Lee is off loading his spectacular Richmond converted warehouse. The three storey, three bedroom home features a wine cellar, an indoor golf simulator, a glass walled garage and private gym among other luxe features.
The host of the Channel 9 game show The Hundred and popular radio and TV funnyman was once in a relationship with supermodel Megan Gale.
Now making life plans with influencer girlfriend Rebecca Harding, the pair have unveiled grand ideas for their crumbling mansion — with a golf simulator (again), riverside pool and even a tunnel between two buildings.
The mansion will also have a theatre, gym, “mail room”, bar, cellar, large outdoor dining and entertainment terrace and 22.7sq m “waiting area”.
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